genoise sponge

Great British Baking Show, part II - Gluten-free Praline and White Chocolate Mirror-glaze Cake

eggs

yolks

sugar

vanilla extract

Tablespoon glycerin

Simona's flour mix

salt

hazelnuts

water

salt flakes

g sugar

g fish gelatine powder

chocolate

heavy cream

g glucose syrup

Heat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit. Line the bottom of two 8u0022 cake pans with parchment paper and grease generously.

Melt the butter, then pour into a medium bowl and set aside to cool. Put the eggs, egg yolks, sugar and vanilla into the heatproof bowl of a stand mixer and whisk with a hand wire whisk until combined. Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water (the base of the bowl should not touch the water) and whisk. Using the hand whisk for a couple of minutes, just until the mixture feels warm when you dip in your little finger. and the sugar has dissolved - you shouldn't feel any gritty grains of sugar. Remove the bowl from the pan and put the bowl in place in the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk on high speed until the mixture is thick and mousse-like and it has reached the ribbon stage.

Whisk the flour and salt into another bowl. Once the egg mixture is at ribbon stage, add the glycerin. Scoop out a cupful and stir it into the cooled butter; set aside. Add a third of the flour mixture on to the rest of the egg mixture and gently fold in. Repeat twice to mix in the rest of the flour, then fold in the butter mixture.

Divide the batter equally between the prepared pans, and bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the sponges are well risen and golden, and they spring back slightly when touched.

Run a knife around the inside of each pan, and leave to cool on a cooling rack.

For the genoise sponge

Reduce the oven temperature to 325° Fahrenheit. Place the hazelnut onto a baking sheet and roast until golden brown, 10 to 15 minutes. Let them cool, then chop roughly and spread onto a baking sheet, lined with parchment paper that was previously greased.

Put the sugar and water into a medium pan and heat gently, until the sugar has dissolved. Turn up the heat and bring the syrup to the boil, until it turns a rich chestnut-colored caramel. Immediately pour it over the nuts on the baking sheet, covering them.

Quickly sprinkle the sea salt then leave until cold. Once set, break the praline into shards. Save a few of the best looking shard for the decoration, and grind the rest in a food processor to make a paste.

For the praline paste

Place the egg whites and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk until well combined.

Set the bowl over a pan of simmering water (the base of the bowl should not touch the water) and whisk constantly until the mixture reaches the temperature of 150 degrees Fahrenheit on a sugar thermometer.

Remove the bowl from the pan and put it in place on the mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. ons.Whisk on high speed to make a thick white meringue. Keep whisking until the meringue has cooled to room  temperature, then start adding the butter by the tablespoon, until it's all incorporated and the buttercream is smooth and silky..

Fold 6 to 8 tablespoons of praline paste into the buttercream - according to your taste, the rest of the praline will be used for the decorations. Set aside.

For the Swiss buttercream

Put the sugar, water, and vanilla in a small pan and heat gently until the sugar has dissolved. Bring to the boil then simmer for a minute. Remove from the heat.

For the vanilla syrup

Use a cake board and place one sponge layer on top, crust side down. Brush generously with the vanilla syrup. Leave to soak for 10 minutes.

Transfer 1/4 cup of the buttercream to a small bowl for the piped decorations, cover and set aside. Spoon about a quarter of the remaining buttercream on top of the layer, and spread evenly.

Set the other sponge on top of the first layer, crust side up, and brush with the rest of the syrup. Leave for 10 minutes, then use half of the remaining buttercream to evenly coat the top and sides of the cake.  Chill until firm.

Repeat to cover the cake with the rest of the buttercream ( except for that reserved for decoration) - make sure this coating is completely smooth so the mirror-glaze doesn't have bumps. Now give the cake a thorough chilling in the fridge for about 30 minutes ( or freezer if time is short).

Assemble the cake

Put the gelatin in a microwave safe bowl with two tablespoons of cold water to bloom, for about 5 minutes.  Place the chocolate into a heatproof bowl.

Gently heat the cream, glucose, sugar and water in a medium pan, stirring constantly, until melted and smooth, then bring to the boil. Pour over the chocolate in a thin, steady stream, stirring gently until smooth.

Warm the gelatin in the microwave until it completely dissolves, then add tothe chocolate cream mixture and stir in until melted. Blitz with a hand blender to make sure the mixture is completely smooth - take care notto introduce froth or bubbles. Leave until cool and thickened but still fluid, stirring frequently.

For the mirror glaze

Remove the cake from the fridge and place on a rack set over a tray to catch the drips. Carefully pour the white chocolate mirror-glaze over the cake to completely and evenly cover the top and sides. Leave to set before transferring to a cake stand.To decorate the cake, spoon the reserved buttercream into a piping bag and pipe small 'dots' on to the top of the cake in a slightly diagonal line. Add the shards of praline and a little of the praline paste to this line and around the bottom.

Finish assembling the cake

Genoise sponge (also called Genoese or Genovese cake) is a classic European sponge cake that&#39;s incredibly fluffy and light-as-air! Slice into layers and add any filling of your choice to create a delicious layer cake!

Soft and Fluffy Genoise Sponge

cake flour

eggs (room temperature)

butter (melted)

Preheat oven

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line the bottom and sides of the cake pan with parchment paper.

Whip Eggs

Whip Eggs: In a large heat-proof bowl, add the eggs, sugar, vanilla, and salt. Place the bowl inside a larger bowl filled with hot water (bain-marie). Using a hand mixer, beat the eggs on high speed until soft, fluffy, and pale yellow ribbons form, about 8 to 10 minutes. Replace the hot water halfway through as it cools down. See Note 1.

Remove air bubbles

Remove air bubbles: Reduce to the lowest speed and mix for 3 minutes to pop large air bubbles.

Add flour

Add Flour: Sift in the flour in three parts, gently folding after each time.

Add butter

Add Butter: To help incorporate the butter, mix 3 heaping spoonfuls of the batter into the warmed, melted butter. Next, gently fold the butter mixture into the batter. See Note 2.

Bake

Bake: Pour the batter into your cake pan and bake at 350°F until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. For one 9-inch round pan, about 25 minutes. For two 6-inch round pans, about 18 minutes.

Serve

Cool and slice: Remove all parchment paper and allow it to cool completely on a cooling rack. Slice into even layers using a leveler and top with fresh fruit and fill with cream. Enjoy! See Note 3 for the sugar syrup option.

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Great British Baking Show, part II ...

Soft and Fluffy Genoise Sponge

Top 2 genoise sponge recipes from across the web

The most viewed genoise sponge recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engineic_arrow_forward_48px

Top Tags

Great British Baking Show, part II ...

Soft and Fluffy Genoise Sponge

The most viewed genoise sponge recipes by Recipe Cart users, saved from over 20,000 sites. Or, go to our Recipe Search Engine