Light Genoise – Sponge Cake

Light Genoise – Sponge Cake is a medium French recipe that serves 8. 140 calories per serving. Recipe by Les Ateliers de Ludo on YouTube.

Prep: 27 min | Cook: 15 min | Total: 52 min

Cost: $0.95 total, $0.12 per serving

Ingredients

  • 3 units Eggs (medium-sized eggs, at room temperature)
  • 95 g Granulated sugar (ideally fine granulated sugar (caster))
  • 20 g Melted unsalted butter (melted, slightly cooled)
  • 90 g All‑purpose flour (sift before use)

Instructions

  1. Prepare the bain‑marie and ingredients

    Fill a saucepan with water halfway, bring to a boil then reduce to low heat. Place the heat‑proof bowl on top without touching the water. Add the eggs and sugar into the bowl.

    Time: PT2M

    Temperature: 45°C

  2. Whisk the eggs and sugar over the bain‑marie

    With the whisk, beat the eggs and sugar while heating until the mixture reaches 45 °C and becomes pale and fluffy.

    Time: PT5M

    Temperature: 45°C

  3. Beat the mixture with the stand mixer

    Transfer the warm mixture into the stand‑mixer's bowl. Whisk on medium speed until you obtain the “ribbon”: the mixture should form a thick ribbon that falls slowly from the whisk.

    Time: PT5M

  4. Emulsify the melted butter

    Take a small ladle of the whipped egg mixture and incorporate it into the melted butter. Mix well to obtain a homogeneous emulsion.

    Time: PT2M

  5. Fold in the emulsified butter

    Gently pour the emulsified butter into the rest of the egg mixture, folding with the rubber spatula in circular motions from bottom to top.

    Time: PT2M

  6. Sift the flour

    Sift the flour over the mixture to avoid lumps.

    Time: PT1M

  7. Fold in the flour

    With the spatula, gently fold the flour into the batter using bottom‑to‑top motions, until just incorporated.

    Time: PT2M

  8. Prepare the pan

    Lightly butter a 22 cm pan and line it with parchment paper (or simply grease and flour it). Preheat the oven to 180 °C.

    Time: PT2M

    Temperature: 180°C

  9. Pour the batter

    Transfer the batter into the pan, smoothing the surface with the spatula.

    Time: PT1M

  10. Bake

    Place the genoise in the oven and bake for 15 minutes at 180 °C. The genoise is ready when the surface is golden and a fingertip leaves no imprint.

    Time: PT15M

    Temperature: 180°C

  11. Cool and unmold

    Remove the pan from the oven, let the genoise rest for 5 minutes, then unmold onto a rack to cool completely.

    Time: PT5M

Nutrition Facts

Calories
140
Protein
3 g
Carbohydrates
23 g
Fat
4 g
Fiber
0.1 g

Dietary info: vegetarian, contains gluten, contains dairy, low-calorie, very-low-calorie, low-fat

Allergens: eggs, gluten, milk

Last updated: April 7, 2026

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Light Genoise – Sponge Cake

Recipe by Les Ateliers de Ludo

Learn how to make an airy and moist genoise, ideal as a base for entremets, strawberry cakes or tiered cakes. This technical recipe uses a bain‑marie cooking method to achieve a three‑fold volume and a perfect ribbon, then gently folds in melted butter and sifted flour to keep the batter from collapsing.

MediumFrenchServes 8

Shop all ingredients on Amazon in one click • Printable PDF with shopping checklist

Source Video
25m
Prep
17m
Cook
10m
Cleanup
52m
Total

Cost Breakdown

$0.95
Total cost
$0.12
Per serving

Critical Success Points

  • Whisk the eggs and sugar over the bain‑marie until 45 °C
  • Obtain the ribbon by whisking the risen mixture
  • Emulsify the melted butter with a little egg‑sugar mixture
  • Incorporate the butter without beating vigorously
  • Fold the flour gently to avoid collapsing the batter

Safety Warnings

  • Handle the bain‑marie carefully to avoid hot‑water burns.
  • Use kitchen gloves when removing the hot pan from the oven.

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