Biscuit Génoise

Biscuit génoise literally translated means “Genoa cake” so one can assume that its origins are from Genoa, a port city in Italy. The modern génoise is made from whole eggs beaten with sugar over a bain marie to the ribbon stage (122° to 131°F [50° to 55°C]). The dry ingredients are then folded in along with melted butter. According to Pierre Lacam, the process of heating the eggs was introduced in 1850. Before that time, Carême made a cake similar to the génoise using whole eggs, but was reliant on beaten egg whites to leaven the cake. In Le memorial de la pâtisserie, Lacam implies that a sort of génoise that was beaten without heat existed before 1850.