Getting to Know Chiffon and Genoise

This tender cake splits the difference between the ultra lean, almost marshmallowy texture of Angel Food Cake and the dense, rich crumb of a butter cake. Whipped egg whites give the cake lift, while oil in the batter adds richness and contributes to the fine crumb.

Genoise: The structure of a genoise cake comes from its use of whole eggs. The abundant egg proteins unwind and link with each other when the eggs are whipped and form a strong mesh once baked. While it contains melted butter, it remains a relatively lean cake. This simple cake is often flavored with a soaking syrup, but we use it in this class as the base of a strawberry shortcake. Why use it in these applications? When this cake’s mesh encounters liquid, in the form of a soaking syrup or fruit juices, it isn’t affected—the water just fills in any gaps in the network and the cake holds its shape.