Torta genovese (Genoise sponge cake) - Liguria
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
Categories: Kids
This sponge cake is typically filled with pastry cream or whipped cream (sometimes flavoured), preserves, and/or fresh fruit. This recipe is a more modern and lighter version than the classic recipe which requires fewer eggs (250 gms). This can also be made into a chocolate sponge cake by adding 30 grams cocoa and reducing the flour to 145 grams.
This sponge cake is typically filled with pastry cream or whipped cream (sometimes flavoured), preserves, and/or fresh fruit. This recipe is a more modern and lighter version than the classic recipe which requires fewer eggs (250 gms). This can also be made into a chocolate sponge cake by adding 30 grams cocoa and reducing the flour to 145 grams.
Author: Woo Wei-Duan
Recipe type: Dolci (Dessert)
Cuisine: Liguria
Serves: 10-12 servings
Ingredients
- 6 XL eggs (300 gms)
- 3 XL egg yolks (75 gms)
- 250 gms caster sugar
- 175 gms 00 or cake flour, sifted
- 75 gms potato starch (fecola di patate), sifted *can substitute with 00 or cake flour
- Pinch of salt
- 100 gms unsalted butter, melted
- ½ vanilla bean or 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 lemon zested (optional)
Instructions
- Heat the oven to 170 C.
- Grease and paper a 23cm cake tin that is 4.5 cm tall. For illustrated instructions, click here.
- Whisk together the eggs, yolks, and the sugar in a sauce pan.
- Heat the sauce pan over medium heat whisking constantly until the mixture reaches 45°C.
- Remove from the heat. Using a handheld mixer or a standing mixer with the whisk attachment, mix together the eggs and the sugar on high continually until the mixture has turned a light tan colour, has at least doubled in volume, has consisten-cy like foam and when you pick up a spoonful and drop it on top it does not sink immediately back into the mixture, about 15 minutes. Add the vanilla and/or lemon zest.
- Sift together the flour and the potato starch.
- Add two large spoonfuls of the egg mixture to the flours and stir to mix well.
- Fold this mixture into the rest of the egg mixture using a silicone or rubber spatula, ensuring that you are scraping the bottom of the bowl each time.
- When the flour is well incorporated and there are no clumps, drizzle in the melted butter around the edges of the bowl. Use the spatula to gently incorporate the butter.
- Pour into the prepared tin.
- Bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top when pressed offers resistance and a skewer insert-ed into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the pan and cool on a wire rack. When cool use a long serrated knife, unflavoured dental floss, or a wire cake cutter to cut the cake in half horizontally to be filled.
Lovely with homemade lemon curd and whipped cream filling – no need to add sugar to the cream as cake is already sweet enough