Pâte à Génoise Fine

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •20 cm (8-inch) round cake tin, at least 5 cm (2 inches) deep
• •Large stainless-steel or heatproof glass mixing bowl
• •Medium saucepan for the bain-marie
• •Electric hand mixer or stand mixer with whisk attachment
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Wide flexible spatula
• •Wire cooling rack
• •Instant-read thermometer, helpful but not required

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare oven and mould

   Set a rack in the middle of the oven and heat it to 175°C (350°F). Butter a 20 cm (8-inch) round cake tin at least 5 cm (2 inches) deep, dust it thoroughly with the dredging flour, then turn and tap the tin until every greased surface is covered and the excess falls away. Have the mould ready before whisking begins; once the foam reaches the ruban, it must not sit and wait.

2. 2

   Sift and melt

   Sift the batter flour twice and set the chosen aroma beside it. Melt the butter over the gentlest heat, removing it while a few soft pieces remain and swirling until they disappear. Keep it warm and fluid, about 38 to 43°C (100 to 110°F), but never bubbling. If it foams, take it off the heat and let it settle; if it browns, melt a fresh portion because that toasted flavour belongs to another cake.

3. 3

   Warm eggs and sugar

   Bring 3 cm (about 1 inch) of water to a bare simmer in a saucepan. Combine the eggs and sugar in a large heatproof bowl, set it over the pan without letting the bowl touch the water, and whisk continuously until the sugar has dissolved and the mixture reaches 40 to 43°C (104 to 110°F). Without a thermometer, it should feel distinctly warm but never hot against a clean finger. If a few cooked flecks form at the edge, lift the bowl off immediately and pass the mixture through a fine sieve into a clean bowl. Ça se rattrape. Large curds or a cooked-egg smell mean the heat went too far and the mixture must be started again.

4. 4

   Whip to the ruban

   Remove the bowl from the bain-marie and beat with an electric mixer on high speed until the mixture triples in volume, turns very pale, and grows thick enough to hold the trail of the whisk, usually 6 to 8 minutes. Lower the speed for the final minute to even out the bubbles. Test the ruban by lifting the whisk: the batter must fall in a broad ribbon that remains visible on the surface for several seconds before slowly leveling. If it vanishes at once, warm the bowl over the bain-marie for another 20 seconds while whisking, then beat again. Fold in the selected aroma with two broad strokes.

5. 5

   Fold in the flour

   Sift one-third of the flour over the foam. Cut the spatula down through the centre, sweep firmly across the bottom, and lift the batter up and over the flour while turning the bowl. Repeat with the remaining flour in two additions. This lifted motion is the dish; stirring in circles crushes the air you worked to build. Stop as soon as no dry flour remains. If a small pocket hides near the bowl wall, break it with the edge of the spatula and give one more fold, not ten.

6. 6

   Fold in the butter

   Stir one generous spatulaful of the flour-folded batter into the warm melted butter until the mixture is smooth and lightened. Pour this around the edge of the main bowl in two additions, in a thin, quiet ribbon, folding from the bottom after each addition. The butter must never enter bubbling or in one heavy pool. If glossy streaks collect at the bottom, don't stir harder; scrape beneath them and lift them through with two or three broad folds. Ça se rattrape. If the batter begins losing height, stop folding and bake it at once. The cake may be lower, but it will still cut into useful, tender layers.

7. 7

   Bake without waiting

   Pour the batter immediately into the prepared mould from a low height and smooth the surface with one light pass of the spatula. Bake for 22 to 27 minutes without opening the oven during the first 20 minutes. The génoise is ready when the top is evenly golden, the centre springs back under a light fingertip, and the edges have begun to draw slightly from the tin. If the surface colours too quickly after 20 minutes, lay a loose sheet of foil over it and finish baking.

8. 8

   Unmould and cool

   Let the cake stand in its mould for 5 minutes, then run a thin knife around the edge and turn it onto a wire rack. Turn it upright again and cool completely before slicing. The crumb settles as it rests and cuts more cleanly after several hours, which is precisely why génoise serves a birthday or celebration so well. Wrap it only when fully cool. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Use superfine sugar. The source formula's powdered sugar is finely ground crystal sugar that dissolves readily into warm eggs, not modern confectioners' sugar blended with starch.
• •Four large eggs should weigh about 200 g without their shells. If yours differ greatly, weigh the broken eggs; the old formula's balance depends on egg mass as surely as it depends on flour and butter.
• •The butter should be warm enough to flow but cool enough to touch comfortably. Cold butter congeals into streaks, while hot butter collapses the foam. Pour it without letting it bubble.
• •Use one aroma, not all three. Vanilla sugar keeps the cake neutral, orange zest makes it fragrant, and the measured liqueur gives perfume without changing the structure.
• •A génoise has a fine, resilient crumb rather than the plush softness of a butter cake. Its strength is deliberate: it slices evenly, holds its shape under a filling, and improves after a short wrapped rest.

Advance Preparation

• •Butter and flour the mould, sift the flour, and measure the aroma several hours ahead. Once the eggs reach the ruban, the folding and baking must proceed without delay.
• •Bake the génoise up to 1 day before assembling it. Cool it completely, wrap it airtight, and keep it at room temperature; the settled crumb will split into layers more cleanly.
• •For longer keeping, wrap the completely cooled cake twice and freeze it for up to 1 month. Thaw it while still wrapped so its surface remains tender.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 50g)