Genoise falling

[Ericchiriboga]

I used this recipe: https://natashaskitchen.com/easy-sponge-cake-genoise/.
I've made it twice and it rises, then falls in the oven. I've made an angel food cake, which seems more finnicky and had it come out great, so I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. I'm being very gentle with it and the folding process. I'm wondering if I'm maybe overbeating my eggs? Do I want them to just barely reach the ribbon stage or do I want to keep going to really make sure they're airy?

 

[Norcalbaker59]

I used this recipe: https://natashaskitchen.com/easy-sponge-cake-genoise/.
I've made it twice and it rises, then falls in the oven. I've made an angel food cake, which seems more finnicky and had it come out great, so I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. I'm being very gentle with it and the folding process. I'm wondering if I'm maybe overbeating my eggs? Do I want them to just barely reach the ribbon stage or do I want to keep going to really make sure they're airy?

That cake is not a genoise. A genoise has clarified butter in it. It’s not biscuit. A biscuit is specific type of cakes based on how the egg is separated, whipped and added to the batter. Biscuit is also determined by the amount of egg and the type of starch, as well as the use of nut meals.

The only whipped (foam) batter cake with chemical leavening is a chiffon cake.


I would advise looking for a recipe from an actual pastry chef Instead of these untrained food bloggers.


brief explanation of cake

Brief descriptions of cake

I’ve gotten a number of questions about cake. I thought it would be simpler to just write a description on the two classifications. This obviously doesn’t cover everything about cake, but will clarify what I’ve been asked about the differences about sponge and butter cakes; what defines a...

www.baking-forums.com

 

[retired baker]

I used this recipe: https://natashaskitchen.com/easy-sponge-cake-genoise/.
I've made it twice and it rises, then falls in the oven. I've made an angel food cake, which seems more finnicky and had it come out great, so I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong. I'm being very gentle with it and the folding process. I'm wondering if I'm maybe overbeating my eggs? Do I want them to just barely reach the ribbon stage or do I want to keep going to really make sure they're airy?

Thats how the Italian bakeries in Boston make their sponge cake, it works very well and is less finicky than genoise for big batches.
There is no need to be very careful folding, in fact the Italians I worked with just poured the sifted flour right into the whipped eggs in the mixer on slow speed, they let the machine do the mixing/folding. This was big batches of 40 cakes in a 60 quart mixer.
They added a bit of hot water after the flour.

You might want to try victoria sponge, another pseudo sponge but good.

 

[Norcalbaker59]

1. Just because some has Italian genes doesn’t mean they had proper training as a pastry chef. The fact that they put chemical leavening in their genoise is proof they didn’t know how to bake one.

2. A Victoria sponge is a pound cake—a creamed batter cake. It is not even a whipped batter cake, but a butter cake. It’s like a 10 lb lead weight compared to a sponge cake. It’s the total opposite of a sponge cake.

 

[Linus]

When doing this recipe, the eggs must be warmed up, then beaten to the consistency of mayo. The butter must be clarified & the flour mixed dry with a little corn starch. The batter itself rises from egg power alone. Like the 7-up cake that I sometimes make.

 

[Ericchiriboga]

That's a really informative link, thank you very much.
I have a coworker who is going to culinary school for baking, so I asked him for the genoise recipe he uses. Haven't made it yet, but I will soon.

 

[Linus]

I, also, went to culinary school, but I learned to make genoise at home.

 

[Ericchiriboga]

Just made it. I used a limoncello simple syrup and vanilla buttercream with it and it turned out pretty good.

 

[retired baker]

When doing this recipe, the eggs must be warmed up, then beaten to the consistency of mayo. The butter must be clarified & the flour mixed dry with a little corn starch. The batter itself rises from egg power alone. Like the 7-up cake that I sometimes make.

those are all optional, I've made it countless times with cold eggs, just whip slowly and it will rise to the top of the bowl.
2 qt eggs will overflow a 20 qt mixing bowl just whipping on medium speed, for speedier mixing you can warm the sugar in the oven.
butter doesn't need clarifying, never heard of that, in fact it benefits from the water in the butter, many bakers use hot water instead of butter. Some use nothing.
Corn starch is a stop gap if you don't have cake flour.

 

[ChefCyril]

Add cream of tartar and double the baking powder.