What is "genoise"

alt. classic European sponge cake named after the city of Genoa n. classic European sponge cake named after the city of Genoa

n. rich and delicate Italian sponge cake

A genoise (, , , or ; ; Genoese cake or Genovese cake; rarely spelled "génoise" in English) is an Italian sponge cake named after the city of Genoa and closely associated with Italian and French cuisine. Instead of using chemical leavening, air is suspended in the batter through mixing to give volume to the cake. A genoise is not the same thing as a pain de Gênes, which is an almond cake. But a genoise is very close in composition and basic use to a pan di Spagna ("Spanish bread"), another Italian sponge cake.

It is a whole-egg cake, unlike some other sponge cakes for which yolks and eggwhites are beaten separately. The eggs, and sometimes extra yolks, are beaten with sugar and heated at the same time using bain-marie or flame, to a stage known to patissiers as "ribbon stage". A genoise is generally a fairly lean cake, getting most of its fat from egg yolks, but some recipes also add in melted butter before baking.