Opera Cake

Hello! Today I’m sharing an Opera Cake recipe, which is a French cake made with layers of joconde (a type of almond sponge cake) soaked in coffee syrup, layered with ganache and coffee-flavoured buttercream and covered in a chocolate glaze. This kind of cake is also known as an entremet because of the many components, complexity and elaborateness.

I have always loved making layered cakes because simply, they look good and taste good. Layered cakes allow the combination of different components to come together and the results are usually extremely rewarding. It may seem very tedious and laborious making a layered cake but with proper planning, the active hours put into making the cake is usually only 2 to 3 hours. And it really helps when you have a good, sturdy stand mixer to aid in the baking journey, like my new Kenwood Chef Sense!

P.S. Do stay tuned to the end of the post to learn how you can stand a chance to win a Cookery Class with Culinary On (worth S$118)!

Last month Kenwood invited me to be part of their challenge to recreate one of my favourite cakes or pastries from one of Singapore’s popular patisseries with their new Kenwood Chef Sense and I couldn’t be any more honoured and excited!

Owning a stand mixer is my dream but I thought I will only get one after we moved into our new house in Singapore next year, but the dream came early! And close friends of mine will know that Kenwood has always been my preferred brand when it comes to stand mixers (I’m really not lying about this). I’ve always loved the sleek and professional looks of Kenwood stand mixers, so you can surely imagine how ecstatic I was when the Kenwood Chef Sense arrived at my doorstep.

Before I go into the specifications of the Kenwood Chef Sense, let’s come back to the cake! The cake I’ve chosen to recreate is Angelina’s Opera Cake (here’s a photo), which consists of “almond chocolate biscuit (joconde) soaked in coffee, crunchy praline biscuit, coffee and milk chocolate mousse”. For my version of Opera Cake, it consists of almond biscuit soaked in coffee, crunchy praline biscuit and mocha buttercream. Because my joconde does not have any chocolate in it, it is of a pale yellow colour, which makes it look quite different from Angelina’s Opera Cake.

The Opera Cake recipe is adapted from Joe Pastry. The making of Joconde (not the La Joconde in Louvre Museum) is like a genoise, but with extra egg whites folded into it, thus making it lighter and porous – readily absorbing all the coffee syrup.

Don’t worry about the extra egg yolks though, because they are used to make the French buttercream. This is the first time I’ve made an egg yolk-based buttercream and I must say… it’s really artery choking! Egg yolks are beaten with hot sugar syrup before tons of butter are beaten in (okay “tons” is an exaggeration but you get what I mean). The result is an incredibly rich, smooth and silky buttercream.

I skipped the ganache because I only have dark chocolate on hand and I didn’t want the whole cake to taste too bitter. The praline biscuit base is made with chocolate, praline and feuilletine, which is so crunchy that I couldn’t stop stealing bits of them into my mouth. I made the praline from scratch too, so it’s another achievement unlocked in my cake baking journey!

The chocolatey and slight caramel-y praline base, soft and moist joconde layers that packed a huge coffee punch, a rich and silky French mocha buttercream and the dark chocolate glaze all come together to create an impressive and delicious Opera Cake. The sweetness is just right and the praline base provides a crunchy texture so you won’t be overwhelmed by the richness of the French buttercream. It’s just a pity that I don’t have any edible gold leaves to decorate the cake with! Nevertheless, this is definitely the cake to make if you want to impress people! (;

With the Kenwood Chef Sense, I have to say cake baking has become easier and more fun. First, it’s such a joy watching the Kenwood Chef Sense at work – I mean, just look how pretty it is! The white colour takes a bit of the “coldness” off from the usual Kenwood stand mixers but allows it to remain cool and professional-looking (okay I’m biased haha). Secondly, I can now measure the rest of the ingredients while it’s whipping the egg whites or creaming the butter and sugar, which makes it seems like I have an assistant in the kitchen. Thirdly, its 4.6 litres stainless steel bowl has such a huge capacity that it can make 2.5 kilograms of bread, 2.7 kilograms of cake batter (9-egg cake) and whip 12 egg whites – baking for parties in the future can never be easier! And I can’t wait to start buying attachments (they have 20+ of them!) – the pasta, ice cream, meat mincer and food processor attachments are just some that I want to get.

Keen to get this amazing stand mixer? It’s available at leading electrical retailers and department stores, at promotional prices of S$749 for Chef Sense (4.6 litres) and S$899 for Chef Sense XL (6.7 itres)!

Opened in 1 October 2015 in Singapore, Culinary On is Europe’s largest entertainment culinary studio which boasts a spacious 7,000 sq ft studio. They have plenty of cooking classes to choose from and to win a Cookery Class with Culinary On worth S$118, simply complete the giveaway below:

Giveaway has ended, thank you all for participating! Congratulations to Frandy!

The giveaway is only for Singapore residents unfortunately because you have to be in Singapore to attend the cooking class. There are several ways you can join the giveaway: 1) Like Foodie Baker on Facebook; 2) Follow Foodie Baker on Instagram; 3) Answer a simple question (answer can be found within the blog post!); and 4) Share this blog post on your social media (Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Instagram…)! You get 1 chance when you complete 1 to 3, and 2 chances when you complete 4), and you can do 4) everyday, so come back to this post daily to increase your chances of winning! Giveaway ends on 26 July 2016 2359 hours (Singapore time), good luck!

And finally, here are the step-by-step photos (with recipe at the end)! If you are planning to make this cake, do take some time to read the recipe a few times first before starting the cake. I’ve split the different components into separate recipes so that it’s easier to follow. Have fun baking!

Step-by-step Photos
1) Coffee Syrup: Prepare 2 shots of espresso.	2) While the espresso is still hot/warm, stir in the sugar. Let cool completely before using.
1) Praline Paste: Toast the nuts in a 175C / 350F oven for 10 to 15 minutes until fragrant. Transfer the nuts onto a silicon mat into a single layer. Set aside while you make the caramel.	2) Combine sugar and water in a small pot (preferably heavy-bottomed).
3) Bring to a boil.	4) Let the caramel turn into a dark ember, swirling the caramel occasionally (not stirring!)
5) Immediately pour the caramel onto the nuts (do not attempt to touch the caramel).	6) Let the caramel cool completely.
7) Break the praline into small pieces (you can bash it up in a ziploc bag first) then transfer to a food processor together with the salt. Run the food processor until the praline becomes a paste (it will take some time).	8) As my food processor is not very powerful, after the praline becomes very tiny pieces, I used my immersion blender to finish the job.
1) Joconde: Grease the base and sides of a swiss roll cake tin (18x13-inch) with melted butter, line the bottom (not the sides) with parchment paper and grease the parchment paper again with melted butter.	2) Ensure that your mixing bowl is dry and oil-free then add in the egg whites.
3) Whisk the egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Turn the speed up to medium-high and whisk until soft peaks formed.	4) Add in the caster sugar.
5) Turn the speed up to high and whisk until stiff peaks formed. Scoop out the egg whites into a clean and dry bowl. Rinse your mixing bowl and dry it.	6) In the now clean and dry mixing bowl, add in the sifted ground almond, sifted icing sugar.
7) Followed by eggs.	8) Change the mixer attachment to a paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until the mixture is light and pale in colour, about 3 minutes.
9) Turn the speed to low then add in the flour. Beat until the flour has been incorporated.	10) Using a spatula, fold in the beaten egg whites in 3 parts until no streaks of white remain.
11) Scoop out 1 cup of the batter into the melted butter. Fold until all the butter has been incorporated. Pour back the butter-batter into the main batter and fold until fully incorporated.	12) Pour the batter into the swiss roll tin, spreading it out evenly with the spatula (especially the sides).
13) Bake the joconde for 5 to 7 minutes until a skewer inserted into the joconde comes out clean and the top of the joconde bounced back when lightly touched.	14) Run a thin knife along the edges of the swiss roll tin.
15) Invert the hot joconde on to a parchment paper. Transfer the joconde on a wire rack. Peel off the bottom parchment paper (now on top) carefully. Place the peeled parchment paper loosely on the joconde to prevent it from drying out and let the cake cool completely.
1) Mocha French Buttercream: Combine instant coffee, cocoa powder and boiling water in a small bowl until the coffee and cocoa has dissolved. Set aside.	2) Fit the whisk attachment onto the mixer. Add the egg yolks into the mixing bowl and beat on medium-high speed until the egg yolks are light and foamy. Stop the mixer and prepare the sugar syrup.
3) Combine caster sugar and water in a small pot. Let it boil until it reaches 115C / 238F. Immediately remove from heat.	4) Add the hot sugar syrup gradually to the egg yolks - add a bit of syrup, run the mixer on medium speed, stop the mixer then repeat until all the syrup has been added.
5) Beat the egg yolk batter on medium speed until the mixture has completely cooled down.	6) Change the mixer attachment to a paddle attachment. While the mixer is running on medium-low, add in butter gradually.
7) The buttercream may look very loose and watery as you add in the butter, but beating it after all the butter has been added will transform it into a smooth and creamy lusciousness.	8) This is how it should look like!
9) Add in the vanilla and coffee-cocoa paste.	10) Beat on low until fully incorporated.
1) Praline Base: Melt chocolate.	2) Add in praline.
3) Add in feuilletine.	4) Stir until well-mixed together.
1) Assembly: Measure the Joconde and cut into 3 equal slices.	2) Take 1 Joconde slice and spread the base evenly with the Praline Base. Chill in the refrigerator for 10 minutes for the Praline Base to harden.
3) Invert the Joconde-Praline onto a cake board so that the Praline Base is at the bottom. Brush 1/3 of the Coffee Syrup on to the Joconde.	4) Spread 1/3 of the Mocha French Buttercream on the Joconde then top with the next slice of Joconde. Repeat, ending with Mocha French Buttercream on top.
5) Chocolate Glaze: Melt chocolate (temper the chocolate if you like) and stir in the butter. Set aside for 10 minutes until it's cooled down completely to room temperature (otherwise it will melt the buttercream) and thickened slightly.	6) Spread the Chocolate Glaze evenly on top of the cake. Set aside (don't chill it unless your kitchen is extremely warm) for another 15 minutes until the Chocolate Glaze has hardened slightly.
7) Heat a knife by running it under hot water then wipe dry with a tea towel. Trim off the edges (these are baker's slices, you get to eat them first!), heating and drying the knife after every slice.

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Opera Cake - Coffee Syrup

By Jasline N.

Prep Time10 minutes mins

Total Time10 minutes mins

Servings: 0

0.511.523

INGREDIENTS

 

Coffee Syrup 1

• ▢ 2 shots espresso
• ▢ 55 grams caster sugar, 1/4 cup

Coffee Syrup 2

• ▢ 185 grams boiling water, 3/4 cup
• ▢ 55 grams caster sugar, 1/4 cup
• ▢ 2 tablespoons instant coffee

INSTRUCTIONS

• Coffee Syrup 1: While the espresso is still hot/warm, stir in the sugar. Let cool completely before using.
• Coffee Syrup 2: Dissolve sugar and instant coffee in boiling water. Let cool completely before using.
  
  Coffee Syrup can be made a day in advance. Transfer to a container, cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

Tried this recipe?Mention @foodiebaker or tag #foodiebaker!

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Opera Cake - Praline Paste

By Jasline N.

Prep Time25 minutes mins

Cook Time10 minutes mins

Total Time35 minutes mins

Servings: 0

0.511.523

INGREDIENTS

 

• ▢ 115 grams caster sugar, 1/2 cup
• ▢ 60 grams water, 1/5 cup
• ▢ 115 grams nuts, almond, macadamia, pecan etc.
• ▢ 1/4 teaspoon salt

INSTRUCTIONS

• Optional: Toast the nuts in a 175C / 350F oven for 10 to 15 minutes until fragrant. Transfer the nuts onto a silicon mat into a single layer. Set aside while you make the caramel.
• Combine sugar and water in a small pot (preferably heavy-bottomed) and bring to a boil. Let the caramel turn into a dark ember, swirling the caramel occasionally (not stirring!)
• Immediately pour the caramel onto the nuts (do not attempt to touch the caramel). Let the caramel cool completely.
• Break the praline into small pieces (you can bash it up in a ziploc bag first) then transfer to a food processor together with the salt. Run the food processor until the praline becomes a paste (it will take some time).
  
  Praline Paste can be made a day in advance. Transfer to a container, cover and store in the refrigerator until ready to use.

NOTES

- As my food processor is not very powerful, after the praline becomes very tiny pieces, I used my immersion blender to finish the job.

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Opera Cake - Joconde

By Jasline N.

Prep Time20 minutes mins

Cook Time7 minutes mins

Total Time27 minutes mins

Servings: 0

0.511.523

INGREDIENTS

 

• ▢ 3 large egg whites, at room temperature
• ▢ 1 tablespoon caster sugar
• ▢ 115 grams ground almond, sifted
• ▢ 115 grams icing sugar, sifted
• ▢ 3 large eggs, at room temperature
• ▢ 35 grams all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup + 1/2 tablespoon
• ▢ 10 grams unsalted butter, melted (2/3 tablespoon)

INSTRUCTIONS

• Preheat oven to 215C / 425F. Grease the base and sides of a swiss roll cake tin (18x13-inch) with melted butter, line the bottom (not the sides) with parchment paper and grease the parchment paper again with melted butter. Set aside.
• Fit your mixer with the whisk attachment. Ensure that your mixing bowl is dry and oil-free then add in the egg whites. Whisk the egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Turn the speed up to medium-high and whisk until soft peaks formed. Add in the caster sugar, turn the speed up to high and whisk until stiff peaks formed. Scoop out the egg whites into a clean and dry bowl. Rinse your mixing bowl and dry it.
• In the now clean and dry mixing bowl, add in the sifted ground almond, sifted icing sugar and eggs. Change the mixer attachment to a paddle attachment. Beat on medium speed until the mixture is light and pale in colour, about 3 minutes.
• Turn the speed to low then add in the flour. Beat until the flour has been incorporated.
• Using a spatula, fold in the beaten egg whites in 3 parts until no streaks of white remain.
• Scoop out 1 cup of the batter into the melted butter. Fold until all the butter has been incorporated. Pour back the butter-batter into the main batter and fold until fully incorporated.
• Pour the batter into the swiss roll tin, spreading it out evenly with the spatula (especially the sides).
• Bake the joconde for 5 to 7 minutes until a skewer inserted into the joconde comes out clean and the top of the joconde bounced back when lightly touched.
• Run a thin knife along the edges of the swiss roll tin. Invert the hot joconde on to a parchment paper. Transfer the joconde on a wire rack. Peel off the bottom parchment paper (now on top) carefully. Place the peeled parchment paper loosely on the joconde to prevent it from drying out and let the cake cool completely.

NOTES

- My swiss roll tin is a little bit smaller - 15x10-inch - hence my resulting joconde is thicker and takes a bit longer to bake (10 minutes).
- Instead of pouring the melted butter directly into the batter (the melted butter will just sink to the bottom), by mixing the melted butter with some of the batter first will allow the butter-batter to be more easily incorporated into the batter.

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Opera Cake - French Mocha Buttercream

By Jasline N.

Prep Time30 minutes mins

Total Time30 minutes mins

Servings: 0

0.511.523

INGREDIENTS

 

• ▢ 1 1/2 tablespoons instant coffee
• ▢ 1 1/2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• ▢ 1 tablespoon boiling water
• ▢ 3 large egg yolks, at room temperature
• ▢ 115 grams caster sugar, 1/2 cup
• ▢ 30 grams water, 1/8 cup
• ▢ 225 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature
• ▢ 1/2 teaspoon vanilla

INSTRUCTIONS

• Combine instant coffee, cocoa powder and boiling water in a small bowl until the coffee and cocoa has dissolved. Set aside.
• Fit the whisk attachment onto the mixer. Add the egg yolks into the mixing bowl and beat on medium-high speed until the egg yolks are light and foamy. Stop the mixer and prepare the sugar syrup.
• Combine caster sugar and water in a small pot. Let it boil until it reaches 115C / 238F. Immediately remove from heat.
• Add the hot sugar syrup gradually to the egg yolks - add a bit of syrup, run the mixer on medium speed, stop the mixer then repeat until all the syrup has been added.
• Beat the egg yolk batter on medium speed until the mixture has completely cooled down.
• Change the mixer attachment to a paddle attachment. While the mixer is running on medium-low, add in butter gradually. After all the butter has added, whip the mixture on medium-high until the buttercream is smooth, creamy and pale in colour.
• Add in the vanilla and coffee-cocoa paste and beat on low until fully incorporated.

NOTES

- If you add the sugar syrup while the mixer is running, the syrup may hit the whisk attachment and splatter onto the sides (the syrup hardens quickly so it cannot be mixed into the egg yolks later) or out (which can be dangerous as the syrup is hot).
- The buttercream may look very loose and watery as you add in the butter, but beating it after all the butter has been added will transform it into a smooth and creamy lusciousness.

Tried this recipe?Mention @foodiebaker or tag #foodiebaker!

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Opera Cake - Praline Base

By Jasline N.

Prep Time5 minutes mins

Total Time5 minutes mins

Servings: 0

0.511.523

INGREDIENTS

 

• ▢ 60 grams dark / milk chocolate, melted and cooled
• ▢ 60 grams praline paste, see above
• ▢ 45 grams feuilletine

INSTRUCTIONS

• Combine melted chocolate, praline paste and feuilletine together in a mixing bowl.

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Opera Cake - Assembly

By Jasline N.

Prep Time1 hour hr

Total Time1 hour hr

Servings: 0

0.511.523

INGREDIENTS

 

• ▢ 1 recipe of Joconde
• ▢ 1 recipe of Praline Base
• ▢ 1 recipe of Coffee Syrup
• ▢ 1 recipe of Mocha French Buttercream

Chocolate Glaze

• ▢ 85 grams couverture / dark chocolate
• ▢ 15 grams unsalted butter, at room temperature

INSTRUCTIONS

• Measure the Joconde and cut into 3 equal slices.
• Take 1 Joconde slice and spread the base evenly with the Praline Base. Chill in the refrigerator for 10 minutes for the Praline Base to harden.
• Invert the Joconde-Praline onto a cake board so that the Praline Base is at the bottom. Brush 1/3 of the Coffee Syrup on to the Joconde. Spread 1/3 of the Mocha French Buttercream on the Joconde then top with the next slice of Joconde. Repeat, ending with Mocha French Buttercream on top. Don't worry about the buttercream oozing out on the sides. Chill the cake in the refrigerator for 30 minutes.
• Chocolate Glaze: Melt chocolate (temper the chocolate if you like) and stir in the butter. Set aside for 10 minutes until it's cooled down completely to room temperature (otherwise it will melt the buttercream) and thickened slightly.
• Spread the Chocolate Glaze evenly on top of the cake. Set aside (don't chill it unless your kitchen is extremely warm) for another 15 minutes until the Chocolate Glaze has hardened slightly.
• Heat a knife by running it under hot water then wipe dry with a tea towel. Trim off the edges (these are baker's slices, you get to eat them first!), heating and drying the knife after every slice.
• To cut the cake into small pieces, score the top of the cake with a heated knife first (otherwise the Chocolate Glaze will not cut nicely), then use the heated knife to cut all the way through the cake.
  
  The cake is best served slightly chilled, so do store the cakes in the refrigerator and take them out to warm up for about 5 to 10 minutes before serving.

NOTES

- Opera Cake recipe adapted from Joe Pastry.

Tried this recipe?Mention @foodiebaker or tag #foodiebaker!

Full Disclosure: I was gifted with the Kenwood Chef Sense for the challenge. No other monetary compensation is received. All opinions, recipe and photos are my own! Thank you, Kenwood, for the kind and wonderful gift – you made my dream come true!