Which of the following is the most accurate procedure for making a sponge cake or Genoise?

• A. Warm and whip the eggs and sugar, sift and fold in the flour and baking powder in stages, and fold in melted butter after the flour has been folded in
• B. Beat eggs with melted butter, then fold in dry ingredients
• C. Whisk eggs and sugar cold, then fold in dry ingredients
• D. Combine all ingredients at once and mix vigorously

Answer: (A)

Creating a light sponge or Genoise hinges on aerating the batter and then folding in the ingredients without knocking out that air. Whipping warm eggs with sugar builds a lot of volume because the air trapped in the foam expands in the oven, giving the cake its delicate crumb. Sifting the dry ingredients and folding them in gradually helps keep that air intact instead of deflating it all at once. Folding in melted butter after the flour is added adds richness and moisture, but doing it after you've already built the foam helps maintain the sponge’s light structure rather than collapsing it.

That’s why this approach is the best: it starts by maximizing air in the batter, uses a careful, staged incorporation of the dry ingredients to preserve that air, and then adds fat in a way that doesn’t deflate the texture. By comparison, beating eggs with melted butter before aeration, using cold eggs, or mixing everything together vigorously would all undermine the volume and yield a denser cake.