love, opera

Passport & Plate - opera cake

France | Monday, February 2, 2015 | 2 photos

Ingredients
Cake ingredients:

125 g ground almonds
125 g sugar
30 g flour
4 eggs separated
25 g butter
20 g sugar
Ganache ingredients:

5 g instant coffee
200 g dark chocolate
150 g thickened cream
Buttercream ingredients:

15 g insta nt coffee
200 g sugar
70 g water
2 egg yolks
200 g butter
Glazing ingredients:

80 g dark chocolate
80 g thickened cream

 

How to prepare this recipe
Cake instructions:

Mix together the almonds, sugar and flour.
Add the egg yolks a little at a time. Mix well after each additionuntil smooth and light.
Whip the egg whites with the sugar until stiff.
Gently fold the flour and egg mixture into the whipped egg whites.
Melt butter, let cool then fold into the mixture.
Spread the mix onto greaseproof paper then cook at 200C degrees for 15 minutes.
Remove from pan and cool on a rack.
Ganache instructions:

Bring the cream to a boil with the coffee.
Blend in chopped chocolate.
Stir until no lumps appear then allow to cool.
Buttercream instructions:

Heat the sugar and water in a saucepan to dissolve the sugar, continue to boil.
Beat the yolks until thick and light.
When the syrup reaches 240F (use a thermometer) pour it into the yolks beating constantly until the mix is cool, thick and light.
Whip in the butter a little at a time then the coffee.
Glaze instructions:

Melt the chocolate over a pot of hot water.
Stir in the cream
Assembly:

Divide the sponge into 3 equal parts (you can do more layers if you would like).
Spread the ganache on a first layer.
Cover with the next layer then the buttercream (if too soft, put in fridge for a bit)
Cover with the last layer.
Glaze the cake.

 

The story behind this recipe
When I originally went to college I wasn't sure what I was going to be, but I was registered in Hospitality Management and had to take pastry and culinary classes. My first pastry class our assignment was to pick a name of a dessert out of a hat and do a report on it. I picked opera cake and that started a love affair like none other. I had never had it before and it enticed me. So I set off in Manhattan to several french pastry shops to consume the wonderment that was opera cake, a soft cake with gooey layers of chocolate and coffee.. I was literally possessed and needed to know more and taste it from the true professionals. So that summer thru school I set off to France and was on a mission to try and find the best opera cake. But that is where I was wrong the best doesn't exist because each one has its own unique story and maker and can taste as wonderful as the next.
I needed to learn more about pastry after this and that is what led me to become a pastry chef it set a mold for who I was going to be a let me realize what I wanted from myself.
The opera cake has been my inspiration thru everything and whenever I try something new or create something, the feeling I first felt with the opera cake is what I look for with everything else.
The anticipation, the excitement, the wonderment and above all else the hope that this is going to be the best one you will ever try!!!