Ordinary Génoise Paste for Cutting Up

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •9-inch (23 cm) square metal cake pan, at least 2 inches (5 cm) deep
• •Stand mixer or electric hand mixer with whisk attachment
• •Heatproof mixing bowl
• •Medium saucepan for the bain-marie
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Large flexible spatula
• •Instant-read thermometer
• •Long serrated knife

Instructions

1. 1

   Prepare the case

   Set a rack in the middle of the oven and heat it to 350°F (175°C conventional, 160°C fan). Butter a straight-sided 9-inch (23 cm) square metal pan at least 2 inches (5 cm) deep. Fit parchment over the base, butter the parchment, then dredge the entire case with the measured flour and knock out every loose speck. Melt the formula butter gently and keep it fluid at about 105°F (40°C), warm but never sizzling.

2. 2

   Warm the eggs

   Combine the eggs and sugar in a spotless heatproof mixer bowl. Set it over a bain-marie, a saucepan of barely simmering water, making certain the bowl does not touch the water. Whisk constantly until the mixture reaches 104 to 110°F (40 to 43°C), feels distinctly warm, and no sugar crystals remain between two fingers. Remove it from the heat and whisk in the vanilla. If a few cooked specks appear around the edge, strain the mixture into a clean bowl at once; ça se rattrape. Broad curds mean the heat was too fierce, and that batch must be restarted.

3. 3

   Whip to the ruban

   Whip at high speed until the mixture has nearly tripled in volume, turned pale and thick, and reached the ruban, the ribbon stage. Batter falling from the whisk should sit visibly on the surface for five seconds before sinking back, usually after 7 to 9 minutes. Finish with 1 minute at medium-low speed to make the bubbles fine and even. This foam is the only leavening. If it remains loose after several minutes, warm the bowl briefly over the bain-marie and continue whipping; a mixture that was merely too cool can still be rescued.

   Grease is the enemy of volume. Wash the bowl and whisk with hot water, rinse them with a little vinegar, and dry them thoroughly before beginning.
4. 4

   Fold in flour

   Sift one-third of the flour evenly over the foam. Cut down through the centre with a broad flexible spatula, sweep across the bottom, and lift the batter over itself while rotating the bowl. Repeat with the remaining flour in two additions, stopping as soon as no dry streaks remain. The fold is the dish: stirring spends the air you worked to build. If you find a small flour pocket, lift through that spot with two or three deliberate folds instead of beating the whole bowl.

5. 5

   Temper in butter

   Put about 1 cup of the folded batter into the warm melted butter and mix until smooth. Pour this lightened butter mixture around the inside edge of the main bowl, then fold it through with six or seven deep turns, reaching the bottom where butter likes to hide. If the butter has become opaque or waxy, warm it until fluid before tempering. If a few buttery streaks remain afterward, two or three additional bottom-reaching folds will bring them in; ça se rattrape. Stop the moment the batter is even and glossy.

6. 6

   Spread and bake

   Transfer the batter immediately to the prepared case and ease it into the corners without pressing out the foam. It should stand about 1¼ inches (3 cm) deep, the depth specified for this cutting paste. Smooth the top with two or three light strokes and do not strike the pan against the counter. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, until the cake has risen to roughly 1¾ inches (4.5 cm), the top is butter-gold, the edges just draw from the case, and the centre springs back under a fingertip. If a skewer is wet or the centre still wobbles, return it to the oven immediately for 3-minute intervals; once a raw centre has cooled, it cannot be baked back into a proper crumb.

7. 7

   Cool before cutting

   Rest the génoise in its case for 10 minutes, loosen the edges with a thin knife, and turn it onto a rack. Remove the parchment, turn it upright, and cool completely. For the cleanest cutting, wrap the cooled cake and let it settle for at least 4 hours before dividing it with a long serrated knife. Cut it horizontally for gâteau layers or into neat squares and strips for petits fours. One cook, one stove, one evening. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Use the scale if you have one. This formula is a precise half-batch of the book's twelve-egg paste, and flour packed into a cup can quietly turn a resilient génoise into a heavy one.
• •Room-temperature eggs warm evenly and gain volume quickly. Cold eggs can still be used, but they will remain over the bain-marie longer, which gives the edges more opportunity to cook before the centre is ready.
• •The source leaves the flavouring to the cook. Vanilla keeps the paste useful for nearly any gâteau; for a citrus cake, replace it with the finely grated zest of one lemon rather than adding both.
• •Use real butter, not margarine or a spread with added water. We don't apologize for butter, and here it supplies both flavour and the supple crumb that lets the cake bend under a knife without crumbling.
• •This is a construction cake, deliberately firmer and less moist than a cake meant to be eaten bare. Once cut, it can carry syrup, jam, buttercream, ganache, or fruit without collapsing under the assembly.

Advance Preparation

• •Bake the génoise a day before assembly if possible. Once completely cool, wrap it tightly and leave it at cool room temperature; the crumb settles and cuts more cleanly after resting.
• •The prepared, unfilled génoise keeps for 2 days at cool room temperature when wrapped airtight. Refrigeration dries it, so use the cold only after perishable fillings have been added.
• •For longer storage, freeze the whole slab or its cut layers for up to 1 month, wrapped first in parchment and then airtight. Thaw it while still wrapped so condensation stays on the wrapping rather than the crumb.
• •The pan can be buttered, lined, and dredged several hours ahead, and the flour can be sifted at the same time. Melt the formula butter only as the eggs begin warming so it remains fluid for the final fold.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 47g)