Genoise Sponge/ Apricot Gateaux with Chantilly Cream

Another traditional recipe which is a very good recipe for a Christmas centre piece. This cake is not for the faint hearted and wear some loose fitting trousers for this. 

Great for a Christmas Lunch Dessert

A Genoise sponge is an Italian cake and is linked to both French and Italian baking that doesn't require any leavening agents such as baking powder. Which means thats its a natural cake, no artifcial stuff in here! It is also traditional flavoured with either vanilla, almond or lemon. This is a whole egg cake which is cooked over a bain marie and whisked. The whisking is important as this is the way to make the cake light and fluffy, and of course makes the cake rise. Remember to make your stock syrup and chantilly cream to decorate (both of these recipes are below).  
Ingredients

• 5 Eggs 
• 250g Sugar 
• 250g Plain flour 
• 25g cooled melted butter
• 2 g natural vanilla essence/ 2 vanilla pods
• 200ml of stock syrup
• 120g strawberry jam
• Toasted almonds, enough to cover the sides of the cake
•   Any fruit (I used apricot but strawberries, blackberries or cherries work very well.)

Equipment 

• Sieve
• Wooden Spoon
• Bowl
• Knife
• Chopping board
• Small bowl for syrup
• Metal spoon
• Sauce pan
• Whisk/hand held electric whisk
•    Piping bag with a star nozzle
•    Pastry brush
•    Baking sheet greased with butter and flour 
•   7 inch cake ring greased with butter and flour

    1. Over a warm bain marie, whisk the eggs until it has doubled in volume. This should look yellow and frothy. Then whisk in the sugar.
2. Continue to whisk the sugar in until the mixture is pale and at the ribbon stage. (The mix should hold its shape for few seconds when dropped back into the mixture.)
3. When you remove the whisk from the bowl. DON’T BE TEMPTED TO TAP IT AGAINST THE BOWL! Very gently fold in half of the sieved flour. Gently fold in the second half of the flour and the melted butter. Pour into an 8 inch silicone line cake ring on a flat tray line silicone paper.
4. Cook at 190c/ 375f/Gas Mark 5 for 30 minutes until cooked. To check if cooked, use a small knife or a cake skewer into the centre of the sponge.
5. Leave the cake in the tin for about 10 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack.
6. To decorate, cut into 3 equal slices. Place the bottom layer on a cake board and brush the top with a little syrup. Spread with a layer of jam followed by a layer of chantilly cream.
7. Place the second layer of sponge on and repeat but add a layer of fruit.
8. Place the last sponge on top and brush the top with the syrup.
9. Mask the gateaux with cream with a palette knife and pipe on a rosette on each portion and garnish with fruit.
  
   Variation: Replace 50g of flour with 50g of cocoa flour to make a chocolate gateaux. Also, this recipe makes a great Yule Log cake.


 Chantilly Cream is a vanilla sweetened whipped cream named after a medieval market town in Paris. It is often used with desserts and puddings. 

   Recipe:Chantilly Cream
   Ingredients:

•    284ml/10 fl oz whipping cream
•    1 vanilla pod
•    Icing sugar to taste

     Equipment:
   ·       Sieve
   ·       Knife
   ·       Chopping board
   ·       Mixer/whisk
   ·       Bowl
    1. Place cream into a bowl. Cut the vanilla pod in half lengthways with a sharp knife and scrape out the seeds. Add the seeds to cream.
    2. Whip the cream until forms soft peaks. Add the sieved icing sugar, to taste, and mix gently.

This Vanilla and Cinnamon stock syrup will be more then enough to glaze your cake and can be saved for other cakes.

Recipe: Vanilla and Cinnamon syrup 
   ·       200 ml/7 fl oz water
   ·       225g/8oz caster sugar
   ·       2 vanilla pods
   ·       1 cinnamon stick
     Equipment:
   ·       Sauce pan
   ·       Measuring jug

   1.    Place the water and caster sugar into a heavy based pan.
   2.    Add the vanilla and cinnamon and bring to the boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 10-12 minutes. 

This gateaux can be decorated with most fruit

  Bake On and Merry Christmas!
  Penny