French Opera Cake

French Opera Cake

 

 

French Opera Cake

As its name sounds French Opera Cake it got popularity from French pastry of France but its origin is unclear made up with simple sponge cake that has cake flour or all-purpose flour along with almond flour, French Opera Cake has intense flavor of chocolate and coffee, flavor of coffee as it socked in coffee syrup and icing with chocolate Ganache, and layered with coffee french buttercream. According to the Larousse Gastronomique; the encyclopedia of food, wine, & cookery New York Crown Publisher 1961, Opera Gateau is an elaborated almond sponge cake with coffee and chocolate filling and icing became French Opera Cake.

This cake is awesome but due to the lengthy process you can make it in parts, but I would say despite time taking you should try at least once. I like the intense flavor of chocolate with coffee, it’s awesome cannot stop to devour. I have written a Chocolate Tart recipe recently and a welsh Cake recipe  and Chocolate Mousse for chocolate lovers So let me know when you are going to try; I would make it hassle-free by answering some queries if you do not get almond flour, then grind it at home in the food processor. Take the 2/3 cup sliced almonds, roast & let them cool now ground them with confectioner’s sugar. This almond flour has of utmost importance for this French Opera Cake. Take the temperature of your sugar syrup its necessary step. If you do not like it’s the intense coffee flavor you can decrease the quantity of coffee or totally avoid it.

 

Course Dessert

Prep time 1hour 30 minutes

Slice of French Opera Cake

Cook time10mimutes 

Chilling & assembling 1hour

Total time 2 hours and 40 minutes

Yield 10 servings

 

Ingredients:

Coffee-Almond sponge Cake

1/2 cup all-purpose flour,( using cake flour is the best choice but you can substitute with AP flour).

5 eggs at room temperature

1/2 cup almond flour

2/3 cup powdered sugar

2 tbsp unsalted butter 

2 tbsp coffee powder

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt  

4 egg whites

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1 tsp cream of tartar

1 tbsp vanilla

 

Coffee Soak

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/4 cup water

2tbsp coffee powder

2 tbsp coffee liqueur

 

Coffee French Buttercream

 

1 1/4 cup unsalted butter

1 tsp vanilla

6 egg yolks

2 tsp coffee powder

3 tbsp hot water

1/4 cup water

 

Dark Chocolate Ganache 

 

3/4 cup dark chocolate, chopped

1/2 cup heavy cream

 

Instruction: 

Coffee Almond Sponge Cake

Prepare three 6" cake pans or 10x15" pan, grease and line with parchment paper allow to overhang the edges by a couple of inches.

Using the electric mixer combine the sugar, eggs, and vanilla, until form the ribbon and gets thick and pale in color. Mix to combine the sifted flour, coffee powder, baking powder, salt, and melted butter.

In another clean bowl on the medium speed whip the egg whites until starts foaming, at this time add cream of tartar, with continuing whipping on high speed slowly add the granulated sugar and make stiff peaks. Now gentle fold in egg white into the cake mixture. Pour into the prepared three 6" pans and bake for 5-10 minutes. Remove the pans from the oven and let them cool for 15 minutes before taking out from the pan.

 

Coffee Soak: Take a small saucepan put the coffee powder and water cook it to bring the boil, shimmer 2 minutes and remove from flame, stir coffee liqueur and let it cool to room temperature.

 

Coffee French Buttercream: Combine the coffee powder into the hot water put aside, place the sugar and water in a saucepan stir to combine but do not stir forward. If you check with the candy thermometer the temperature would be 240 F. Remove from heat.

Now whip the egg yolks until form the ribbon or pale in color, add the sugar syrup into the egg yolk, increase the speed of the mixer, on the high whip for about 10 minutes, or until the bowl no longer warm. Now switch to paddle attachment add the butter and coffee mixture mix until smooth.

Dark Chocolate Ganache: Heat the cream to simmer and pour the semi-sweet dark chopped chocolate, using a spatula to stir until combine and smooth, allow it cool before using on the cake.

Assembly: take out the cakes from pan and brush with the coffee soak, now we will assemble the cake; place one of the cakes on the cake platter spread 1/3 part of the ganache and let it set into the fridge do the same with remaining two layers. Now spread the coffee buttercream onto a layer, repeat with the rest two layers, lastly cover the top and sides of the 3 tier assembled cake, chill for half an hour to make it set well. Before serving spread the ganache and decorate with remaining frosting.

Must see this yummy Recipe: Welsh Cake