Opera Cake is an extravagant French coffee cake made up of almond sponge layers and butter cream. I made one for Fathers' Day, but any celebration would suit.
Preparation Time: 1 hours 35 minutes
Cooking Time: 30 minutes
Makes: 12 servings
Ingredients
12 eggs
25g Truvia sweetener (or 90g caster sugar)
375g icing sugar
170g ground almonds
130g wholemeal plain flour
215g margarine
150g butter
1 tsp cream of tartar
2 tbsp instant coffee granules
2 ⅓ tbsp boiling water
1 tbsp cherry brandy
200g dark chocolate
200g creme fraiche
1 lime
Method
Pre-heat oven to 210 ༠C/ 190 ༠C fan/425 ༠F/7 Gas.
Stir one teaspoon boiling water with one teaspoon coffee granules.
Melt the margarine in a saucepan with the coffee and allow to cool.
Beat six eggs with 225g icing sugar.
Fold in flour and ground almonds.
Separate six eggs and whisk the whites with one teaspoon sweetener/30g sugar, and cream of tartar to form stiff peaks.
Fold the whites into the mixture.
Stir in the melted margarine, and then pour into a square cake tin.
Bake in the oven for half an hour and then allow to cool.
Cream together the butter, 150g icing sugar, and lime zest, then put in the fridge to chill.
Mix together the remaining coffee granules with the remaining sweetener/sugar, boiling water and brandy.
Poke holes in the top of the cake and pour over syrup.
Melt the chocolate over a pan of hot water and stir in the creme fraiche.
Slice the cake horizontally into four layers.
Spread the buttercream over the first layer and place the second layer on top.
Spread the ganache all over the cake to cover and then chill in the fridge until set.
Categories
#Cake
#Celebration
#Coffee
#French