Genoise Sponge Cake
Inspired by techniques from Serious Eats and NYT Cooking.
A light, whisked sponge with no raising agent, its lift coming entirely from warmed, whipped eggs, served simply with whipped cream and berries.
Always check the labels of the products you use.
Method
- 1
Heat the Oven. Switch the oven on to 175°C (155°C fan), giving it at least 20 minutes to come up to temperature, and set a shelf in the middle.
- 2
Sift the Flours Twice. Sift the plain flour and cornflour together twice. Sifting twice gets rid of any lumps and makes sure the two flours are evenly combined before they meet the whipped eggs.
- 3
Warm and Whisk the Eggs. Whisk the eggs, sugar and salt together in a bowl set over barely simmering water until just warm to the touch, around 40°C, and the sugar has dissolved, about 2-3 minutes. Warming the eggs loosens them so they whip up to a far greater volume than they would cold.
- 4
Whip to Ribbon Stage. Off the heat, whisk on high speed for 6-8 minutes until tripled in volume, pale and thick enough that a ribbon trailed from the whisk sits visibly on the surface for about 5 seconds. Whisk for 1 minute more on low speed to even out any large bubbles.
- 5
Fold in the Flour. Sift a third of the flour mixture over the whipped eggs and fold it in gently with a large spatula, cutting through the centre and turning the bowl as you go. Repeat with the remaining flour in two more additions, folding just until it disappears, since a heavy hand here will knock out the air you've just whipped in.
- 6
Fold in the Butter. Stir a large spoonful of the batter into the warm melted butter and vanilla to loosen it, then fold this mixture back into the rest. Lightening the butter first stops it sinking straight to the bottom and deflating the sponge as you fold.
- 7
Bake. Pour the batter into the tin and bake for 25-30 minutes, until golden, springy to the touch and just starting to shrink away from the sides of the tin.
- 8
Cool. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then run a knife around the edge, turn out onto a rack and leave to cool completely.
- 9
Serve. Whip the double cream with the icing sugar to soft peaks. Cut the sponge into wedges and serve with the whipped cream and berries alongside.
Storage
Keep the plain sponge wrapped at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 4 days once filled with cream. It freezes well unfilled, wrapped tightly, for up to 2 months.
EU nutrition claims
- Low salt: 0.24 g salt per 100 g (limit ≤ 0.3 g)
Per 100 g of the finished dish, worked out from the nutrition per serving and the lowest likely cooked weight (about 87 g a serving), so the true values are, if anything, lower. Thresholds from the Annex to EU Regulation (EC) No 1924/2006. How we decide
Free sugars
17.5 g per serving
35 % of the 50 g daily maximum · 70 % of the ideal 25 g
Free sugars under 50 g a day, ideally about 25 g, based on WHO free-sugar guidance (not endorsed by WHO). The share shown is the share of one serving. WHO
Equipment
- 20 cm round cake tin (6-7 cm deep), base-lined and sides greased
- heatproof bowl and saucepan for a bain-marie
- stand mixer or electric hand whisk
- fine sieve
- large metal spoon or spatula
- balloon whisk for the cream
Nutrition per serving (estimated values)
| Per serving | Amount |
|---|---|
| Energy | 334 kcal |
| Protein | 5.6 g |
| Carbohydrate | 33.2 g |
| of which sugars | 20.3 g |
| of which free sugars | 17.5 g |
| Fat | 20.2 g |
| of which saturates | 12 g |
| Fibre | 1 g |
| Salt | 0.21 g |
Protein per 100 kcal
1.7 g High Protein needs ≥ 5 g (20% of energy)
Calculated from USDA FoodData Central ingredient values
