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An opera cake perfect for any special occasion
The opera cake is characterized by its chocolate ganache and perfectly balanced creamy and crunchy layers. This can be perfect for a special occasion, because its finish is elegant.
If you are a fan of sweets and chocolate, this is a perfect recipe for you. Therefore, below we will explain how to make it easily and in a few steps. Likewise, we offer you some tips to make it perfect.
Opera Cake Ingredients
For the gioconda sponge cake:
4 large egg whites.
Half a tablespoon of salt.
4 large eggs.
150 grams of normal white sugar.
150 grams of Almond Flour.
40 grams of unsalted butter (at room temperature).
40 grams of all-purpose common wheat flour (without added baking powder).
For the coffee syrup:
160 milliliters of water.
120 grams of normal white sugar.
6 grams of soluble or instant coffee.
For the chocolate ganache:
120 milliliters of whipping cream 35% MG
150 grams of dark chocolate.
30 grams of unsalted butter (at room temperature).
For the coffee buttercream:
4 egg yolks
40 milliliters of water.
120 grams of normal white sugar.
6 grams of soluble or instant coffee.
250 grams of butter without salt.
1 tablespoon of vanilla extract or essence.
For the crunchy chocolate base:
80 grams of dark chocolate.
For the shiny chocolate glaze:
100 milliliters Water.
80 milliliters of whipping cream 35% MG
120 grams of normal white sugar.
40 grams of Cocoa powder without sugar.
5 grams of gelatin powder without flavor.
For decoration (optional):
chocolate curls
A chocholate bar.
gold flakes
Coffee grains.
Steps for the elaboration of the opera cake
Preparation of the gioconda sponge cake:
Place the room temperature egg whites in the mixer, add the salt and beat on medium speed for 5 minutes or until the whites are half-frozen.
When the whites are foamy, add two tablespoons of sugar and continue beating until the whites rise completely.
When the egg whites are firm and foamy, place them in a separate bowl. Cover and reserve at room temperature.
In the same bowl where you just beat the egg whites, place the whole eggs, the remaining sugar and the almond flour.
Beat everything together on high speed for 8 to 10 minutes, or until you notice the mixture has whitened and doubled in volume.
Meanwhile, melt the unsalted butter in the microwave. Once ready, add to the mixture while continuing to beat, but now at low speed.
Pour the flour into a strainer and sift it over the mixture. With the help of a spatula, integrate the flour beating with enveloping movements.
When you no longer see traces of flour, add the whipped egg whites little by little. You should also integrate it with encircling movements so that the mixture is as airy as possible.
Once it is already integrated, it will be ready to bake.
On a tray previously prepared with baking paper, pour the mixture and spread and smooth the surface with the help of a spatula so that the cake is as smooth as possible.
Take the tray to the oven preheated to 180 ° C with heat from above and below and without a fan for at least 15 minutes.
Once ready, let rest on a wire rack until cool to unmold. Then, unmold and done this, trim the edges.
Cut the cake into four parts, two rectangular pieces and two perfect squares.
Preparation of coffee syrup:
In a saucepan pour the water, sugar and coffee. Turn the stove to low heat and stir constantly until the sugar and coffee dissolve completely.
Once ready, place it in a separate bowl or cup and let it rest at room temperature until it cools completely.
Preparation of the chocolate ganache:
Heat the cream in the microwave or on the stove until it is about to boil.
When ready, pour over the bowl with the dark chocolate pieces and mix until the chocolate is completely melted.
When you have a homogeneous mixture, add the unsalted butter and mix again.
Once everything is well integrated, cover the mixture with plastic wrap and let it rest until it cools completely.
Preparation of the coffee buttercream:
Beat egg yolks on medium-high speed for 5 minutes or until white and creamy. Once ready, reserve.
In a separate saucepan, pour the water, sugar and coffee. Stir so that everything is mixed well and place on the stove until it reaches approximately 110 °C.
Pour the syrup from the previous step into the mixture from step 1 while continuing to whisk. The way to do it is in the form of thread and little by little so that the mixture does not spoil.
Continue beating for about 8 minutes or until mixture is cool and creamy.
Add the unsalted butter little by little while continuing to beat on medium speed. A trick to make the cream perfect is not to use the butter too cold.
When the butter has been incorporated, beat on high speed for 2 minutes or until the cream is light and fluffy.
Add the vanilla extract and continue beating for another minute so that it is evenly distributed throughout the mixture.
Transfer the cream to a separate bowl and reserve in the refrigerator until ready to assemble the cake.
Making the shiny chocolate glaze:
Pour two tablespoons of water over the gelatin powder, mix well and let stand for at least 10 minutes.
In a separate saucepan, place the remaining water, cream and sugar. Stir to mix well and heat everything over medium heat until it begins to boil.
Once it starts to boil, add the cocoa, but do it with a strainer to sift it and make it easier to dissolve.
Let the mixture boil for 3 minutes or reach 100°C. While it reaches this temperature, stir constantly so that it does not stick to the bottom of the saucepan.
Once you have it ready, remove from heat and add the hydrated gelatin. Stir well so that the gelatin dissolves completely.
Transfer the mixture to a separate bowl with the help of a strainer to get rid of any lumps.
Cover with skin-tight plastic wrap and let stand until completely cool.
Assemble the cake:
Place one of the sponge squares on the base, but upside down. Then spread the chocolate ganache with the help of a brush until the entire surface is covered.
Place a baking paper on top and turn the cake over and place it back on the base. In this way, the melted chocolate will remain in the base.
With the help of a brush, spread the coffee syrup over the entire surface.
Once this is done, place the buttercream in a piping bag without a nozzle and cover the entire surface with a layer of this cream. Then, smooth the surface of the cream.
Place the two rectangles of cake on top, so that you form a perfect square. Next, spread the coffee syrup with the brush on the surface of the cake.
Cover the cake with the chocolate cream. To do this, you can place it in a pastry bag without a nozzle to make it easier to apply the layer. Then smooth the surface with a trowel.
Place the last layer of sponge cake on top and also cover with the coffee syrup.
Finally, place a final layer of buttercream on the coffee with the pastry bag. Subsequently, smooth the surface with the trowel. Also, smooth the walls or sides of the cake.
Put the cake in the freezer for at least two hours.
Cake decoration:
Place the cake on a base with a wire rack and a tray underneath.
Pour all of the frosting on top, regardless of whether it covers the walls, but your priority will be to completely cover the top surface.
Immediately after pouring the frosting, go over the surface with a spatula to ensure it is smooth.
Remove the cake from the rack and with a very sharp knife, remove the sides of the cake.
If you like, cut the cake in half, then cut each half into four parts. In this way, you will have 8 pieces of cake.
Decorate each of the pieces with a piece of the chocolate bar, the curls, the golden shower and the coffee bean. This last step is optional.
As you may have noticed, it is very easy to make the opera cake, you just have to have a lot of patience to take care of following all the steps described above. Still, if you follow each step carefully, the end result will not disappoint you.
