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Japanese Sponge Cake
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Japanese Sponge Cake (Professional Pâte Génoise for Shortcakes)

A professional, fine-crumbed Japanese sponge cake (Pâte Génoise) refined over 20 years of pastry experience. Enriched with extra egg yolks, heavy cream, and butter, this feather-light sponge is built specifically to absorb fruit syrups and hold up to fresh cream layer cakes.
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time50 minutes
Course: Basics, cake, pastry
Cuisine: French, Japanese
Keyword: Japanese shortcake base, Japanese sponge cake, pate genoise, sponge cake recipe
Servings: 6 inch
Calories: 180kcal

Ingredients

6-Inch (15cm) Mold

  • 112 g Whole Eggs approx. 4 large eggs, room temperature
  • 28 g Egg Yolks approx. 2–3 yolks
  • 100 g Granulated White Sugar or Japanese Johakuto
  • 78 g Japanese Cake Flour Nisshin Violet / Hakurikiko, sifted twice (or American cake flour)
  • 17 g Unsalted Butter
  • 11 g Heavy Cream

Instructions

  • Prep Equipment & Oven
    Preheat oven to 340°F (170°C). Line the bottom and sides of an 6-inch round cake pan with parchment paper. Sift the cake flour twice to ensure thorough aeration.
    shift the flour
  • Prepare Fat Emulsion
    Melt the unsalted butter in a small heatproof bowl, then stir in the heavy cream until fully combined. Keep warm (around 120°F / 50°C) over a warm water bath so it remains fluid.
    butter and heavy cream mixture
  • Pre-Mix & Whip to Ribbon Stage
    Add the room-temperature whole eggs, egg yolks, and granulated sugar into a clean bowl. Before turning on any power tools, pre-mix the sugar and eggs thoroughly with a regular hand whisk until homogenous—this prevents the sugar from sitting at the bottom and pulling moisture out of the egg yolks.
    whisk with egg and sugar
  • Direct High-Speed Whip
    Then, switch to your electric mixer attachment:
    electric mixture attachemnt
  • Stand Mixer: Whip on high speed for 5 to 7 minutes.
    ready with egg mixture
  • Electric Hand Mixer: Whip on high speed for 7 to 9 minutes.
    Whip until the batter expands significantly in volume, turns pale cream, and forms a thick, steady ribbon that holds its shape for a few seconds when the beaters are lifted.
    whipping egg mixture
  • Stabilize the Foam
    Turn mixer down to medium-low speed and continue whisking for 2 to 3 minutes. This
    lower speed for sponge cake
  • This critical step shears large, erratic air pockets into fine micro-bubbles, creating a velvety foam that won't collapse when flour is introduced.
    stabilized egg mixture
  • Fold in Flour
    Sift the pastry flour over the egg foam in two additions. Fold gently and quickly with a silicone spatula, cutting down the center, sweeping around the bowl, and turning your wrist until no dry flour pockets remain.
    adding flour for sponge cake
  • Temper Fat & Fold Swiftly
    Scoop a small cup of batter into the warm butter and cream mixture and whisk vigorously until smooth.
    take some batter into butter mixture for sponge cake
  • Pour this butter-batter mixture back down the side of the main bowl.
    adding back the batter into batter
  • Fold gently from the bottom of the bowl until homogeneous. Work as quickly as possible during this step, as the fat begins deflating the egg foam immediately.
    hold gentely
  • Bake Immediately
    Pour batter into prepared mold from a low height.
    Home Conventional Oven : 8 min at 340°F (170°C)
    Commercial Convection Oven / Precise Modern Oven: 8 min at 330°F (165°C)
    pour the mixture into the sponge cake mold
  • Then drop temperature to
    Home Conventional Oven: 325°F–320°F (163°C–160°C)
    Commercial Convection Oven / Precise Modern Oven: 320°F–315°F (160°C–157°C),
    And bake for an additional 18 to 22 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
    sponge cake in the oven
  • Shock and Invert
    Immediately upon removing from the oven, drop the pan firmly onto the counter from a height of 2–3 inches to release trapped steam and stabilize internal structure. Remove from mold while hot and cool upside down on a parchment-lined rack.
    inverted sponge cake

Notes

  • Flour Selection: For authentic Japanese patisserie texture, use Nisshin Violet (Hakurikiko) (~7.8% protein). High-quality American cake flour (like Swans Down or King Arthur Cake Flour) is the best direct substitute. Avoid All-Purpose flour.
  • Sugar Importance: Stick strictly to fine white granulated sugar or Japanese Johakuto. Unrefined sugars, brown sugar, or sugar substitutes contain excess moisture and coarse grains that destroy delicate egg foam.
  • Speed with Fat: Once melted butter and cream are introduced, work quickly—lipids immediately begin deflating egg foam structure. Get the pan into the oven without delay.
💡 A Note on the 1x / 2x / 3x Scaling Buttons:
The base recipe (1x) is calculated for a 6-inch round pan. If you click 2x, the plugin doubles the ingredient amounts. Because cake pan volume scales by surface area rather than diameter, 2x batter fits an 8-inch round pan (or two 6-inch layers)—not a 12-inch pan.
  • 1x: 6-inch (15cm) mold
  • 2x: 8-inch (20cm) mold (or two 6-inch pans)
  • 4x: 12-inch (30cm) mold

Master Pan Scaling Chart:
6-Inch (15cm) Mold [100%]: 112g Whole Eggs, 28g Yolks, 100g Sugar, 78g Flour, 17g Butter, 11g Cream
  • Home Conventional Oven: 8 min @ 340°F (170°C) + 18–22 min @ 325°F–320°F (163°C–160°C)
  • Commercial / Convection Oven: 8 min @ 330°F (165°C) + 18–22 min @ 320°F–315°F (160°C–157°C)
7-Inch (18cm) Mold [136%]: 153g Whole Eggs, 38g Yolks, 138g Sugar, 107g Flour, 23g Butter, 15g Cream
  • Home Conventional Oven: 8 min @ 340°F (170°C) + 22–26 min @ 325°F–320°F (163°C–160°C)
  • Commercial / Convection Oven: 8 min @ 330°F (165°C) + 22–26 min @ 320°F–315°F (160°C–157°C)

8-Inch (20cm) Mold [178%]: 200g Whole Eggs, 50g Yolks, 180g Sugar, 140g Flour, 30g Butter, 20g Cream
  • Home Conventional Oven: 8 min @ 340°F (170°C) + 25–30 min @ 325°F–320°F (163°C–160°C)
  • Commercial / Convection Oven: 8 min @ 330°F (165°C) + 25–30 min @ 315°F (157°C)
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Nutrition

Serving: 55g | Calories: 180kcal | Carbohydrates: 27g | Protein: 4.2g | Fat: 6.2g | Saturated Fat: 2.9g | Trans Fat: 0.2g | Cholesterol: 128mg | Sodium: 30mg | Fiber: 0.3g | Sugar: 16.8g | Calcium: 28mg | Iron: 1.1mg