Genoise Sponge Cake

[cinco...@msn.com]

I'm basically a bread baker and cakes are a mystery to me.

I've got a recipe for a Genoise sponge cake which I successfully
prepared twice in the past and have never been able to replicate same
altitude (4700 ft), same oven. Recipe is:

4 large eggs beaten to increase to 3x volume
1 c granulated sugar
3/4 c cake flour sifted

Bake at 350 for 35-40 min. in a 4 cup bowl. I used a pyrex bowl.

Problem is the cake will not set up. I get an awful sugary crust.
I've tried decreasing oven temp and putting cake in water bath (another
larger pyrex bowl) for an hour and 1/4. Still get the crust and a
liquid center.

My next attempt will be with an aluminum bowl and the water bath at a
boil. I may add an extra egg yoke and decrease sugar a la suggestions
from Pie in the Sky.

I wonder if part of the problem is how I beat the eggs. When I beat
yoke and white together I get almost no increase in volume. Today I
beat the whites first, being careful not to over beat, then beat in the
yokes and added sugar. I got the volume but I noticed I got a layer of
foam and a somewhat soupy layer. I then added the flour and baked in
the water bath---for ever. Got a nice, sugary egg soup :-(

Before I go through another dozen eggs, does anyone have any
suggestions?
Thanks,
Marilyn

[Joseph Hall]

My first thought is that you might want to consider dropping the sugar
content a little bit. Maybe just by a couple of tablespoons?
Experiment with that first and see what kind of results you get.

--
Joseph

[Joseph Hall]

Marilyn,

Just came across this page, at a website sent to me by Ruth:

http://www.themuffinlady.com/HighAltitudeBaking.htm

I didn't even think about it lowering the temp like this page
suggests, but that might help you out as well. Play with it and let is
know how things turn out!

--
Joseph