Opera

dessert traditional recipe

INFO

My first try to a classic, delicious. I did not have the required hardware, so I had to adapt.

Details

Ingredients

• …

Method Icing

1. Prepare the guitar sheet, my where slices of about 10cm, too small for the cake ring I had, so I tape two sheets on a wood board, making sure the seams were tight and the sheets not moving
2. Place the chocolate into a bowl, then nuke it several times, I used power 2 for 1 mn each session until the chocolate is melted.
3. Add the grape seed oil
4. Mix well
5. Pour the icing over the sheets, as finely as possible, trying to make sure it is regular.
6. Now place your cake ring on top of the icing, pressing firmly, then reserve in the refrigerator so that the icing harden

Method Coffee Sirup

1. Boil the water, sugar and expresso cup until the sugar is melted properly, set aside 

Method Biscuit Joconde

1. Pre-heat the oven at 220 °C/425°F
2. Melt the butter and let it cool
3. In a bowl, using a whisk, mix the whole eggs, a pinch of salt, almond flour, and confection sugar.
4. Add the butter
5. Add the flour
6. In another bowl, beat the egg white, incorporating the sugar
7. Incorporate the egg white mix to the whole egg mixture
8. Lay the dough on a parchment paper on a cooking sheet, making sure it is finely spread all around and ensuring you can make 3 layers for your cake.
9. Bake for  about 10 minutes, it should have be fairly clear when the cooking ends but be set
10. Take out and preserve the biscuit between two sheets of parchment paper to ensure it stays moist.

Method Ganache

1. Pour the heavy cream  and butter into a pan, bring to a quick boil, take out of the fire, wait 30 seconds and incorporate the chocolate (cut the chocolate in pieces before if you do not use chips).
2. Mix with care using a maryse, starting from the center.
3. Reserve at room temperature

Method Butter Coffee Cream

1. Place the sugar in a pan, add the expresso and heat a tad to dissolve the sugar
2. Let the sugar cool a bit, then incorporate with the egg yolks (start with just a tiny bit into the egg, mix then add more slowl)
3. Now mix the butter (to obtain a cream/pommade), pour into the butter the egg/sugar mixture
4. Mix until it is smooth

Method Assembly

1. Place the cream into a pastry bag, do the safe with the ganache. Use a 6 mm tip for each

2. Now is the time to cut your biscuit to the appropriate shape to fit the cake ring, you should have 3 layers

3. We are going to build the Opera upside down.

4. Take cake ring & icing out of the refrigerator

5. Start with a fine layer of butter cream, spread evenly

6. Soak/Paint (using a brush) the first layer with the sugar sirup. I do one side, place the biscuit into the ring, do the other side.

7. Add a fine layer of butter cream

8. Add layer of ganache, I think it should be a bit thicker

9. Add another soaked/painted layer of sugar

10. Add a fine layer of butter cream

11. Add the last layer of biscuit, soaking only the side that will go against the butter cream

12. Now reserve at least 2 hours in the fridge

13. Take out, remove the ring, …thanks the baking god…then turn the cake upside down, clean/trim the edge as/if necessary 

14. Enjoy.

I had a few challenges with this one, not having the right hardware, made it a bit challenging to have regular layers, not to mention I had some trouble with the biscuit but it turned out quite nice after all the work.

Quick View

Traditional
Serve	6-8
Preparation Time	120-180 mn + rest
Cooking Time	8 mn for the biscuit/cake
Temperature
Authors	Pascal Crausaz / https://mapatisserie.fr/recette/dessert/recette-opera/
Special	’Guitar’ sheet (acetate sheet) Pastry bags & 6 mm tip (2x) Normally: rectangular cake ring 12x24 cm…did not have any so used a round circle one. My sheets were too small, so I used two, turned out just fine. I made sure to tape them to a board before pouring the chocolate.