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    Home / Cake basics / Sponges cakes

    Genoise Sponge

    Last update: Mar 27, 2025 Published: May 1, 2023 by Fadela This post may contain affiliate links

    Jump to Recipe·Print Recipe·Leave a Review

    How to make a delicious, fluffy, airy genoise sponge cake with this easy and foolproof recipe. This vanilla sponge cake is made with only 3 ingredients and is perfect for your pastries, cakes and other desserts.

    genoise sponge on a table
    Jump to:
    • Ingredients You Need
    • How to Make A Genoise Sponge
    • How to use this sponge cake
    • Tips for this recipe
    • Variations & Substitutions
    • Recipe Questions
    • Genoise Sponge

    The genoise sponge cake recipe is a classic European sponge cake widely used in French pastries to make cakes and entremet recipes.

    Genoise sponge is very popular recipe for its simplicity and its airy and light texture that we like to use in pastries like the French fraisier cake, in desserts, or in cake layers.

    Composed only of 3 ingredients, whole eggs, sugar and cake flour, like the Angel food cake recipe, this genoise recipe does not contain baking powder, due to the whipped eggs that give its fluffy and soft crumb.

    Very easy to make at home, this cake is a very simple basic recipe that can also be made in a chocolate genoise version and if you follow my instructions well you will have a delicious cake to use in your birthday desserts.

    Ingredients You Need

    You will need these ingredients to make this genoise sponge recipe:

    • Eggs: Use fresh, room-temperature large eggs for the best texture.
    • Sugar: White granulated sugar works best, or you can use flavored sugars like cane sugar.
    • Flour: Use cake flour for a light texture, or mix all-purpose flour and cornstarch. For a gluten-free version, swap with a gluten-free flour blend.
    • Vanilla and salt: These are optional, but they can add flavor to your sponge.
    baked genois on a work surface

    How to Make A Genoise Sponge

    Here’s a quick visual guide. Don’t forget, the full instructions with exact ingredients are below!

    Place room-temperature eggs and sugar (in this case I add pure vanilla extract) in the mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a whisk attachment.

    Mix at medium-high speed for about 10-12 minutes until you have a voluminous mixture that has doubled or tripled in volume and until you get a ribbon of dough when you lift the whisk.

    mixing bowl with eggs and sugar
    large bowl with whipped egg mixture

    Add the flour through a fine sieve onto the whipped eggs mixture and use a soft spatula to gently fold in the flour without letting the mixture fall.

    cake batter with flour mixture

    Preheat oven to 329°F / 165°C (fan oven) and prepare a cake pan lined with parchment paper.

    Pour the genoise sponge cake batter into the prepared pan and bake in the oven at half-height for about 20 minutes until the cake is lightly browned on top.

    Let the cake cool for a few minutes in the pan before removing it from the pan and letting it cool completely on a wire rack.

    How to use this sponge cake

    • Entremets: Perfect for French classics like fraisier, framboisier, or mousse-based entremets.
    • Cake Rolls: Ideal for making cake rolls like Swiss rolls or other rolled desserts.
    • Layer Cakes: Use as a base for layered cakes, adding creamy fillings, fruit, and frosting for a beautiful dessert.
    • With Fresh Fruits: Pair with fresh strawberries, raspberries, or any seasonal fruits and mascarpone frosting for a light, refreshing treat.
    • In Glass Jars: Create individual servings with whipped cream, fresh fruit, and a sprinkle of cocoa or crushed biscuits for added texture.
    genoise layer on a table

    Tips for this recipe

    • Use room temperature ingredients: Ensure that eggs and butter are at room temperature for the best consistency.
    • Whisk eggs thoroughly: Beat the eggs and sugar until they’re thick, pale, and tripled in volume to create a light, airy texture.
    • Sift dry ingredients: Sift the flour and cornstarch to avoid lumps and ensure an even batter.
    • Don’t overmix: Gently fold in the dry ingredients to keep the air bubbles in the batter and maintain its fluffiness.
    • Bake immediately: Once the batter is ready, bake it immediately to preserve the airy structure.
    • Remove the crust of the genoise when the cake is still a little warm with a knife to have a layer of genoise sponge quite white.

    Variations & Substitutions

    • Chocolate Genoise Sponge: Add cocoa powder to the dry ingredients like this chocolate genoise.
    • Lemon Genoise Sponge: Incorporate lemon zest into the batter for a fresh, citrusy flavor. Perfect for summer desserts like lemon layer cakes.
    • Almond Genoise Sponge: Replace part of the flour with almond meal for a nutty flavor. Great for adding a rich taste to fruit-based desserts like fraisier.
    • Fruit-Filled Genoise: Fold fresh berries, like raspberries or blueberries, into the batter before baking for a fruity twist.
    • Coffee Genoise Sponge: Add instant coffee granules to the batter for a subtle coffee flavor. Ideal for tiramisu-style desserts.
    • Gluten-Free Genoise Sponge: Substitute regular flour with a gluten-free blend, maintaining the airy texture and light crumb.

    Recipe Questions

    Why does my Genoise sponge deflate?
    This could be due to overmixing the batter or underbaking. Be sure to fold the batter gently and bake until it’s golden brown and fully set.

    How can I make my Genoise sponge moist? You can brush the baked Genoise with syrup or flavored liquid like coffee or fruit juice before assembling. This will help add moisture without affecting the texture.

    Why is my Genoise sponge not rising? Ensure that you're beating the eggs enough to incorporate air into the batter. If you’re using a stand mixer, make sure the egg-sugar mixture is light and fluffy before adding the dry ingredients.

    You will also love

    • Tall Sponge Cake
    • 6-inch Vanilla Buttermilk Cake
    • Fluffy Egg White Cake Recipe
    • Easy Moist Chocolate Buttermilk Cake

    I hope you loved this Classic genoise sponge cake! Feel free to rate it and leave a comment to let me know what you think. Happy baking!

    Print
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    Genoise Sponge


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    • Author: Fadela
    • Total Time: 35 minutes
    • Yield: 8 slices
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    Description

    Recipe for a light and fluffy genoise perfect for all your cakes and pastries (for a 8 inches 20 cm sponge cake about 4 cm thick) 


    Ingredients

    • 3 Eggs - room temperature
    • 90 g (½ cup) Sugar - granulated
    • 90 g (¾ cup) Flour - cake flour

    Instructions

    1. Preheat the oven to 329°F / 165°c and line a 8 inches / 20 cm round cake pan with parchment paper.
    2. In a large bowl or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment, place the eggs with the sugar and beat on medium-high speed for about 10 - 12 minutes until you have a voluminous mixture that has doubled or tripled in volume.
    3. Add the flour through a fine sieve and mix with a flexible spatula, making circular movements from the inside of the bowl to the outside, until the mixture is homogeneous.
    4. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan.
    5. Bake the genoise in the oven for about 20 minutes (without opening the oven door during baking) until it is lightly browned on top.)
    6. Let the genoise cool for a few minutes in the pan before carefully removing it from the pan and letting it cool completely at room temperature.

    Equipment

    cake pan

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    Notes

    Storage: Up to 2 days at room temperature and up to 3 months in the freezer.

    • Flavor the sponge cake: Add 1 teaspoon of vanilla or another flavor of your choice
    • For a lighter sponge cake, mix half flour and half cornstarch
    • Gluten-free: Use a mixture of gluten-free cake flour and cornstarch. 

      Tips:
    • Use fresh, room-temperature eggs.
    • Beat the eggs on medium-fast speed for at least 10 minutes before mixing in the flour.
    • Line the pan with baking paper (at least on the bottom)
    • Do not open the oven door while baking
    • Allow to cool slightly before carefully removing the sponge from the pan.
    • Carefully remove the crust with a knife when the cake is still a little warm.
    • Cut the sponge cake into layers with a sponge cutter when it is completely cooled.
    • Prep Time: 15 minutes
    • Cook Time: 20 minutes
    • Category: sponge, cake
    • Cuisine: French

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    Comments

    1. ysabel

      August 15, 2023 at 9:41 pm

      excellent

      Reply
      • Fadela

        November 28, 2023 at 11:36 am

        Merci 🙂

        Reply

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