L'opéra
 
Prep time
Cook time
Total time
 
A multi-layered cake with chocolate, espresso and buttercream.
From:
Recipe type: Dessert
Cuisine: French
Serves: 16
Ingredients
  • Cake for pan 40x30 cm:
  • 1 cup of eggs (220 g)
  • 5 large egg yolks (80 g)
  • 2.5 cups ground almonds (220 g)
  • 1 cup - (minus) 1 Tablespoon sugar (175 g)
  • 3 large egg whites (125 g)
  • ½ c sugar to mix with egg whites (100 g)
  • 1 cup flour (100 g)
  • Coffee Syrup:
  • 1¾ cups filtered coffee (400 ml)
  • ¾ cup sugar (150 g)
  • 3 Tablespoons instant coffee (10 g)
  • Italian Merengue for the Buttercream:
  • 3 T water (40 g)
  • ½ cup sugar (100 g)
  • 2 large egg whites (70 g)
  • ¼ cup sugar to mix with egg whites (35 g)
  • Buttercream:
  • 5 large egg yolks
  • 1 cup + 1 T sugar (200 g)
  • ½ cup - (minus) 1 T water (100 g)
  • 2 cups butter (450 g or 4 sticks)
  • The Italian Merengue needs to go in, of course
  • ½ espresso (mini cup)
  • 3 T instant coffee, finely ground (10 g)
  • Chocolate Ganache:
  • 170 grams dark chocolate
  • ½ cup milk (120 g)
  • ⅓ cup cream (40 g)
  • 1.5 T butter (20 g)
  • Chocolate Glaze:
  • 400 g dark chocolate 52%
  • 3.5 T margarine (50 g)
  • 4 T peanut oil (50 g)
Instructions
  1. Step One: The cake
  2. Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F) and line 3 baking sheets with wax paper.
  3. Mix the eggs (1 cup), sugar, egg yolks and almond powder for 15 minutes.
  4. Beat the egg whites with the smaller amount of sugar listed, then combine the two.
  5. Add the flour and stir well, but not with an electric mixer.
  6. Spread an equal amount of batter on all three baking sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes each. Be careful though - my oven is hot so I needed to reduce the temperature and bake them for less time.
  7. After they cool, put them in the fridge with wax paper in between and cover them with saran wrap overnight.
  8. Take out the 2 cups of butter and let it sit out overnight.
  9. Step Two: The Italian Mrengue
  10. Heat the water and sugar until it reaches 114°C.
  11. At that point start mixing the egg whites and sugar until stiff.
  12. When the water/sugar mix reaches 118°C exactly, take it off the heat and pour it slowly into the egg whites while they are mixing.
  13. Set aside.
  14. Step Three: The Coffee Buttercream
  15. Do the same thing with the larger amount of water and sugar - cook it until 118°C.
  16. Beat the egg yolks and add the sugar mix slowly until incorporated, and until the yolks start to form ribbons.
  17. On the side, beat the softened butter, and then add that to the yolks.
  18. Add the merengue and beat that in.
  19. Finally, add the coffee and beat that. It's done.
  20. Step Four: The Ganache
  21. Chop up the chocolate.
  22. Heat the milk and cream.
  23. When the milk is hot, pour it over the chocolate and stir it until it all melts.
  24. Add the butter and mix it. The ganache is done.
  25. Step Five: Make the coffee syrup for the cakes.
  26. Take the filtered coffee, and add the sugar and instant powder.
  27. Put that aside with the pastry brush and get ready to soak the cakes.
  28. Step Six: The Assembly.
  29. Place a piece of wax paper on the baking sheet, followed by the first cake layer.
  30. Brush a third of the coffee syrup on it until it's soaked and brown.
  31. Put half of the coffee buttercream.
  32. Put another cake layer and soak with another third of coffee syrup.
  33. Pour all of the ganache on top of that.
  34. Put the third cake layer and soak with the remainder of the syrup.
  35. Top that with the rest of the buttercream.
  36. Put it in the refrigerator for at least an hour.
  37. Step Seven: The chocolate glaze and finishing touch
  38. Heat, but don't overheat the chocolate, oil and margarine. It should be quite runny.
  39. Take your opéra out of the fridge, and if you've used a pan with sides, separate the hardened buttercream from the side of the pan with a hot knife.
  40. Pour the glaze over the top of the opera and use a metal spatula to smooth it over.
  41. Step Eight: Serving the opéra
  42. Keep your opéra in the refrigerator for the entire day, but take it out about an hour before you wish to serve. This will help the buttercream to soften and make the whole thing easier to cut. You can cut small pieces because it's quite rich.
  43. And you might possibly wish to skip serving coffee with it if you ever hope to get any sleep.
Recipe by A Lady In France at https://aladyinfrance.com/step-step-instructions-making-opera/