Do you love chocolates? Who doesn't, right? It's the silkiness, the aphrodisiac, and ultimate stress buster in our times. I am so sad for our ancestors who didn't know what chocolate tastes like. they surely missed something amazing! Today lets talk about one such cake which literally is the ultimate solution to fill in the chocolate shaped hole in your famished heart. the best thing which I love about this cake is the generous and guiltfree overdose of chocolate. Can there be anything in the world which has a chocolate overdose in it? No right! Chocolate is actually one such thing which is never enough. Opera cake is one such 'aphrodisiac' french dessert.
A little trivia from the past: Opera cake is a classic French dessert which was originally made by Louis Clichy and sold with 'gateau' ( a lavish layered Cake in French) written on it in the year, 1903. However, some Parisians, claim otherwise, that Dalloyau, a famous shop first sold this pastry named as L’opera. However biased its origin may be this classic French dessert can give you a run for your money and an instant overdose of calory count if you’re having it in a pastry shop in Paris. It’s actually that good.
So, today, I’ll share with y’all the recipe of this delicious awesomeness so that you can enjoy as much as you want without feeling guilty for the calories or getting loose on your pockets. This delicious pastry is actually a layered cake. An oomphy layer of the French specialty, the delicious, butter coffee cream prepared with a hint of cognac for that zingy French flavor along with, a silky, chocolate ganache layer is delicious, lustrous and so inviting! It is then glazed with another layer of chocolate ganache for that shimmering final chocolate layer. So, this Christmas, indulge in amorous French love bites with the classic French dessert, Opera Cake and enjoy the divine love of coffee, butter, and chocolate with your love.
Recommended for you: Poires Belle Hélène Recipe: Treat yourself with the insanely easy and charismatic dessert of France
Indulge in the seductive flavors of Classic French Opera Cake
If you love Chocolates, then you have to check this out: Delicious Brazilian Chilli Chocolate Cake
INGREDIENTS:
To make the almond sponge cake:
- 3tsp of cake flour
- 2 eggs kept at room temperature
- 100gms of almond flour(read below to make your own almond flour)
- ½ cup of icing sugar
- 2 egg white kept at room temperature
- 1/8 of tsp cream of tartar
- 1/8 teaspoon of salt
- 1 tsp of crystal sugar
- 2 tsp of unsalted butter
To make the coffee syrup:
- 1tsp of instant coffee powder or espresso powder
- ½ a cup of water
- ½ a cup of crystal sugar
- ¼ cup of cognac
For the buttercream:
- 2 tsp of espresso powder
- 1/4tsp of water
- 6tsp of crystal sugar
- 2 egg yolks
- ½ cup unsalted butter melted
To make the final chocolate ganache glaze:
- 6tsp of melted unsalted butter
- 200gms of bittersweet chocolate
METHOD:
To prepare the almond sponge cake:
- First, we have to make almond flour. If you do not want to buy, almond flour, make some at home. its damn easy! Just take some almonds, say about 60gms and simply use a food processor to grind it into a powder (do not over grind it, or it'll turn into a paste which we won't be able to use, just one swift turn is good enough). Now add some icing sugar, say about 40gms and blend it in the food processor along with the almonds and voila you have your homemade almond flour ready for the Opera Cake!
- Well, first of all, we'll keep our oven to get preheated at 425 degrees F and meanwhile do the rest of the work. First, we’ll take a baking tray and place a parchment paper on top of it, so that our roulade doesn't stick to the tray while getting baked.
- Now we’ll take our electric beater and whisk the almond flour along with 2 eggs and ½ cup of icing sugar. Once it all gets mixed into a smooth puree we’ll gradually add in our cake flour and fold it in gently and mix thoroughly till it all mixes together into a smooth batter.
- Now it is time to make the meringue and for this, we’ll use egg whites and beat them until it gets foamy. Now we’ll add to this cream of tartar. If you do not have cream of tartar, you can replace it with just a tsp of baking powder. We’ll also add to this a tsp of crystal sugar and salt and whisk it all up till firm soft peaks get developed.
- Now we’ll mix the meringue with our almond flour batter. (Be mindful to put in the meringue in parts and mix it in thoroughly). We’ll also add our unsalted butter cubes and mix well. Once it all gets mixed up we’ll pour the mixture into the baking tray. You can use a knife or an offset spatula to see that the batter is spread evenly throughout the tray.
- We have to bake for 10 minutes and then allow it to cool down before further use.
- Once it cools down we’ll get it out on our chopping board and cut it twice from the center. Once horizontally and once vertically so that we end up with four squares. (although there are many other methods to cut the roulade, you can go with this one as well, its easier than most and works just perfect).
To prepare the coffee syrup
- We’ll make our coffee syrup and for that, we’ll boil water and sugar in a saucepan and meanwhile beat the espresso powder with a tsp of water. Once the water in the saucepan begins to boil we’ll add to our espresso mix and stir it till our espresso is formed, over low fire. Once it gets done, we’ll put out the flame and mix in our cognac. If you are out of cognac you can replace it with fruit brandy or cherry vodka as well (-only during an emergency, otherwise, you know there is something about classics!)
Love Desserts fused with caffeine beverages, I bet you cannot deny this one:Thanksgiving special: Groovy Pumpkin Chai Pie
To make the coffee buttercream
- We'll make espresso like you did for the coffee syrup. (Boil water and crystal sugar in a saucepan over low heat. Beat in the espresso powder with a tsp of water so that it gets dissolved completely and mix it with the boiling water).
- Meanwhile, we'll beat egg yolks with the help of an electric beater and slowly pour in the syrup we kept to a boil. We'll Cut out the unsalted butter into small cubes and put in one piece at a time into the mixing mixture.
To make the final chocolate Ganache
- We'll melt the bittersweet chocolate over a double boiler and mix it with melted butter into a smooth and shiny sauce for the final glazing of the cake.
Arrange the layers of the cake
- First, we’ll place one cake square on a plate and glaze it with coffee syrup. Over this, we’ll glaze with a neat layer of coffee buttercream. We’ll repeat this process until we finish with our cake squares and then glaze it with hot chocolate sauce. We’ll use an offset spatula to even out the chocolate sauce glaze so that it’s bump free and is smooth and shiny. Allow the cake to rest in the refrigerator for about 40 minutes.
- Once the cake cools down to use a sharp baking knife to trim the edges of the cake and cut it into square or rectangular pieces.
- For the garnish, we can use gold foil or mint leaves or some more delicious chocolate glaze because chocolate can never be enough! Could it be?
So this was the recipe for the famous and lovely French Opera Cake which you must make at home and take your love by surprise with its rich chocolate and buttery flavors.
Happy Baking to you!!
Thanking for reading if you still are! I hope this article was of help and gave you all the inspiration you need to make an Opera Cake. It's a long and difficult process, nevertheless, it's worth the efforts. If you liked this post, then please, find some time to share it on facebook or twitter. It'll be of great help to me.
Thankyou all whose images I've used. This would not have been possible without you guys. Thank you! 🙂