Source : http://allrecipes.com/recipe/opera/
What is Opera Cake ? Opera Cake is a type of French cake. It is made with layers of almond sponge cake (known as Joconde in French) soaked in coffee syrup, layered with ganache and coffee buttercream, and covered in a chocolate glaze. According to Larousse Gastronomique "Opéra gateau is an elaborate almond sponge cake with a coffee and chocolate filling and icing - Source : Wikipedia
This week i've just discovered the VERY VERY SPECIAL techniques for the Sponge Cake that i can use for my next next project ! Plz forgive me as this is my FIRST time baking the Almond Sponge Cake aka as JOCONDE (in French, land where's MONALISA(well known Picasso Drawing) is originated from. So alot of errors here's and there's, the technique not perfectly executed but i'll try later for some other time ..InsyaAllah ! ...
JACONDE, pronouns as JAY-KUN-DE !
JOCONDE BISCUIT
- 12 egg whites
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 10 eggs, beaten
- 1 1/4 cups ground blanched almonds
- 1 1/4 cups confectioners' sugar
- 1 cup pastry flour
- 3 tablespoons butter, melted
- NOTE :
i didn't use this ingredients, i just use my normal SPONGE CAKE recipe (this is TUTORIAL step by STEP,, Malay + English Version, later i will translate to 100% ENGLISH version) and with the additional of almond powder (just blend the almonds nib/flake) and poured to the ingredients of Sponge Cake !
- 1 1/4 cups white sugar
- 3/8 cup water
- 3 egg whites - i don't use eggs, u may if u like ...i just make my normal ButterCream Recipe with additional of Nescafe/Coffee/Mocha flavour
- 1 1/4 cups butter, room temperature
- 1 dash coffee-flavored extract
- 2 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 2 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate, chopped
NOTE : mine with additional oil/butter to make it looks shinier and use a bit of instant custard powder to make it 'thicker' (likat)
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup water
- 1/2 teaspoon instant coffee granules
Directions/ Method :
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Line the bottom of two 10x15 inch pans with parchment paper.
- In a large bowl, beat 12 egg whites, gradually adding 3/4 cup sugar, until stiff. In a separate bowl, beat together 10 eggs, ground almonds, confectioners' sugar and pastry flour until smooth. Stir in melted butter. Fold in beaten egg whites. Spread batter evenly in prepared pans.
- Bake in preheated oven 10 minutes, or until center springs back when lightly touched. Invert cakes onto wire racks and remove parchment. Let cool completely.
- For the buttercream, combine 1 1/4 cups sugar and 3/8 cup water in a small saucepan over medium heat. Heat to between 234 and 240 degrees F (112 to 116 degrees C), or until a small amount of syrup dropped into cold water forms a soft ball that flattens when removed from the water and placed on a flat surface.
- While the syrup is heating, begin beating the 3 egg whites with an electric mixer on medium speed. When syrup is ready, increase mixer speed to high, and pour syrup into egg whites in a thin stream. Continue to beat until mixture is room temperature. Beat in butter, a little at a time, and coffee extract until smooth.
- For the ganache, bring cream to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Pour over chopped chocolate and stir until all is melted. Let cool in refrigerator.
- To make the coffee syrup, combine 1 cup sugar with 1 cup water in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat and simmer 1 minute more. Stir in instant coffee until dissolved.
- To assemble the dessert: Cut each sheet of cake in half. You will use 3 halves for the layers of the Opera -- reserve the fourth for another dessert. Place one cake layer on a flat plate. Soak with half of the coffee syrup. Spread with half the ganache to make an even layer about as thick as the cake layer. Top with another layer of cake, soak it with coffee syrup, and spread an even layer of buttercream over that. Top with third cake layer. Chill in refrigerator 1 hour.
- To finish, heat remaining ganache in a double boiler over simmering water until liquid. Place Opera on a rack over parchment paper and pour ganache over top, completely covering surface, using a spatula to spread if necessary. Chill in refrigerator until ganache is firm, then trim sides of Opera and cut into 8 slices to serve.
Step by Step to make Joconde Almond Sponge & Opera Cake - :-
Step 1 - Preparing the Sponge Cake, plz refer this tutorial previously to make one of those- <<< CLICK HERE >>>..
Step 2 - Preparing the Jaconde Biscuits - First, i just take out some of my Chocolate Sponge Cake and add more colour to that batter (i used black + dark brown food colour) and then line a parchment paper on the tray like this below :, Make your own pattern ! either line, sentences, or pattern as you wish ...As for the sentences like 'L-O-V-E, print out the 'font' upside down ! (huwaaa, i've made a mistake, plz forgive me this is my first time making it !!
Kemudian, bakar dlm oven
Selepas itu potong ikut suka :- mine is squre ...
Susn ikut layer by layer ....starts from bottom put a chcolate sponge cake ...cooking chocolate, layer by peanuts chunky ...
and this is the rights step/way :-
print out the pattern/line first, put on the below parchment paper ans start to draw it:-
But i prefer pattern like this, simple and nice !
You may draw or an animals too and use another color too !!
Please refer to this, she's gave a VERY VERY GOOD Tutorial and very very lovely pattern indeed ! - <<< CLICK HERE >>> ..Here's to score the idea !
Step 3 - After made the pattern plz put in the fridge approximately 15-30 minutes to let the pattern freeze. Meanwhile, you can make the Vanilla Sponge Cake and put on top of the frozen pattern just now. Make as thin as can be!. And bake about 15 minutes with 155 Celcius. You may get like the one below !!
Step 4 - Cut off the jaconde biskut according to your desire, mine is 8inch square pan, you may do a round pan instead ! Arrange the parchment paper around the pan first, this is to make the cake easy to take it off. Arrange at the 4 Corner as you wish ...
Step 5 - Level your main Chocolate cake, make as thin as can be. Meanwhile prepare your Coffee ButterCream, Coffee Syrup and Ganache. Put the first choc sponge layer at the bottom. OMG !! mine one was cracked !! huhuhu ...But u get the idea right ???
Coffee ButterCream
Start to assemble the cake !
Step 6 - Brush on the Coffee Syrup on the first layer of sponge cake, pour the Ganache, u may sprinkle with the almond nib if you wish like the image below !! ..Put on the 2nd layer of Sponge cake and brush on the Coffee Syrup and pour the Coffee ButterCream, put the 3rd Sponge Cake layer, coffee syrup and ganache, put another 4th layer of sponge cake, coffee syrup and Coffee ButterCream. Put in your freezer till 'cold'
Step 7 - Take out of the freezer and flip over, but if you use the SPRINGFORM pan, just take it off the pan and walla !! DONEEE !!! ...
Meanwhile, i'm ready to drooling over ..hehehe !!! ..Enjoy my tutorial and don' think it;s HARD to do this cake, it's so EASY PEASY when you know the right steps !! be patience and try to think creatively ...Seems like complicated but worth it !
Conclusion ! I'll definitely will try this cake some other times due i'm not satisfied this time around ! ..Let's wait ya'll...InsyaAllah if ada rezeki off-mate i bawak ke office k ! ...
