This Biscuit de Savoie cake was one of my favorite recipes at Le Cordon Bleu. In fact, after the demo, I helped polish off many hunks (pulling off pieces with my fingers since there were no knives, only dull, plastic spoons). I dipped my pieces into the fresh, sweet crème anglaise the chef had made. I'd made this cake once before, and it was popular then too.

When you take a bite, it makes a squishy, bubbly sound. With its hint of vanilla, it adapts well to dipping into chocolate or fruit coulis, but stands on its own as a mid-morning grumble-stopper.


I'm hoping to add this to my holiday menu as part of a dessert fondue. Plus, it's so easy to make (except for the whisking). I tried whisking the meringue by hand and ended up reverting to my KitchenAid stand mixer who felt lonely on the counter.

Recipe

Makes 2 8x8 pans


(Note that it's best to use the metric measurements and a good scale, but I've tried to provide the equivalents in cups and spoons.)



7 egg yolks
250 g sugar (about 1 1/3 cups)
100 g cornstarch (about 2/3 cup)
100 g flour (about 3/4 cup)
2 ml vanilla extract (about 1 teaspoon)
7 egg whites
pinch of salt
30 g confectioners' sugar (about 1/4 cup)

Preheat the oven to 375˚F. Center a rack in the oven. Butter the pan and line it with parchment paper. I used
• a brownie pop mould Wilton Brownie Pops Mould - Silicone
• 4 mini loaf pans Wilton Performance Mini Loaf Pans
• 4 paper cups Goldas Kitchen Baking Cups - Stripe - Brown/Gold
• 1 mini charlotte mold

Separate the eggs. Whisk the egg whites with a pinch of salt to stabilize the meringue. After whisking for a bit, the mixture will be foamy. At this point, add half the sugar. Whisk until the meringue holds soft peaks.

In a separate bowl, whisk the egg yolks and sugar (called Blanchir) until the mixture turns a light yellow and all the sugar has dissolved.

Fold the yolk mixture into the meringue.

In a separate bowl, measure the flour and cornstarch. Sift the flour and cornstarch onto parchment paper. Sprinkle it on top of the meringue and yolk mixture and gently fold it in.

Gently stir in the vanilla extract.

Pour the batter into the mold until it is two-thirds full.

Bake cake until it starts to puff (about 10 minutes), and then turn the heat down to 350˚F. Bake for another 10 minutes for brownie pops or 20 minutes for small loaf pans, or until a knife inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Transfer the cake to a rack and cool for 10 minutes before unmolding. Cool to room temperature on the rack. Dust the top lightly with confectioners' sugar.

Here is Chef's version of Biscuit de Savoie: