genoise

IPA/ʒəˈnwɑːz/
IPA/ʒəˈnwɑːz/

genoise — noun

1. A light, airy cake made by folding flour and melted butter into beaten eggs and

1.nounC2
Definition

A light, airy cake made by folding flour and melted butter into beaten eggs and sugar until no large bubbles remain. It has a fine, tender crumb and serves as the classic foundation for many layered desserts, such as tiramisu, charlottes, and fancy birthday cakes.

Example

Arjun baked a genoise for his mother's birthday with pastry cream and strawberries.

countable: a genoise as a whole cake

For a tender genoise, beat the eggs and sugar until the mixture is thick and pale.

uncountable: genoise as a type of cake

Common collocations
  • bake a genoise
  • a light genoise
  • genoise sponge
  • genoise base
  • genoise layer
  • classic genoise
Synonyms
  • sponge cake

    a broader category; genoise is one specific type of sponge cake that includes butter

  • génoise

    the French spelling of the same cake, commonly used in professional pastry

Grammar Patterns

a genoise (countable: a whole cake)

genoise (uncountable: the type/cake substance)

Usage Note

Genoise is the classic European sponge cake from which many other sponge styles derive. Unlike American-style butter cakes, it relies on beaten eggs for nearly all of its rise, so the eggs must be whipped to a thick, stable foam before the dry ingredients are folded in.

Common Mistakes

I made a genoise with baking powder to help it rise.
I made a genoise and relied on the beaten eggs to give it volume.
Genoise gets its lift from whipped eggs, not chemical leaveners like baking powder.

Word family

  • génoise
    nounC2

Synonym discussion

Sense: noun/1

Genoise is a specific type of sponge cake that includes a small amount of melted butter, giving it a finer, more tender crumb than a classic foam sponge (which often omits fat). It is sometimes called génoise (the French borrowing) or Genoa cake (the English calque). A regular sponge cake is a broader category that includes any cake leavened by beaten eggs — some are lighter and drier than genoise, while others (like angel food cake) use only egg whites. Butter cakes, by contrast, rely on baking powder or baking soda as the main leavener and have a much denser, richer texture. In practice, a home baker might substitute a grocery-store sponge cake for genoise in a tiramisu, but the result would be less tender; professional pastry chefs use the terms genoise and génoise interchangeably to refer to the same butter-enriched sponge.

sponge cake ↗génoiseGenoa cakebutter cake ↗

Common collocations

Nouns

Phrases

  • light genoise
  • classic genoise
  • homemade genoise
  • genoise recipe

Etymology

ItalianFrenchEnglish

The word genoise comes from the French génoise, meaning 'of Genoa' — the Italian city of Genoa (Genova in Italian). The cake is believed to have originated there before becoming a staple of French pastry technique. In English it is also called Genoa cake or Genoa sponge.

First known use

1834

1834, in the meaning defined above