Classic Opera Cake

A classic opera cake can be made at home even if this is your first time - I'm guiding you through each step and detailed tips that I learned from French pastry masters over the years so you can make it successful in the comfort of your kitchen!

📌 Why You'll Love this Opera Cake

• It's an authentic opera cake recipe that is true to the traditional style.
• The cake is rich and decadent but not too heavy. 
• It's not overly sweet.
• It's packed with pure aromas: The flavors of coffee, chocolate, almond, and cognac spread in your mouth.

Today, I'm sharing how to make my all-time favorite cake: A classic opera cake. 

​If you know opera cake, or even considering making one, you must be a foodie! It is not a common dessert people make at home but is often sold at French pastry shops.

I'll be honest with you upfront - It is not a quick & easy cake. But it ultimately pays off in the end - The delicate layers of rich chocolate ganache, smooth coffee buttercream, and soft Joconde sponge cake soaked in plenty of coffee liquids slowly melt in your mouth leaving the amazing rich aromas. 

And the feeling of accomplishment!!! - It is a great cake to practice many pastry techniques, such as how to use a spatula and control the temperatures of chocolate. Don’t worry about getting messy or making mistakes. You'll get better each time you make it! 100%.

Let's get started! 💪🏻

📌 What is Opera Cake?

Opera cake is a classic French cake, composed of thin layers of almond sponge cake soaked in coffee syrup, chocolate ganache, and coffee buttercream, and finished with a thin layer of chocolate glaze on top. The decadent coffee chocolate cake is packed with rich flavors. It's called "A king of chocolate cake" for a reason. 

Why is it called an opera cake? 

It drives from the levels of a Paris opera house since the look resembles the layers of this cake. Now, it is known as one of the most popular traditional French cakes!

📌 Ingredients to Make Opera Cake

Biscuit Joconde (Joconde Sponge Cake)

• Powdered Sugar (icing sugar): It dissolves quickly in liquids. 
• Almond flour: It gives this sponge a rich and moist texture.
• Whole eggs: It does the primary role of letting the cake rise in the oven to create a soft sponge texture. 
• All-purpose flour: It helps to sustain the body. A small amount is added to make a tender sponge.
• Butter (melted): It adds richness to the texture. 
• Egg white: Ensure no oil and liquids are mixed in egg whites and tools so the meringue whips well.
• Granulated sugar: It helps to stabilize the meringue. Sugar is essential to create a moist texture.

Coffee Syrup

• Ground coffee: I like to use dark-roasted coffee. 
• Water: We are making strong coffee with ground coffee and water. You can also add espresso powder or instant coffee to make it richer.
• Granulated sugar
• Cognac: Cognac goes so well with chocolate desserts. I tried other alcohols, such as dark rum, but cognac works the best! I recommend adding it to enjoy the authentic opera cake taste, but you can also omit it if you or your guests can not take alcohol. Add more coffee instead in that case.

Chocolate to spread on the bottom layer of a sponge

• Dark chocolate
• Oil: It helps to thin out the glaze so that it spreads more easily. 

Coffee Buttercream

• Milk: Use whole-fat milk.
• Ground coffee
• Granulated sugar
• Egg yolks: Yolks add richness to the flavor. It also helps to thicken the anglaise sauce.
• Unsalted butter (soft): Ensure the butter is very soft; It whips well and blends easily with other ingredients. 

Ganache

• Dark chocolate (melted): I used 58% couverture chocolate. Use more or less bitter chocolate as you like - Just note that the ganache gets firmer when using chocolate with a higher cacao percentage. My personal recommendation is 50-60% range.
• Heavy cream: Use regular heavy cream. It does not work the same with milk or half-and-half.

Chocolate Glaze

• Dark chocolate (melted): I used 58% couverture chocolate. Use more or less bitter chocolate as you like 
• Oil: It helps to thin out the glaze so that it spreads more easily. Also, slicing the cake gets easier since the glaze is not too crunchy.

Chocolate to Draw on Top (Optional)

• Dark chocolate (melted): You can also use the extra chocolate glaze dropped on a sheet tray after pouring it on top of the cake.

📌 7 Processes to Make Opera Cake

1. Make Biscuit Joconde sponge cake.
2. Spread a thin layer of chocolate on the bottom layer of the sponge.
3. Make coffee syrup.
4. Make coffee buttercream.
5. Make chocolate ganache.
6. Assemble the cake and chill it in the fridge.
7. Spread chocolate glaze on top and slice it.

Now, let me share detailed instructions on each step to make Opera Cake successful at home!

📌 Step-by-step Instructions to Make Opera Cake

Biscuit Joconde 

1. Make one batch of my biscuit Joconde recipe. Follow the steps in the post to make it successful. Pour the batter into 2 rectangle sheet pans. (10.5 inches | 26.7 cm ✖︎ 15 inches | 38 cm.) You can also use one full-size sheet pan or 4 quarter sheet pans. Bake at 410ºF (210ºC) for 6 - 7 minutes until the surface looks golden brown. 
2. Take them out from the sheet pans and let them cool on a cooling rack. Cut each in half to make 4 layers of sponge cake. Set them aside.

Spread melted chocolate on the bottom layer

1. Mix melted chocolate and oil and spread it thinly over the baked side of one of the sponge layers. 
2. Chill it in the fridge until it's set. Cut a cake board into the cake size and place the sponge cake layer on the top (chocolate side facing down). The board helps to move the cake easily, especially when pouring the chocolate glaze on top at the very end.

Coffee Syrup

1. Heat water and sugar in a small saucepan until it starts simmering.
2. Remove from the heat and add ground coffee. Mix and place a lid on top to let it steam for 10 – 15 minutes.
3. Strain it and discard the ground coffee. 
4. Add cognac and mix.

Mocha Buttercream

1. Heat the milk in a small saucepan until it starts simmering. 
2. Stop the heat and add ground coffee. Place a lid and let it steam for 10 - 15 minutes, just like how we did with the coffee syrup.

3. Meanwhile, mix egg yolks and sugar in a bowl until it looks pale in color.
4. Pour the strained coffee liquid into the yolk mixture as you mix.  

5. Pour it back into a saucepan and continue heating it gently at low heat until it starts getting thickened a bit.
6. Strain it in a bowl and let it cool to room temperature.

7. Whip soft butter until it gets very fluffy.
8. Add about ⅓ of the coffee sauce and whip. Add the rest of the sauce and continue whipping it until it looks fluffy.

Ganache

1. Melt the chocolate. Heat the heavy cream until it feels slightly warm so it blends more easily.
2. Add ¼ of heavy cream and mix until smooth. 
3. Once it looks even, repeat the process until you add all the heavy cream. I divided it into 4 times this time.

Assembling the opera cake

This cake is made with:

• 4 layers of Joconde sponge cake soaked in coffee syrup
• 2 layers of chocolate ganache
• 2 layers of coffee buttercream

Follow the 8 steps:

1. Apply ¼ of the coffee syrup on the first sponge layer with a pastry brush.
2. Spread half of the chocolate ganache with an offset spatula.
3. Place the 2nd sponge cake on top (the baked side facing down) and apply the coffee syrup.
4. Spread half of the coffee buttercream.
5. Place the 3rd sponge cake and apply the coffee syrup.
6. Spread the remaining ganache.
7. Place the 4th sponge cake layer and apply the remaining coffee syrup.
8. Spread the rest of the buttercream.

Chill the cake in the fridge.

Chill it in the fridge after assembling it until the ganache and buttercream are set completely for at least one hour.

I recommend waiting overnight if you have time so the coffee syrup spreads more evenly throughout the sponge cake. Wrap the surface with plastic wrap when chilling it overnight.

Chocolate Glaze

​Preparation:

Set a wire rack on a baking sheet pan with plastic wrap on top. We are placing the cake on the rack and pour the glaze. 

1. Melt the chocolate and add oil. Mix gently to prevent it from containing a lot of air bubbles. 
2. Pour it on a cake right when it feels slightly warm. The cake should be removed from the fridge right before pouring it.
3. Immediately spread it thinly with an offset spatula, moving it back and forth a few times. Check out the video tutorial to see the movement. Do it quickly before the chocolate starts getting hard. 

This is a very nervous point. Cry-max of the show! (I feel nervous every time I do it.) Moving quickly is the key. 🕺🏻

Drawing on top (optional)

As an option, draw "Opera cake" on top of the cake with melted chocolate or the extra chocolate glaze that fell on a sheet tray. 

📌 How to Slice Opera Cake

1. Dip a sharp knife in the hot water. (or heat a knife with a torch)
2. Wipe it with a towel or paper.
3. Hold it straight and slide it down. 
4. Pull it off when it goes all the way down. 
5. Wipe a knife and repeat the process.

You can slice it into rectangles, squares... any shapes and sizes you like!

Now, enjoy!!! Bon-Appetit. ☕️ 

I recommend leaving the cake for about 10 minutes or more at room temperature after slicing it. The chocolate ganache and coffee cream get softer and melt more in your mouth.

📌 Frequently Asked Questions

How should I store an opera cake? 

Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days in the fridge. I recommend eating within 1 - 2 days for the best taste!

My coffee buttercream looks separated. Why? 

Check the possible causes below:

• The butter or coffee anglaise sauce was cold: You shouldn't feel anything when you touch it. The butter separates a lot easier when one of them is cold.
• The butter was partially melted.
• The anglaise sauce was not heated enough: When the yolk is not heated enough, the sauce gets thinner and the buttercream separates more easily when the liquid is thinner. 
• The butter was not whipped enough before adding the coffee sauce: The buttercream doesn't separate easily when the butter contains A LOT of air.

What does "biscuit" mean? 

In sponge-making, the word "Biscuit" describes how to make a sponge: Whipping egg yolk and egg white separately. We often call it "the biscuit method." (Sometimes, we don't whip the yolks, or use whole eggs instead of the yolks, etc. There can be slight differences like that on each recipe.) With the "Genoise method," on the contrary, whole eggs are whipped together to make a sponge.

What is biscuit Joconde? 

It is an almond sponge cake made from almond & egg batter and meringue. It's tender, slightly chewy, and moist - It's often baked thinly to enjoy the texture. The most well-known cake using this sponge is Opera cake.

📌 More Classic French Dessert Recipes

If you loved this Opera cake recipe, also try other French dessert recipes!

• Eclairs
• Cream Puffs
• Crepes
• Vanilla Madeleines
• Lemon Madeleines

📌 VIDEO: Watch How To Make It!

Watch this video tutorial to learn how to make the Opera cake more in detail, getting a deeper understanding of each process!

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📌 Printable Recipe

💬 If you loved this Opera cake recipe, please share your feedback on this post! I always love to hear how you enjoyed it with your friends and family. 

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