Three dozen jumbo eggs and six cakes later all attempts at genoise collapse in the center while baking. This is following directions explicitly, directions varying cook to cook as they do, one sees the full range of possibilities in examples provided on Youtube, the range of possibilities is quite broad in recipes online and in books. They all say basically the same thing. Forums on collapsing genoise cakes specifically ALL SAY THE SAME THING and NONE of it is helpful.
Mind, this is occurring in Denver. High altitude.
None address high altitude baking and necessary adjustments. None address adding a little more flour for structure or increasing initial temperature to compensate. None of the forums suggest anything useful. Not one.
I don't want to hear about under beating the batter.
I don't want to hear about over beating the batter.
I did both of those things with the same result.
I don't want to hear about beating for insufficient length of time, that it must be at least five minutes.
Nor about beating on too high to foam.
I DO NOT WANT TO HEAR about opening the oven door. I never did that. Not even to check. I can smell when the cake is done.
Nor about oven temperature certainty. I am certain about my oven temperature.
Or about the temperature of the batter itself. I use a precise thermometer and tried all different temperatures, using hot water to soak eggs first, and using bain-marie to control temperature of eggs precisely.
Nor of the temperature of eggs starting out. I tried the entire range.
Nor about deflating the batter
Nor about how to fold flour into batter
Not about beurre nicoisse what it means, how to make it, or about how to get it into the batter, I've seen and done it six different ways. (including previous trials) I've omitted it. I've used oil instead. I've used my hands, a flexible scraper, a rubber spatula, a bulb whisk.
I've tried cool oven up to baking temperature.
I've preheated oven, obviously.
I've tried super preheated oven for shock.
I've tried a nail in the center to bring heat to the middle.
I've tried different sizes and shapes of pans.
I don't want to hear or read about trimming the cake and using it anyway.
I don't want to hear about how good the collapsed cake tastes nor how well it works.
Everything I've tried over a few trials including six today all collapse the same way as shown.
If there appear any comments suggesting anything trite, anything I can see for myself over fifteen YouTube videos and dozens of websites and several books, and now six more trials in one day trying all I can think of and all the same result, seeing it done successfully and explained in French and in Spanish and in Sign seeing it all performed successfully by, let's face it, not especially the brightest bulbs in the kitchen, dummkopfs actually, at sea-level, and all different ways with differing amounts and varying number of eggs, then those suggestions no matter how well intended will be deleted with extreme prejudice. And please, no sympathy, it's patronizing. And I don't want to hear your ease of successes either. I've already seen hundreds by functional idiots.
One thing I haven't tried is baking it in a pressure pot. And I'm tempted to try that.
I'm tempted to call Denver bakeries that offer genoise and ask them directly, wtf? Are you importing or what? I notice Brown Palace uses baking powder, a definite no-no, and it rated only three stars.
Other than that, I must say, the batter is incredible. Such a shame it doesn't work. With vanilla added the batter tastes like marshmallow fluff. Except better. It is a very good-tasting batter with amazingly inviting soft texture. It's worth making just for the delicious extraordinary fluffy batter. Something can be done with it at high altitude if not a regular cake. It holds up well, it could be piped into ring discs and baked then stacked.
The goal is use the delicious batter to produce a layered Boston cream pie type cake. One way or another. I like this batter.
