The Power of Flour, Part Three: Génoise
Oct 23, 2010 | From the kitchen of Rose
As a result of the experimentation we performed, featured in previous postings of "The Power of Flour," we found that we preferred potato starch to cornstarch when converting both bleached and all-purpose flour to simulate cake flour. Woody and I were then curious to see what would happen if we substituted equal weight potato starch for the cornstarch component in a classic génoise.
The baking time and height of the cakes were identical. The cornstarch version had a slightly tighter and more velvety crumb. The potato starch version had a slight potato flavor which was masked by the syrup. (Note if making génoise with more clarified butter and less syrup the potato flavor might not be masked as effectively.) Conclusion: For a classic yellow génoise we prefer the 50 grams cornstarch but equal weight potato starch is an acceptable close substitute. By volume, instead of 1/2 cup minus 1 tablespoon cornstarch use 1/4 cup plus 2-1/2 teaspoons potato starch. (However, for flavor and texture we prefer 100% Wondra flour to either combination, except when using decorative fluted tube pans as the finished height is slightly lower when using the Wondra.)
COMPARISON SLICES OF CORNSTARCH VS. POTATOSTARCH
CORNSTARCH AND CAKE FLOUR
POTATO STARCH AND CAKE FLOUR
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CharlesT in reply to comment from Rose Levy Beranbaum
05/30/2011 12:06 PM
Oh, certainly, but I didn't really mean to limit my question to genoise....I just wanted to hang my question on the "power of flour" thread somewhere.
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Rose Levy Beranbaum in reply to comment from CharlesT
05/30/2011 12:03 PM
Charles, it's easiest to adjust moisture of this type of cake with the syrup. It would be a good idea to try the potato flakes with the basic layer cake though. (woody--are you listening?!)
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CharlesT
05/30/2011 11:34 AM
Have you tried using potato flakes, rather than potato starch? Flakes absorb a lot more water than the starch because the potatoes are precooked, then dehydrated for the flakes. This has the potential to make the final product more moist. You may have to increase the liquid content of the batter.
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Rose Levy Beranbaum in reply to comment from Tim Wittman
11/08/2010 05:04 PM
tim i've never tried this but think it's a really interesting idea. it would surely give good flavor but i'm not sure if it would fight with the yeast. certainly worth a try at least with a little of the dough just to see what happens.
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Tim Wittman
11/08/2010 04:58 PM
I'm having fun grinding my own grain (and hopefully this spring harvesting & winnowing it as well) and decided to make a loaf of wheat bread today using your (Rose')basic recipe. The sponge is sitting in a bowl in a warm location and as I wait for it to cure, I am wondering about the sauerkraut that is curing on the back porch. It is very well fermented. I wonder if the sponge process could be enhanced by adding 1 or 2 tablespoons of the sauerkraut juice to the batter? Just curious.
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Zach Townsend
10/24/2010 07:41 PM
Thanks again so much for your experiments! Very interesting....
Zach
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Julie
10/24/2010 06:17 AM
Rose, I tried the Golden Genoise (all-yolk) with potato starch in place of the corn starch. Like you and Woody, I found that the flavor is off with potato starch (the golden gen does not need syrup).
I also noticed that the potato starch produces a strange, almost waxy texture that was off-putting. Since potato starch has stronger gelation than corn starch, I wondered if using less would be the next thing to try, but I was so disappointed by the altered texture and flavor of one of my favorite cakes that I haven't tried it again.
I have also wondered about tapioca starch, if I get a chance to try it I'll post again.
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Lauren
10/23/2010 01:06 PM
This is an interesting experiment. I am wondering if you have tried using Tapioca flour if if you have any information on how that performs.
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