Sheet Génoise

By norsegal8

This is the most pliable génoise, a cake that can be made in a very thin sheet and cut either into strips to form a multilayered cake or spread with filling and rolled up jelly-roll style, as is done for the lovely little Raspberry Swirls. Makes one 10- by 15 1/2-inch sheet.

Ingredients

• 1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sifted cake flour
• 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon salt
• 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• 2 large egg yolks, at room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Preparation

Step 1

Pour the melted butter into a 1-quart bowl; set aside.

Put the flour, 1 tablespoon of the sugar and the salt into a sifter and sift onto a piece of waxed paper; set aside.

Put the eggs, yolks and the remaining sugar into the bowl of a heavy-duty mixer. Holding the whisk attachment from the mixer in your hand, beat the mixture to blend the ingredients. With the bowl and whisk attachment in place, whip the mixture on medium speed until it is airy, pale and tripled in volume, like softly whipped cream, 4 to 5 minutes. You’ll know the eggs are properly whipped when you lift the whisk and the mixture falls back into the bowl in a ribbon that rests on the surface for about 10 seconds. If the ribbon immediately sinks into the mixture, continue whipping for a few more minutes. Pour in the vanilla during the last moments of whipping.

Detach the bowl from the mixer. Sprinkle about 1/3 of the flour mixture over the batter. Fold in the flour with a rubber spatula, stopping as soon as the flour is incorporated. Fold in the rest of the flour in 2 more additions.

Gently spoon about 1 cup of the batter into the bowl with the melted butter and fold it in with the rubber spatula. Fold this mixture into the batter. This is the point where the batter is at its most fragile, so fold gently.

The batter is now ready to be used and, in fact, must be baked immediately.