My Genoise

As mentioned earlier, 2 items made me a very happy baker. One was my rich bread pudding and the other was my GENOISE (pronounced as "G_nu_us")!

Before you relate the Genoise to the French (like all delicious pastries), let you tell you more.

Before coming to the CIA, my biasness towards all things French made me an ardent admirer of pastries and cakes. In Marketing terms, this is the "Country of Origin" effect and for me, only French pastries will fit the bill. None of the American crap, the Italian copies or Spanish influences, though sometimes I can accept a little Japanese adaptation of classic French techniques.

So when I first read of the Genoise sponge cake in Rose Levy Beranbaum's The Cake Bible, I was instantly glued. Firstly, "Genoise" sounds French and secondly, it's an entirely new form of sponge for me as I was only exposed to chiffon.


As I continue my research, I came to realise how fundamental and crucial the Genoise is in most forms of cakes. It can be used in bases for mousse cakes, cake layers of fruits and paired with other layers of ganache for delicious desserts.

As much as I hope that it is French, the Genoise is of Italian origin named after Genoa. Unlike most sponge cakes, it does not contain any leavening agent like baking powder or baking soda. Instead, it relies on the air suspended in the batter during mixing to give volume to the cake.


Cooling the Genoise - Check out the Volume!
Taste-wise, it bears resemblances to the Asian "kueh buloh". Its intended dry and crumbly texture allows the pastry chef to brush on simple syrups to flavour the cake. This is the fun part:

If you are an alcoholic, you can brush at least 5 layers of alcohol-spiked simple syrup on the cake. The Genoise will soak it up like a sponge! And if you leave it for several days, you can continue to brush it daily to achieve the maximum moisture level and ultimate flavour desired. The alcohol and high sugar content of the cake helps to preserve it.

Well, I didn't know about all these information until I had my Pastry Techniques class. After failing several Genoise cakes in Singapore, I had a phobia of making them. My last Genoise was pretty bad because it was so flat and dry that no amount of soaking syrup would revive it. But my sweet ex-colleagues from SMU were so kind to have it and in their grace and mercy, said it was delicious :) I knew it could be better.


My Raspberry Fruit Cake - Light Genoise layered with Fresh Whipped Cream and Raspberries. Yes, I assembled the entire cake! Phew!

So, when Chef Brown announced that the Genoise is one of the 3 items tested in the practical exam, I almost failed. It's finally time to meet my destiny - the Genoise. It can either turn out delicious, light and fluffy or be like it's Singapore counterpart (dry and flat).

Praise God that in my first try in USA, I made 2 great Genoise! Each was so light, fluffy and full of volume! They won praises from Chef Brown and my partner, Brian even said that they were perfect! :)


Fancy a slice?

Now, I can finally smile and make Genoise confidently :)

Importantly, I made great Genoise that scored 59/60 during the pratical exam!

An almost perfect Genoise

:) Whether it's French or Italian, I have finally conquered my Singapore nemesis. Fluffy Genoise, here I come!