Génoise

Let's Cook

1. Step 1.

   Sift together 3 times and return to the sifter: 1 ¼ cups sifted (125g) cake flour; ¼ cup (50g) sugar

2. Step 2.

   Melt in a small saucepan: 5 ⅓ tablespoons (75g) unsalted butter, preferably clarified

3. Step 3.

   Set aside. Whisk together in a large heatproof bowl or a stand mixer bowl: 6 large eggs; ¾ cup (150g) sugar

4. Step 4.

   Set the bowl in a skillet of barely simmering water and whisk constantly until the mixture is warm to the touch (about 110°F). Remove the bowl from the heat and beat on high speed with a hand mixer, or in a stand mixer with the whisk attachment, until the mixture is lemon colored, has tripled in volume, and has reached the stage known as au ruban—like a continuous flat ribbon when dropped from a spoon (about 5 minutes in a stand mixer, 10 to 15 minutes with a handheld mixer). In 3 additions, sift the flour mixture over the top and fold in very gently with a silicone spatula. Reheat the butter until it is hot and transfer to a medium bowl. Fold about 1 ½ cups of the egg mixture into the butter until completely incorporated, along with: 1 teaspoon vanilla

5. Step 5.

   Scrape the mixture onto the remaining egg mixture and fold in. Scrape the batter into the pan(s) and spread evenly. Bake until the cake begins to pull away from the sides of the pan(s) and the top springs back when lightly pressed, about 15 minutes in cake pans, 30 minutes in a springform pan.

6. Step 6.

   Let cool in the pan(s) on a rack for 10 minutes. Slide a thin knife around the cake to detach it from the pan(s); remove the ring of the springform pan, if using. Invert the cake and remove the paper liner(s). Let cool right side up on the rack.