Directions
Known as the Queen of Cakes, Opera Cake is an elegant and sophisticated dessert cake that captivates with its layered beauty and rich coffee and chocolate flavor, complemented by the taste of sponge layers soaked in coffee syrup.
It got the name “Opera” because of the cross-section that resembles the levels of an opera house, with a total of six layers, or, three layers of moist airy sponge cake made of almond flour, two layers of coffee butter cream and a layer of chocolate filling, and all covered with a chocolate ganache.
Although it looks complicated, it is prepared from simple ingredients, easily available, in several procedures that are easy to follow. It is best to keep it in the refrigerator for at least two hours after it is prepared, and before tasting it is nice to leave it at room temperature for more juiciness and softness of the fillings. You can store it in the refrigerator for up to 5 days or freeze it in the refrigerator for up to 3 months.
Definitely delicious and impressive dessert, that you can prepare it for the upcoming Christmas and New Year holidays, for a special occasion or birthdays, and etc.
It is important not to rush the preparation of this cake, and to prepare it for the weekend or when you have a relaxed and free day.
Ingredients and Preparation in 5 steps 
3 (three) layers of almond sponge cake
- 130 grams of almond flour
- 4 eggs (160 grams)
- 110 grams of egg whites
- 16 grams of granulated sugar
- 36 grams of cake flour
- 40 grams of powdered sugar
- 24 grams of butter (melted)
Start by preparing the sponge cake layers. Beat the eggs briefly with a fork and add the granulated sugar to them. Add the bowl on a steamer (over a hot bowl of water), and beat the eggs and sugar with a mixer until you get a nice volume and the sugar is dissolved. After you have finish, in a separate bowl, beat only the whites, hard picks, and add them to the yolks half, then mix, and add the other half and mix them briefly with a whisk.
Mix the almond flour, cake flour and powdered sugar and add them to the bowl of eggs. Mix with a wire whisk, briefly until the ingredients are combined, and add the melted butter. Be careful not to overdo the mixing so as not to lose the volume of the sponge cake.
After preparing the mixture, transfer it to a pan with dimensions (38×40) lined with kitchen paper, and spread the dough evenly on the surface with a spatula so that you have equal crusts in thickness at the end. Bake the dough for 10 minutes at 210 degrees, remove the paper, cut the ends and divide the dough into three equal parts lengthwise.
2. Coffee syrup
- 100 grams of water
- 100 grams of granulated sugar
- 15 grams of instant coffee powder
Mix all the ingredients and put them on the fire to boil. Allow the syrup to cool and brush each of the sponge cakes with it on both sides to make them juicy. Divide the syrup into three equal parts if it’s easier for you, or about 70 grams of liquid on each crust.
3. Coffee butter cream
- 1 egg (40 grams)
- 16 grams of yolk
- 120 grams of butter (cut into cubes)
- 115 grams of granulated sugar
- 45 grams of water
- 8 grams of coffee
- 4 grams of water
The first and third sponge cake crusts are covered with half of this filling. Beat one egg to a nice volume with a mixer. Then add 45 grams of water and 115 grams of granulated sugar to another pot on the fire and let them boil for one to two minutes after the liquid boils. Remove from the heat and gradually add this syrup to the beaten egg, beating constantly with a mixer. Before adding the syrup, leave it for two minutes at room temperature to reduce the temperature a little. Then add 120 grams of cubed butter and beat until you get a smooth mixture. Finally, mix 8 grams of coffee and 4 grams of water with a spoon and add them to the filling for unique lovely taste and scent. Divide the coffee butter cream into two equal parts, and start preparing the cake.
Soak the first layer of sponge cake well with 70 grams of the prepared coffee syrup, on both sides. Place the first sponge cake layer on a plate and leave the crust like this in the refrigerator for ten minutes to thiken the syrup. Then evenly spread half of the coffee butter cream on top of the first crust. Spread the filling nicely, evenly, and put it back in the fridge for about fifteen minutes. Then soak the second sponge cake well with the coffee syrup on both sides (70 grams), and cover over the filling with the second crust. Wait ten to twenty minutes for it to harden in the refrigerator, and during that time prepare the chocolate layer.
Chocolate layer
- 90 grams of chocolate (dark chocolate, chopped)
- 60 grams of milk
- 20 grams of heavy cream
- 20 grams of butter
Melt the chocolate over steam, add the milk, heavy cream and butter and mix well until smooth and dissolved.
Remove the cake from the refrigerator and apply the prepared layer of chocolate over the second layer of sponge cake. Return the cake to the refrigerator again to harden, then on this layer later apply the third crust soaked in coffee syrup and after it hardens add in the refrigerator, apply the second half of the coffee butter cream and leave the cake prepared in this way for half an hour in the refrigerator.
Finally, prepare the cake ganache to cover the entire cake, and we’re done.
The preparation process is not difficult, you just have to be careful with each layer and application of syrup to stay in the refrigerator to set well so to have a nice end result.
Cake Topping
- 40 grams of cocoa powder
- 50 grams of sugar
- 160 ml of milk
- 50 grams of chocolate (chopped)
- 5 grams of gelatin
- 4 tablespoons of water
Add the cocoa, sugar and milk to a pot on the fire. At a medium moderate temperature, stir with a spatula constantly so that it does not burn. When it boils, stir for about 10 seconds until you get a nice shiny color and remove from the heat. Then add the chocolate and previously dissolved 5 grams of gelatin in 4 tablespoons of cold water. Mix all the ingredients with a spatula until smooth and let the topping cool slightly before pouring over the cake. This topping should be lukewarm or at a temperature of about 25 degrees so it won’t melt your cake fillings if it’s too hot.
Finally comes the best and easiest part.
Once the dressing is ready, remove the cake from the refrigerator and place it on a wire rack. Pour the cake over the center first, then the ends.
At the end, cut the ends of the cake from all sides, a section is made and slices is best to be cut into 5 cm thick pieces.
If desired, you can decorate with gold dust.
Have a good appetite and good health!
