Off to the Opera
Well, close enough. This
months Daring Bakers challenge was to make light opera cake. For those unfamiliar with these cakes, they
are made with a joconde-dense almond cake. The cake is very eye friendly. There are alternating layers of the almond cake,
flavorful syrup is spread on each cake layer, and between each layer is either
a buttercream, or a mousse. Finally,
there is a chocolate glaze poured over the cake. Typically, the cake is very heavy. Chocolate, coffee, and almond flavors are the
normal flavor combination. Our challenge was to make it more spring like. No chocolate, no coffee, no chocolate, did I
mention no chocolate?Since the recipe is SO LONG, I will link to it, instead of displaying the entire recipe.
For us daring bakers, the biggest challenge was picking flavor combinations. Since we were thinking spring time, light, fruity flavors were at the top of most people's minds. Others were immediately sucked into the green tea realm. I immediately wanted to use orange. Then Galliano came to mind.
Galliano has a very light citrus taste, along with some vanilla, anise, and some herbs. Its dominating flavor is anise, like Sambuca or Pernod. I built the flavors around this. Orange-vanilla buttercream with hints of Galianno and Drambuie, the syrup was Galliano flavored, and the liquid used in the syrup was infused with star anise. The mousse was white chocolate, vanilla, and honey. And the final glaze was white chocolate, Galianno, and a hint of limoncello for some additional citrus.
This is a complex recipe. Not overly difficult, just time consuming. If you can balance your time, and the recipe, over a few days, this can be accomplished by anyone.
I made the cake and syrup one evening. The next evening I made the buttercream and mousse. I assembled the cake and cooled it overnight. The next day after work I made the glaze and poured it over the cake. Once cooled, I squared the cake. This is a presentation cake. There is no icing on the sides, so the layers can show. You see them in bakeries all the time.
I loved this recipe and this concept. So did my neighbors. They were willing tasters, and this makes a
lot more then two people can attempt to finish before the cake starts to head
south. Once square, you can get 12 or more rectangle slices from the cake.
As many of the other Daring Bakers recipes, I did this one twice. Not because I screwed up on the first one, but because I had so much fun making this. We have new neighbors, so I figured this would make a great 'welcome to the neighborhood' gift. They told me they were chocolate lovers, so I approached the recipe a different way. I avoided the coffee flavors, but I gave them as much chocolate as they could stomach!
For my second opera cake, I made chocolate joconde (almond cake), I made a Grand Mariner and limoncello syrup, orange-grapefruit buttercream with a hint of vodka, a raspberry lime bittersweet chocolate mousse, and a chocolate glaze infused with vanilla and Grand Mariner. I also ventured into new territory and made a stencil of my logo.
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beautiful. I LOVE your logo and using it on the cake is a perfect idea!
Your layers are so perfect!!! And I love the chocolate one. Your logo looks so elegant on it.
Thanks for the comment.
Your cakes are both absolutely gorgeous. I can't tell which one I like more. Good job!
Both are just divine. I agree with the others your Logo made the Chocolate cake just look so elegant.
Two, you did two of these! And they are both beautiful. Love the stencil.
Both of your cakes look gorgeous - I especially love the stenciling on the chocolate one; what a great housewarming gift - they are lucky to have you as neighbors!
The flavor combination on your light opera cake is so intriguing as well . . . I want a bite!
Congrats on a great challenge!
Best,
Sarah
Both of your cakes are absolutely gogeous
Wowza. Those are FABULOUS. I love them both, but my inner chocoholic wants to dive head on into the chocolate one! Very 'artistique' as well!!!
Your cakes are both so beautiful and I love the flavor combinations of both of them. I think I would have a hard time picking which one I'd want to taste!
They both look so perfect, especially the one with your logo! Seems like no one had serious trouble slicing the thing except me..;-) I'm planning on making the dark version, too, one day...
Wow! What amazingly inventive flavour combinations. Quite puts my effort to shame ;)
They're both beautiful.
Both cakes look stunning! The stencil itself, and the chocolate cake are so stylish!
Wow,those are some very impressive and gorgeous looking cakes. The flavors you used for the challenge cake sound amazing together!
Your cakes look gorgeous and the chocolate one with your stencil is my favorite! Great work!
Absolutely fabulous! I made mine in three days too... was much easier that way.
I'm so impressed when people gp beyond the call of duty. And then give the masterpiece to a new kid on the block. You are talented and very kind.
Makes me want to make a chocolate one now!
Wow. That's about all I can say. They both look beautiful, and the flavor combos are amazing. Great job!
Your cake is beautiful with such fluffy and perfect layers.
But the darker cake is the winner with me. And your logo on it looks great. How original.
Wow... I need to move to YOUR neighborhood. Two bakery-worthy opera cakes with such intricate flavor combinations. And I love how you incorporated your logo in the decoration. Great job!
I love your stencil! That's very creative, and the first one I've seen on the opera cake from the Daring Bakers! The flavors sound interesting: Galliano, orange, vanilla, star anise. I like how perfect your slice looks! Excellent.
Shari@Whisk: a food blog
Ohhh, these look delicious. Now I know what I was missing without the chocolate. ;)
Your Opera Cakes look amazing! Great job with the stencil. Both flavor combinations sound really good, but I'm always a sucker for chocolate.