French Genoise and Wednesday Night's Cooking Class

French Genoise

French Genoise is a Sponge Cake, and on Wednesday night I was taught by one of the area's best French Pastry chefs a class entitled: French Cakes

This is actually about the 4th class I've taken with her and probably one of two dozen I've taken at this particular location.  Babette has her own catering company and used to own a bakery in town.  That, of course, is where I first met her about 10 years ago. 

I have always loved baking, but I also love learning from others....it helps me to generate new ideas and inspires me to try things a different way, perhaps, than I have 'always done it before'

The Sponge Cake is a basic cake....and it can be simple and plain to an elegant wedding cake.  Some say that a true sponge cake never ever ever contains butter, but other pastry chefs will say otherwise.  You decide what you would like to do....that's one of the wonderful aspects of baking!

OK, let's begin!

First of all, I made the cake yesterday (Thursday) and chilled them in the refrigerator for preparation today (Friday, April 1)  I also made the 'jam' that was needed yesterday and refrigerated it so that it would be ready today.

Here is the cake as it came out of the oven.  It should 'pull away' from the pan

After they were cooled at room temperature, I wrapped them AND put in a plastic bag in the refrigerator

After slicing in half, here's how they looked this morning before filling

Here's the 'jam' I made of strawberries, raspberries, blackberries and blueberries.  I also added sugar, cooked slowly for one hour and chilled overnight.  It also has in it Grand Marnier....in Babette's words, 'Most French desserts have booze in them!"  I haven't heard that word in ages!! 

I took this picture for SANDY from Pennsylvania....because we have the same flatware pattern from Oneida!

Here is my freshly whipped organic heavy cream, whipped with 1 T vanilla and caster sugar

After placing 1 layer down, I spread the layer with the jam, then whipped cream, and then placed atop that the fruit.  I used strawberries, blackberries and blueberries, but any number of fruits can be used

It looks yummy just like this!

Then I placed the other half of the cake on top.....

Now for more of the whipped cream and piped a bit on the edges to make it look a bit more presentable

a side view so you can see the fruits peeking out at ya!

Then I just fanned 1 big strawberry on the top and here it is!!

The cake is now in the refrigerator....you should allow a couple of hours for the flavors to meld, but I'll slice my sweetest and I a piece of it later with a cup of tea....a great way to start the weekend, right?  THEN I'll rush the rest of it to the other side of town......I'm not spending an hour on the treadmill only to put it all back on with eating all of this cake and I will do it!!  I've already cleaned out the bowl of whipping cream!  Do you think a cup of hot green tea will dissolve it and make it all go away in my tummy?  No, I didn't think so either!

Happy April 1 everyone....I hope your weekend is marvelous!! My youngest daughter is at opening day of the Rockies baseball team in Denver---it's windy again, but sunny and warm, so it should be a lovely day for them! There is a sale at one of the local gardening shops so I'm going to pop in over there and take a look....still way to early to plant here, but a girl can look can't she?  YES!!!