Best 7 Vanilla Genoise Cake Recipes

VANILLA GENOISE, VANILLA SPONGE CAKE

Steps:

• Line the bottom of two 8" cake pans with a parchment round, or butter and flour the pan. Preheat the oven to 350°F (don't use the convection setting).
• Melt the butter in a small saucepan, cook until the milk solids sink to the bottom of the pan and become brown. Drain the butter into a medium bowl, leaving the milk solids in the pan. Stir the vanilla into the browned butter and set aside.
• Put the eggs, sugar and salt in a mixer bowl. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water (don't let the bowl touch the water) and whisk until the eggs are slightly warmer than body temperature. Put the bowl onto the mixer and whisk until the eggs are tripled in volume.
• Sift half the flour over the egg mixture and use a balloon whisk to fold, repeat with the remaining flour. Whisk 1 cup of the batter into the browned butter to lighten the butter, then whisk in another cup of batter.
• Fold the butter mixture into the batter just until combined. Don't over mix or you'll loose some volume in the cake. Divide the batter evenly between the pans.
• Bake until the cake springs back when pressed in the center, about 30 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a cooling rack.
• Cool completely before filling and frosting.
• Trim the top of the cake to level, if desired, split each cake into two layers.
• Brush the layers generously with syrup before filling & icing.

VANILLA GENOISE

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a bowl of an electric mixer, combine the egg yolks, 1 cup of the sugar, salt, and vanilla. Using the whisk attachment on high speed whip until thick, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce to medium speed and slowly add the hot water. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Increase to high speed and again whip until thick. Fold in the flour and then the melted butter. Set aside.
• In a clean bowl of an electric mixer using the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites on medium speed until frothy. Increase to high speed and slowly add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Whip the egg whites until stiff and then fold them into the reserved batter. Gently spread the batter in the prepared baking tray. Bake until the cake is golden brown and springs back lightly when touched, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan. Remove the cake from the pan by running a knife along the inside edge of the pan and inverting it onto a work surface. Carefully peel off the parchment paper.
• The genoise can be made a day or two in advance. Store wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature. It also freezes well.

VANILLA GENOISE CAKE

Steps:

• Oven to 350 degrees F.
• Line the bottom of One 8 or 9 inch round cake pan OR 8-inch square pan, OR 11x17 sheet pan with parchment, and spray lightly with some sort of spray release (like Pam).
• Combine the butter and vanilla in a small bowl.
• Set aside somewhere warm (you want the butter to stay melted).
• Combine the flour with 3 tbl.
• of the sugar and sift again.
• Set aside.
• In the bowl of your mixer, combine the eggs and rest of the sugar.
• Place the mixing bowl in a large pan of hot (not boiling, very hot tap water is good) water, and mix with your VERY CLEAN hand (kids love this part) until the eggs feel warm to the touch (body temp)*.
• Return the bowl to the mixer and whip on high speed until cool, light and at the ribbon stage (when you lift the beaters, ribbons of batter fall back into the bowl and don't disappear very quickly).
• Now, everyone says to use a rubber spatula, but I find it much easier to use my hand to do this next part**.
• Sprinkle about 1/3 of the flour onto the eggs and quickly and gently fold into the batter.
• Fold in half the remaining, then the rest.
• Take about a handful of the batter and mix into the small bowl of butter and vanilla until well combined.
• Gently fold that back into the batter.
• Divide between the pans and bake as follows: for an 8" square, 20-25 min.
• ;an 8" round, 25-30 minutes; a 9" round, 20-25 minutes; and an 11x17 sheet pan, 15-20 minutes.
• The cakes should JUST BEGIN to shrink away from the side of the pans, and should spring back when you lightly touch them in the center.
• Remove from oven, let cool about 10 minutes in the pan then turn out onto a flat surface and let cool completely before peeling off the parchment.
• Set aside until ready to use.
• DO NOT OVERBAKE.
• This cake is best if allowed to sit a day before using in trifles.
• NOTE 1: Genoise is supposed to be a dry cake.
• It was made specifically to take moist toppings so it could soak them up.
• *NOTE2: I learned to use my hand when warming yolks in culinary school.
• The idea is that as soon as it feels warm on your hand, it is at the perfect temperature to whip to ribbon stage.
• **NOTE3: I learned to fold flour into delicate batters like this with my VERY CLEAN hand in culinary school also.
• At first I thought it was stupid, but I quickly saw it was the best way to be able to tell if all of your flour is mixed in and avoid any un-incorporated flour bits.
• I mix angelfood cakes this way, too.
• Children love to do this!

VANILLA GENOISE

Steps:

• Equipment: 11 x 17 x 1-inch baking tray, the bottom lined with parchment paper
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a bowl of an electric mixer, combine the egg yolks, 1 cup of the sugar, salt, and vanilla. Using the whisk attachment on high speed whip until thick, 3 to 5 minutes. Reduce to medium speed and slowly add the hot water. Scrape down the sides of the bowl. Increase to high speed and again whip until thick. Fold in the flour and then the melted butter. Set aside.
• In a clean bowl of an electric mixer using the whisk attachment, whip the egg whites on medium speed until frothy. Increase to high speed and slowly add the remaining 1/2 cup sugar. Whip the egg whites until stiff and then fold them into the reserved batter. Gently spread the batter in the prepared baking tray. Bake until the cake is golden brown and springs back lightly when touched, about 20 to 25 minutes. Cool the cake in the pan. Remove the cake from the pan by running a knife along the inside edge of the pan and inverting it onto a work surface. Carefully peel off the parchment paper.
• The genoise can be made a day or two in advance. Store wrapped in plastic wrap at room temperature. It also freezes well.

GENOISE BROWNIE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
• Sift cake flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, and 1/4 teaspoon salt into a bowl.
• Whisk 4 eggs and 1/2 cup sugar together in a bowl. Beat on high speed using an electric mixer until pale yellow and tripled in volume. Mix in 1 tablespoon vanilla extract. Add the flour mixture in 3 batches, mixing batter until fully incorporated after each addition.
• Place melted butter into a bowl; add 1/2 cup of the batter and mix until smooth. Recombine with the main batter; mix until smooth. Pour batter into a round 9-inch baking pan.
• Bake in the preheated oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean, 25 to 27 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool in the pan. Leave the oven on.
• Sift all-purpose flour and 1 teaspoon salt together in a bowl.
• Place 1 cup butter and chocolate in top of a double boiler over simmering water. Stir frequently, scraping down the sides with a rubber spatula to avoid scorching, until chocolate is melted, about 5 minutes. Add 1 cup sugar; stir briefly. Pour mixture into a large bowl.
• Beat the remaining 1 cup sugar and 4 eggs together in a bowl using an electric mixer until just combined. Stir half gently into the chocolate mixture. Beat the remaining sugar-egg mixture until pale and doubled in volume; fold into the chocolate mixture. Add sifted flour mixture; mix until no dry spots remain. Pour batter into a round 9-inch baking pan.
• Bake brownie in the still-hot oven until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean, 23 to 25 minutes. Let cool in the pan, at least 20 minutes.
• Transfer brownie layer to a plate; coat the top with frosting. Set genoise on top; spread frosting over the entire cake.

GENOISE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease one 8 inch round cake pan. Line with parchment paper and grease it as well. Lightly flour pan and paper.
• Sift together the flour, 2 tablespoons sugar, and salt onto a piece of wax paper.
• Place the eggs into a mixing bowl set over a pan of hot (not boiling) water. Add the 1/2 cup sugar to the eggs and whisk until the mixture feels warm (not hot) to the touch, about body temperature. Place the bowl onto a mixer and beat on medium speed until the mixture becomes pale yellow in color and falls off the end of the whisk attachment in long ribbons. Add the vanilla. Add about 1/3 of the flour mixture to the beaten egg and fold in. Continue to add the remainder of the flour, folding it in each time.
• Place about 1 cup of the batter into the bowl containing the melted butter and combine the butter with the batter. Add this back to the main batter and fold it in. Pour the batter into the prepared pan.
• Immediately bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for about 25 minutes or until the top is a light brown. Cool in pan on a rack about 10 minutes and then invert onto a rack. It is best to invert it again onto another rack so that it cools with the top up. Let cool completely before cutting or frosting.

YELLOW GENOISE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter a 12-by-18-inch standard jelly-roll pan, line with parchment paper, butter and flour the paper, and set aside.
• Set the metal bowl of an electric mixer over, but not in, a pot of simmering water. Combine sugar and eggs in the bowl, and whisk until mixture is warm to the touch, about 2 minutes.
• Transfer the bowl to an electric mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, and beat on high speed until mixture is very thick and pale, 6 to 8 minutes. With a rubber spatula, gently transfer mixture to a large clean mixing bowl. Sift in flour in three additions, folding gently after each. In a small bowl, combine butter and vanilla, then add in a steady stream as you fold in the third addition of flour. Fold gently, and pour out onto prepared pan. Smooth top with offset spatula.
• Bake until cake is springy to the touch and golden brown, 18 to 20 minutes. Remove from oven, and let cool on a wire rack. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap, and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 1 month. When ready to use, turn out cake onto a cutting board covered with a clean piece of parchment or wax paper, and peel the paper off the cake.