So, let's get to it and bake!
Apple and Cinnamon Genoise Cake Yum
Yield: 1 x 20cm cake
Serves: 10
Difficulty: Moderate
Time: hands on time about 35 minutes; plus 20-25 minutes bake time; cooling time
Freezable: Yes, undecorated
Adapted from: 'Cinnamon and Apple Gateau' in the book Cakes and Cake Decorating
You will need:
Large Glass Mixing Bowl
Pan
1 x small Pan
Electric Hand Held Beater
Teatowl
Sieve
Spatula or large Metal Spoon
20cm Springform Cake Tin
Greaseproof Paper
Wooden Spoon
Balloon Whisk
Serrated Bread Knife
Pallet Knife
Piping Bag
Star Piping Nozzle
Paring Knife
Pastry Brush
For the sponge mixture
4 medium eggs
65g Golden Caster Sugar
60g Caster Sugar
125g Plain Flour (I used gluten free) + 1 teaspoon for greasing
32g Unsalted Butter + extra for greasing
For the Apple Compote
2 large Eating Apples
1 medium Bramley Apple
40g Clear Runny Honey
50ml Water
60g Sultanas
½ teaspoon Ground Cinnamon
For the Cream Cheese Filling
150g Full Fat Cream Cheese
25g Fromage Frais
15ml Clear Runny Honey
1 tsp Lemon Juice
For the Chantilly Cream
200ml Double Cream
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
4 teaspoon Icing Sugar (or to taste)
To Decorate
1 Large Eating Apple (ideally with red skin)
½ Lemon, juice of
2 dessert spoons smooth Apricot Jam
1 dessert spoon Water
How to make it:
1. Pre-heat the oven to 200c / Fan 180c / Gas 6.
2. Prepare the cake tin. Grease the insides of the cake tin thoroughly and line the base with greaseproof paper. Place the teaspoon of flour into the greased cake tin and, holding it on its side and over the sink, tap the cake tin so that the flour adheres to the greased sides of the tin. Knock out any excess flour.
3. Weigh the cake ingredients. Have all of your cake ingredients ready as you need to work swiftly once the batter has been beaten to help reduce the loss of volume. Sieve the flour 3 times. Fold a tea towl into quarters and place on the work surface.
4. Melt the butter. Place the butter into a small pan and set over a low heat to slowly melt. Remove from the heat once it has melted and set aside.
5. Make the sponge. Add some water to the pan so that it is no more than a quarter full. Break the eggs into a large glass bowl and suspend this bowl over the pan. Ensure the water in the pan doesn't touch the bowl. Place the pan over a low heat on the hob. Using the electric beaters (or balloon whisk if you're feeling energetic) lightly whisk the eggs. Add the two sugars and continue beating on a medium setting for about 7 minutes. The egg mixture will initially be frothy, but will gradually become thicker the longer the mixture is beaten. You're aiming for ribbon stage. This is where the mixture leaves a trail on the surface when the beaters are lifted. You should be able to write the number 8 without the ribbon sinking into the mixture until the number has been completed.
6. Fold in the flour and butter. Remove the bowl from the pan and sit it on the tea towel. Pour the butter down the side of the bowl into the mixture so that it's not landing directly onto the top of the aerated batter. Sieve the flour into the mixture. Using a spatula or large metal spoon start to gently fold the flour and butter into the mixture. Ensure you get to the bottom of the bowl where flour can become trapped. Avoid over working the mixture. The batter will deflate a little during this process, but do aim to work gently yet speedily.
7. Fill the cake tin. Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin from a low height.
8. Bake. Place the cake tin in the centre of the oven and bake for about 25 minutes. You may need to rotate the tin after 20 minutes of baking. Once baked, remove from the oven and place on a cooling tray. Remove the sponge from the cake tin after a couple of minutes and allow to fully cool.
9. Make the compote. While the cake is baking make the apple compote. Peel, core and chop the apples. Place into a pan with the honey and water. Set over a medium heat and allow to cook stirring periodically with a wooden spoon. After about 10 minutes, the apples will have broken down. Add the sultanas and ground cinnamon. Stir again and cook for a further 2 minutes. Pour into a bowl and set aside to cool.
10. Prepare the apricot jam. Place 2 dessert spoons of apricot jam into a small pan with one spoon of water. Set over a low heat allowing the jam to loosen. Stir thoroughly to mix it with the water. Pour into a bowl and set aside.
11. Prepare the cream cheese filling. Place the cream cheese, fromage frais, honey and lemon juice into a bowl and whisk together until well combined. Avoid over mixing. Set aside.
12. Prepare the chantilly cream. Pour the cream into another bowl. Using a balloon whisk beat the cream until it has reached soft peak stage. Add the icing sugar and vanilla extract and stir together, avoid over beating it.
13. Assemble the cake. Once the cake is fully cold place it onto the board / stand you want to serve it on. Use a serrated bread knife to cut the cake in half horizontally. Carefully set the top half aside. Spoon the cream cheese mixture onto the cut surface of the cake and spread it out almost to the edge with a pallet knife or back of a spoon. Using a spoon distribute the apple compote over the top of the cream cheese frosting. Level it out with the pallet knife or back of a spoon. Place the top half of the cake onto the filled base, ideally in the same orientation that it was removed. Fit the piping bag with a star nozzle and fill with the chantilly cream. Starting in the centre of the cake pipe rosettes to the top surface. Continue until the whole of the top of the cake is covered. Pipe rosettes along the cut seam of the cake. Squeeze the lemon juice into a bowl. With a paring knife, or similar, core and thinly slice the remaining eating apple. Toss the apple slices in lemon juice to prevent them from browning. Arrange the slices to the top of the cake. Using a pastry brush, lightly coat the apple slices with a little of the loosened apricot jam.
Cuddle Fairy
Ah what a lovely story! Happy birthday to mom/doris! Love it! The cake turned out gorgeous - it looks so decadent without being so. Thanks so much for linking up with #foodpornthursdays x
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
🙂 Thank you Becky x
Thanks for popping over and commenting, and of course for hosting,
Angela x
Kerry Cooks
This looks so delish! Thanks for linking up with cake club 🙂
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Thank you Kerry, and thanks for hosting,
Angela x
Steph @MisplacedBrit
WOW! This looks ridiculously light and airy... I would LOVE to have a piece with my cup of tea tomorrow morning 🙂
Beautiful seasonal treat.
Thanks for linking with #CookBlogShare
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Aw thank you Steph 🙂 I was really please with how well it turned out. It tasted wonderful and had there been any left I'd have sent you a slice through the air waves 😉
Thanks for popping by and commenting,
Angela x
Lucy Allen
What a lovely cake, It does look very light and has risen really well. I would love a slice! Apple and cinnamon are perfect for the time of year, in fact I just used the same combination yesterday as well. Thank you for linking up with Perfecting Patisserie Angela!
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Thank you Lucy 🙂 I was really pleased with how well it came out, it ate really well too given by how quiet we were once we sliced into it. Apple and cinnamon is such a classic combo, and a particularly favourite one of so many, as well as us.
Thanks for popping by and commenting Lucy, and of course for hosting,
Angela x
Janice Pattie
That's beautiful. My only attempt at genoise was not a success and was many years ago but maybe I should have another try!
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Thank you for the kind comment Janice. Definitely have another go, I always find I learn quite a lot from my failures - like the biscuits I made yesterday!
Thanks for popping by and commenting,
Angela x
belleau kitchen
I have yet to bake a genoise and am very nervous about it but yours looks so light and perfect. I love the flavours you've used here. Cinnamon and apple, so perfectly autumnal and it looks so pretty, i'd be afraid to slice into it... or would i? Thanks for linking to Simply Eggcellent x
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Definitely give a genoise a go - what's the worst that can happen? And if it does, then it'll still be great smothered in custard 🙂 All joking aside, it's not too different to a swiss roll sponge.
The cinnamon is a spice I use quite frequently, I just love it and with the apple it's just delicious.
Thanks for popping by and commenting, and for hosting of course.
Angela x
Rebecca Beesley
i've never tried making genoise cake - Love all the fruit you put on top. Looks great! x
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
ooh you'll have to give it a go Rebecca, it's not that much different to making a swiss roll sponge. The fruit was really tasty especially with that touch of cinnamon.
Thanks for popping by and commenting,
Angela x
Sarah James
What a lovely birthday cake Angela, it does look lovely & light. A great idea to fill with apple compote & cream cheese with fromage frais. No, I've never heard of 'Hen, Goose or Turkey' but it does sound fun x
Angela - Only Crumbs Remain
Thank you Sarah, we all really enjoyed it and there wasn't a peep out of us as we devoured it!
The 'Hen Goose or Turkey' hair pulling birthday game has really become quite a family tradition now over the yrs. We even do it over the telephone if we're unable to see the birthday girl or boy!
Thanks for popping by and commenting,
Angela x