introduction
How can I tell you this… For a long time I lived in the belief that the opera cake was just a biscuit and some kind of chocolate, but I was definitely very mistaken. I don’t see why, but I completely underestimated this classic, although I normally appreciate them very much.
Opera cake screams tradition and screams confectionery in every gram. While you are making this delicacy, you will certainly have that magical feeling that professional confectioners have in their workshops, at least for a moment. If it’s not there, you’re not doing something right. Coffee cream, almond crust, chocolate ganache, everything is so French and everything is so fragrant.
I’ve been searching for recipes on the internet and lately it’s getting harder and harder for me to decide which one is the right one that I want to follow. That’s why I combined several different recipes, but I followed some basic guidelines that were common to all recipes.
First, I made half the measure. I baked the crust in a large oven tray 30×45 cm, so I cut it into 3 equal crusts. I think the cover should be a little thicker, so a smaller tin would be good for the shade. Nothing gets in the way even like this, let’s understand each other.
Second, something called chocolate croustillant should be stuck on one cover . I encountered this term for the first time and it turned out to be chocolate mixed with crispy thin pieces of Pailleté feuilletine wafers (to put it simply).
it can be done , quite simply, but I haven’t tried it, so I can’t stand behind this 100%. Instead, I mixed in the chocolate some of the simplest wafers I had and that was okay. It’s clearly not the best possible substitute, but it served the purpose – it was crunchy.
For the syrup for the crusts and for the sugar syrup that goes into the buttercream, I used ground espresso coffee, but it’s definitely better to use instant coffee, which will dissolve better in the syrup. I will write you a recipe for that variant. Therefore, I used finely ground coffee, so after cooking I strained the syrup. It is not the best option because it is impossible to strain the coffee without residue. Use instant coffee and you’ll be fine.
Opera cake is one way to learn some classic recipes like chocolate ganache and Joconde almond sponge cake that you can later use in other recipes. Even coffee buttercream is not excluded from this list because, I believe, it is also excellent in many other flavor combinations.
Cake work
Joconde – almond biscuit :
3 egg yolks
80 g ground blanched almonds
80 g powdered sugar
20 g flour
pinch of salt
20 g melted butter
3 egg whites
20 g sugar
Coffee syrup:
80 ml of water,
50 g of sugar,
1 teaspoon of instant coffee
Chocolate croustillant (crispy part) : 70 g of chocolate70 g of crispy thin wafer (wafers)
Chocolate ganache cream:
120 g chocolate
120 ml sweet cream
Coffee butter cream:
3 egg yolks
90 g of sugar
25 ml of water
1 teaspoon of instant coffee
150 g of butter, room temperature
Icing:
100 g chocolate
20 g butter
Preparation:
Joconde – almond crust
Start with the crust first. Heat the oven to 200C. Line an oven tray with baking paper and set aside. Sift the almonds, flour and powdered sugar together through a coarse sieve. Then mix that mixture with the egg yolks that you previously whipped with a mixer until they become pale yellow. In a separate bowl, beat egg whites with sugar until stiff peaks form.
Then, add part of the egg whites to the yolks and mix well with a spatula. Add the egg white from another 2 times, mix in the melted butter, and finally pour the dough onto the baking sheet and spread it evenly with a spatula. Bake in a preheated oven for 8 minutes. After baking, remove the crust from the oven and leave it to cool in the tray. If necessary, separate the crust from the edge of the pan with a knife, if it has stuck.
Cut the cooled crust into three parts with the shorter side. Place one on top of the other and cut so that you get straight edges on all sides. Then separate the crusts so they don’t stick together and place one crust on baking paper – you’ll need it later, for the crispy part.
During this time, prepare the remaining items. First, prepare the bark syrup by putting water, sugar and coffee together on the stove and bringing to a boil. Let it cook for a minute or two, then remove it and put it in a clean bowl to cool.
Chocolate ganache
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