I admit, when I first read the Daring Baker’s Challenge for May, Opéra Cake, I had two thoughts run through my head. One; ARE THEY CRAZY? and two; I thought of Adam Sandler’s Opera Man. My first thought was a bit judgemental. I thought that it seemed very daunting- as well as complicated and tedious, but honestly, its not. Its very far from it. Each step is absurdly simple and the actual building of the cake is easy as pie. My second thought continued far into the actual eating of the cake. OPERAAAA MAAN-OOOO, LIKAAA OPÉRAAAAA CAAAKE-OOO! *ahem* Sorry.

The basic idea of an Opéra Cake: several layers put together to create a kind of thin layer cake with buttercream, mousse and glaze.

I read that some people had difficulty when using chocolate chips as opposed to block chocolate, apparently it doesn’t melt correctly. I myself used Ghirardelli white chocolate chips and had no issue- they melted like a dream. I opted to use them because it was cheaper to buy (the block chocolate is like $8.00 for 5 ounces or something like that, and I needed about 21 ounces for this recipe… whereas the chips were $3.00 for 11 ounces), and I’m far from cheap but thats a large price difference. But also I’ve found that chips melt quicker because of the smaller surface area and they’re easier for me to work with. Unless a recipe specifically calls for block chocolate, I always go for the chips. I also could not find nut meal, so I used slivered almonds and flour to make my own, as suggested per the Daring Baker’s site.

The rules were simple: just NO dark colors. Light colors and flavors. Any flavor we wanted: almond, limoncello, etc. Just white chocolate, not milk or dark. We also were given a choice as to whether or not we wanted to use the ganache/mousse or just use all buttercream. I’m up for a challenge so I went for it and made the ganache-y mousse-y stuff and I’m glad I did cuz its awesome. I used this as the flavoring and it came out delicious. Technically, its not white chocolate flavored, so it may have been bending the rules, but thats what I’m all about anyway. But its clear- so it didn’t have a dark color. So I guess its kinda cheating. You can read more about that in the actual recipe. I also opted to make 2 mini Opéra cakes instead of one big one.

So the cake has 5 parts: the joconde (cake), the syrup, the buttercream, the ganache/mousse and the glaze. Easy enough, right? Right. It really was. I swear. It seems all involved and crazy, but its not. And aside from that- its f&%$*in’ DELICIOUS. This was my first Daring Baker’s challenge and I have to say, what a way to start! I would absolutely make this again. Although, I have to say, I split it up over three days: the syrup, buttercream and mousse was made one day, the next day I made the joconde and the third day I made the glaze and put all the components together. So unless you have a lot of time, and also someone to help you, don’t attempt this. Its not a recipe that can be rushed. Nor is it one I could’ve done all on my own… I found I needed an extra set of hands.

Problems I had: my joconde browned slightly more than it should’ve on the bottom- so in the pictures that is not dark chocolate or coffee or anything, its just the bottom of the cake. Also, my joconde didn’t bake completely even, I’m thinking because of the parchment paper (even though it said to use it I think next time I’ll try it without it). So my layers were a bit off, kinda slouchy. Like a Salvador Dali cake! So it may not look perfect, but it tastes DIVINE.

The Opéra Cake is dedicated to to Barbara of winosandfoodies.com (http://winosandfoodies.typepad.com/). As was written on the Daring Baker’s Kitchen: “While Barbara is no longer an active member of the Daring Bakers, as Lis so eloquently put it, she’ll always be an honourary Daring Baker for her bravery and character in the face of a challenge. As many of you may know Barbara is the force behind the food blog event called A Taste of Yellow that supports the LiveSTRONG foundation started by Lance Armstrong. This year’s LiveStrong Day is in May so we decided that we could show our support by dedicating our respective challenge posts to Barbara.”

I don’t know Barbara but I think thats an admirable thing to dedicate a cake to, so there you go.

Below I have listed the recipe, with my additions (as in what I used) in bold italics.

OPÉRA CAKE

For the joconde

(Note: The joconde can be made up to 1 day in advance and kept wrapped at room temperature)

What you’ll need:

•2 12½ x 15½-inch (31 x 39-cm) jelly-roll pans (Note: If you do not have jelly-roll pans this size, do not fear! You can use different-sized jelly-roll pans like 10 x 15-inches.) (*I used two fairly deep cookie sheets)
•a few tablespoons of melted butter (in addition to what’s called for in the ingredients’ list) and a brush (to grease the pans)
•parchment paper
•a whisk and a paddle attachment for a stand mixer or for a handheld mixer
•two mixing bowls (you can make do with one but it’s preferable to have two)

Ingredients:

• 6 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 2 tbsp. (30 grams) granulated sugar
• 2 cups (225 grams) ground blanched almonds (Note: If you do not want to use almond meal, you can use another nut meal like hazelnut. You can buy almond meal in bulk food stores or health food stores, or you can make it at home by grinding almonds in the food processor with a tablespoon or two of the flour that you would use in the cake. The reason you need the flour is to prevent the almonds from turning oily or pasty in the processor. You will need about 2 cups of blanched almonds to create enough almond meal for this cake.)
• 2 cups icing sugar, sifted
• 6 large eggs
• ½ cup (70 grams) all-purpose flour
• 3 tbsp. (1½ ounces; 45 grams) unsalted butter, melted and cooled

1.Divide the oven into thirds by positioning a rack in the upper third of the oven and the lower third of the oven.

2.Preheat the oven to 425◦F. (220◦C).

3.Line two 12½ x 15½- inch (31 x 39-cm) jelly-roll pans with parchment paper and brush with melted butter.

4.In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment (or using a handheld mixer), beat the egg whites until they form soft peaks. Add the granulated sugar and beat until the peaks are stiff and glossy. If you do not have another mixer bowl, gently scrape the meringue into another bowl and set aside.

5.If you only have one bowl, wash it after removing the egg whites or if you have a second bowl, use that one. Attach the paddle attachment to the stand mixer (or using a handheld mixer again) and beat the almonds, icing sugar and eggs on medium speed until light and voluminous, about 3 minutes.

6.Add the flour and beat on low speed until the flour is just combined (be very careful not to overmix here!!!).

7.Using a rubber spatula, gently fold the meringue into the almond mixture and then fold in the melted butter. Divide the batter between the pans and spread it evenly to cover the entire surface of each pan.

8.Bake the cake layers until they are lightly browned and just springy to the touch. This could take anywhere from 5 to 9 minutes depending on your oven. Place one jelly-roll pan in the middle of the oven and the second jelly-roll pan in the bottom third of the oven.

9.Put the pans on a heatproof counter and run a sharp knife along the edges of the cake to loosen it from the pan. Cover each with a sheet of parchment or wax paper, turn the pans over, and unmold.

10.Carefully peel away the parchment, then turn the parchment over and use it to cover the cakes. Let the cakes cool to room temperature.

For the syrup

(Note: The syrup can be made up to 1 week in advance and kept covered in the refrigerator.)

What you’ll need:

•a small saucepan

Ingredients:

• ½ cup (125 grams) water
• ⅓ cup (65 grams) granulated sugar
• 1 to 2 tbsp. of the flavouring of your choice (i.e., vanilla extract, almond extract, cognac, limoncello, coconut cream, honey etc.) (*I used vanilla, kept it simple)

1.Stir all the syrup ingredients together in the saucepan and bring to a boil.

2.Remove from the heat and let cool to room temperature.

For the buttercream

(Note: The buttercream can be made up to 1 month in advance and packed in an airtight container. If made way in advance, you can freeze the buttercream. Alternatively you can refrigerate it for up to 4 days after making it. To use the buttercream simply bring it to room temperature and then beat it briefly to restore its consistency.)

What you’ll need:

•a small saucepan
•a candy or instant-read thermometer
•a stand mixer or handheld mixer
•a bowl and a whisk attachment
•rubber spatula

Ingredients:

• 1 cup (100 grams) granulated sugar
• ¼ cup (60 grams) water
• seeds of one vanilla bean (split a vanilla bean down the middle and scrape out the seeds) or 1 tbsp. pure vanilla extract (Note: If you are flavouring your buttercream and do not want to use the vanilla, you do not have to. Vanilla will often enhance other flavours but if you want an intense, one-flavoured buttercream, then by all means leave it out!)
• 1 large egg
• 1 large egg yolk
• 1¾ sticks (7 ounces; 200 grams) unsalted butter, at room temperature
• flavouring of your choice (a tablespoon of an extract, a few tablespoons of melted white chocolate, citrus zest, etc.) (*I used more vanilla, clear vanilla extract so as not to ‘color’ it)

1.Combine the sugar, water and vanilla bean seeds or extract in a small saucepan and warm over medium heat just until the sugar dissolves.

2.Continue to cook, without stirring, until the syrup reaches 225◦F (107◦C) [*Note: Original recipe indicates a temperature of 255◦F (124◦C), however, when testing the recipe I found that this was too high so we heated to 225◦F and it worked fine] on a candy or instant-read thermometer. Once it reaches that temperature, remove the syrup from the heat.

3.While the syrup is heating, begin whisking the egg and egg yolk at high speed in the bowl of your mixer using the whisk attachment. Whisk them until they are pale and foamy.

4.When the sugar syrup reaches the correct temperature and you remove it from the heat, reduce the mixer speed to low speed and begin slowly (very slowly) pouring the syrup down the side of the bowl being very careful not to splatter the syrup into the path of the whisk attachment. Some of the syrup will spin onto the sides of the bowl but don’t worry about this and don’t try to stir it into the mixture as it will harden!

5.Raise the speed to medium-high and continue beating until the eggs are thick and satiny and the mixture is cool to the touch (about 5 minutes or so).

6.While the egg mixture is beating, place the softened butter in a bowl and mash it with a spatula until you have a soft creamy mass.

7.With the mixer on medium speed, begin adding in two-tablespoon chunks. When all the butter has been incorporated, raise the mixer speed to high and beat until the buttercream is thick and shiny.

8.At this point add in your flavouring and beat for an additional minute or so.

9.Refrigerate the buttercream, stirring it often, until it’s set enough (firm enough) to spread when topped with a layer of cake (about 20 minutes).

For the white chocolate ganache/mousse (this step is optional – please see Elements of an Opéra Cake below)

(Note: The mousse can be made ahead and refrigerated until you’re ready to use it.)

What you’ll need:

•a small saucepan
•a mixer or handheld mixer

Ingredients:

• 7 ounces white chocolate
• 1 cup plus 3 tbsp. heavy cream (35% cream)
• 1 tbsp. liquer of your choice (Bailey’s, Amaretto, etc.) (*I used Van Gogh Amsterdam chocolate liquer, which tastes very chocolatey, yet is clear so adds no color and is light so I figured it wasn’t against the rules… besides, combined with the white chocolate it tastes good and no one would realize it wasn’t just white chocolate unless I told them)
  

1.Melt the white chocolate and the 3 tbsp. of heavy cream in a small saucepan.
2.Stir to ensure that it’s smooth and that the chocolate is melted. Add the tablespoon of liqueur to the chocolate and stir. Set aside to cool completely.
3.In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the remaining 1 cup of heavy cream until soft peaks form.
4.Gently fold the whipped cream into the cooled chocolate to form a mousse.
5.If it’s too thin, refrigerate it for a bit until it’s spreadable.
6.If you’re not going to use it right away, refrigerate until you’re ready to use.

For the glaze

(Note: It’s best to make the glaze right when you’re ready to finish the cake.)

What you’ll need:

•a small saucepan or double boiler

Ingredients:

• 14 ounces white chocolate, coarsely chopped
• ½ cup heavy cream (35% cream)

1.Melt the white chocolate with the heavy cream. Whisk the mixture gently until smooth.
2.Let cool for 10 minutes and then pour over the chilled cake. Using a long metal cake spatula, smooth out into an even layer.
3.Place the cake into the refrigerator for 30 minutes to set.

Assembling the Opéra Cake

(Note: The finished cake should be served slightly chilled. It can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 1 day).

Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.

Working with one sheet of cake at a time, cut and trim each sheet so that you have two pieces (from each cake so you’ll have four pieces in total): one 10-inch (25-cm) square and one 10 x 5-inch (25 x 12½-cm) rectangle.

Place one square of cake on the baking sheet and moisten it gently with the flavoured syrup.

Spread about three-quarters of the buttercream over this layer.

Top with the two rectangular pieces of cake, placing them side by side to form a square. Moisten these pieces with the flavoured syrup.

Spread the remaining buttercream on the cake and then top with the third square of joconde. Use the remaining syrup to wet the joconde and then refrigerate until very firm (at least half an hour).

Prepare the ganache/mousse (if you haven’t already) and then spread it on the top of the last layer of the joconde. Refrigerate for at least two to three hours to give the ganache/mousse the opportunity to firm up.

Make the glaze and after it has cooled, pour/spread it over the top of the chilled cake. Refrigerate the cake again to set the glaze.

Serve the cake slightly chilled. This recipe will yield approximately 20 servings.