This Easy Genoise Strawberry Shortcake is simply divine.  Soft and fluffy Genoise sponge cake topped with Chantilly cream and fresh strawberries. Don’t you just want to bite into a slice of this delicious strawberry heaven?  And I must admit, frosting it naked,  I didn’t expect it to turn out so darn pretty 😊

So what is a Genoise Sponge?

A Genoise cake is a sponge cake which gets its light and airy texture from separately whisked egg whites or whole eggs. Instead of using chemical leavening, eggs are whisked very briskly to create the aeration, thus keeping air in the batter during mixing to provide volume. Whilst the main ingredients are eggs, sugar and flour, there exist a number of variations such as adding oil, butter or even milk to give a light yet moist crumb.

This particular Genoise Sponge recipe uses a light vegetable oil and milk to give a moist and fluffy crumb.

Genoise sponge cake is best served with a light filling such as Chantilly cream and/or jam. If served without frosting, dust lightly with icing sugar or a thin drizzle of ganache. Genoise sponge cake also tends to dry out more quickly than butter cakes and is best served freshly baked or just the day after. 

Watch the recipe video to see how it is made and check out just how beautifully soft and fluffy the Genoise Sponge is  🙂

So versatile…

The Genoise Sponge absorbs liquids really well and can be flavored with syrups, kirsch, liqueurs  and jams just before frosting to create a beautiful, light  and moist cake base. Once you have mastered this Genoise Sponge, you will have a base where you can create many different, beautiful and delicious cakes.

I made this simple 6-inch Strawberry Shortcake using the Genoise Sponge. I simply piped on dainty Chantilly cream florets using a large closed star tip and decorated with fresh strawberries in between layers and on top. Isn’t it just so pretty?

How about a 360º view? 😊

I also used this same recipe and made a two-tier celebration cake for August babies in the family. I tripled the Easy Genoise recipe below which yielded a tall 7-inch plus a 5-inch cake tiers for my Naked Celebration Fruit Cake below. Check it out.

Yup, fancy cakes can be birthed from this one cake base 😊

Tips to get the perfect Genoise Sponge every time….

• Don’t over-whip the egg whites. They should be whipped to soft peaks only. Check out my video @1:23 min and @1:43min to see what soft peaks should look like.

• Always whisk gently and slowly when adding the next ingredient, so as not to deflate the air built up in the batter.

• Make sure to fold in the flour well, especially scraping the bottom of the bowl to make sure there are no unmixed flour pockets.

• Mix the flour in until just combined, do not overmix.

• The cake layers should bake immediately after the folding in the flour. They should not sit out for too long, otherwise the air in the batter could deflate.

• Always bake in a pre- heated oven. I baked at the lowest rack of the oven as the cake browned too quickly when it was baked at the middle rack. You may want to test out to see which rack level bakes best for your oven temperature. 

• Do not open the oven door to check the cake until towards the end when the baking is almost complete. Otherwise run the risk that the cake may sink in the middle due to the temperature change when the oven is opened.

Start your baking journey to beautiful cakes right now with this Easy Genoise Strawberry Shortcake.  If you made this, drop me a comment or tag me #thesugarcrumble on Instagram and Facebook 🙂

Print Recipe

Easy Genoise Strawberry Shortcake

This Easy Genoise Strawberry Shortcake is soft, moist and so delicious. Fluffy genoise sponge topped with Chantilly cream and fresh strawberries. Simple pleasures in life 😊

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time40 minutes mins

Chilling time1 hour hr

Total Time2 hours hrs

Course: Dessert

Keyword: Genoise Sponge, Strawberry Shortcake

Author: Kai

Ingredients

Genoise sponge

• 95 g egg white ~ 3 egg whites
• 45 g egg yolks ~ 3 egg yolks
• 85 g granulated sugar
• 90 g cake flour
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 30 g milk
• 25 g oil
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract (optional)

Chantilly cream

• 3/4 cup heavy cream (35% fat content)
• 3/4 tsp granulated sugar

Other decor

• 250 g fresh strawberries (1 punnet)

Instructions

Genoise sponge

• Pre-heat oven to 150C.
• Double sift cake flour together with salt and set aside.
• Beat egg whites until foamy. Add the granulated sugar in 3 parts and beat till soft peaks.
• Add yolks and mix lightly with a hand whisk until just combined.
• Add the sifted flour mixture in 2 parts. Mix until just combined.
• Combine the 30g milk and 25g oil and warm for 15-20 seconds in the microwave. Add the warm milk mixture to the batter. (The warm milk helps the eggs to aerate and keeps the batter light and airy). Switch to a spatula and mix gently until the batter is even and well combined. Be careful to fold gently and slowly so as not to deflate the air that has been whisked into the batter.
• Line the base and sides of a 6 x 3 inch round cake tin and pour in the cake batter. Tap the cake tin a few times on the work table. Then, gently stir the batter with a wooden skewer. Both the tapping and stirring with a skewer will help to take out large air bubbles.
• Once the oven is pre-heated to 150C, bake for 40 minutes at the lowest rack of the oven (see notes) or until a skewer comes out clean. Set the cake aside to cool completely before unmoulding.

Chantilly cream

• Whisk 3/4 cup heavy cream with 3/4 tsp of sugar until soft peaks. If possible, chill in the fridge for 15-20 minutes to firm up a little before piping.

Assembly

• Slice the Genoise sponge into 2 even layers.
• Place the 1st cake layer on a serving plate or cake board. Using a large closed star tip, pipe dainty tall Chantilly cream florets, alternating with fresh strawberries. Place the strawberries (hulled flat) with tips facing upwards.
• Once completed, layer on the 2nd cake tier and repeat.
• Keep the Strawberry Shortcake chilled in the fridge before serving. This Easy Genoise Strawberry Shortcake is best served chilled and fresh on the day of baking itself.

Video

Notes

 

• Don't over-whip the egg whites. They should be whipped to soft peaks only. Check out my video @1:23 min and @1:43min to see what soft peaks should look like.

• Always whisk gently and slowly when adding the next ingredient, so as not to deflate the air built up in the batter.

• Make sure to fold in the flour well, especially scraping the bottom of the bowl to make sure there are no unmixed flour pockets.

• Mix the flour in until just combined, do not overmix.

• The cake layers should bake immediately after the folding in the flour. They should not sit out for too long, otherwise the air in the batter could deflate.

• Always bake in a pre- heated oven. I baked at the lowest rack of the oven as the cake browned too quickly when it was baked at the middle rack. You may want to test out to see which rack level bakes best for your oven temperature. 

• Do not open the oven door to check the cake until towards the end when the baking is almost complete. Otherwise run the risk that the cake may sink in the middle due to the temperature change when the oven is opened.