Genoise

Yesterday I read the introduction to the cake chapter and baked the Genoise. After looking at the cake chapter more closely, I am making a slight modification to my plan. The chapter is laid out in three sections, basic cakes, frostings, fillings and glazes and then assembled cakes. Here is how I am going to proceed, I will take the next few days to read through the entire chapter and then I will start baking the assembled cakes. This seems the best method, otherwise I am going to have a bunch of naked cakes, then an assortment of frostings and really no place to store them and I don't think I would really have any takers for the odds and ends, unassembled.

I did however bake the Genoise and served it with fresh whipped cream and strawberries. Interesting tidbit; did you know that it takes longer to whip eggs with a handheld mixer than it does by hand? According to Peterson's Baking it takes 4 minutes on high speed using a stand mixer, 20 minutes using a handheld mixer and only 12 minutes with a balloon whisk, to beat 3 whole eggs plus 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons sugar to the ribbon stage: mixture falls in a wide band onto the surface, forming a figure eight that stays for 5 seconds before dissolving. I did the hand whisking method, building up those arm muscles. The forearm begins to burn after a couple minutes and this morning my bicep was sore, no pain, no gain. Towards the end of the week I will make a Devil's Food Cake with Ganache and Chocolate Buttercream, if anyone in the Long Beach area interested in providing it with a good home, please do not hesitate in contacting me.