It’s Daring Bakers time! It seems like it was just yesterday I typed the post about the Cheesecake Pops and here I am again, getting ready to type yet another DB post. Time flies!
This month’s challenge was introduced with great fanfare, which is only logical considering the musical name of the item to be baked. I had never heard of it but the description sounded scrumptious. Ladies and gentlemen, the Daring Bakers made a culinary trip to France and it’s Opera…cake that is.
Traditional Opera Cakes are made with three thin layers of almond cake, each soaked in coffee syrup; layers of espresso flavored buttercream; a layer of chocolate ganache; and a topping of chocolate glaze. For the challenge, the cake was kept light, as in with light colors and flavors. The chocolate was replaced with white chocolate and the syrup with a simple syrup. The ganache turned into a mousse.
Layers of nutty sponge cake, buttercream and mousse….what could sound better? Hardly anything if you ask me! Unfortunately, this was one instance where the anticipation and description far outdid the product. It may have just been my fault but I guess I’ll never know.
The original cake recipe called for an almond sponge called a joconde but I dislike almond taste so I used macadamias instead. That may have been my first mistake. The sponge was not at all spongy, it was rather dense and oily but tasted good. I flavored the white chocolate mousse and buttercream with limoncello and on their own, they both tasted great. So far so good. Then time for the white chocolate glaze and I truly believe that is what did my cake in. It was far too sweet and made the whole thing sickly sweet. Other Daring Bakers agree with this and some decided to change the glaze after hearing so many complaints about the sweetness of the original recipe. I don’t blame them.
Despite all that, I’m glad I participated in this challenge. The cake was hard work to put together and it’s not something I would have done on my own. It was a complicated French dessert and I’m glad I gave it a shot. This will definitely be the basis for other, hopefully better, Opera style cakes in my baking future.
For the full recipe, see the hostess’ blog Cream Puffs in Venice.
Renee
Your cake looks beautiful!! But, I must tell you – I adore your cake plate!!! Wonderful challenge!!
Sara
Yum, so gorgeous! What perfect slices! Looks really delicious!
glamah16
It looks so perfect and beautiful.A showpiece.
Shannon
Your Opera Cake looks beautiful. I bet the limoncello was delicious also.
Natashya
Wow, it looks perfect. And your cake plate… I want one! Where did you get it?
Dianne
Well it looks beautiful! 🙂
Clumbsy Cookie
That cake plate is THE cake plate! And the cake looks perfect!
Patti
Oh yes, that is pretty!
Virginia
your photos look great and the cake looks even better! I love your cake plate too!
Bumblebutton
Terrific job, and perfect slices! Nice work!
Lesley
Such perfection, it looks bakery-ready! Nicely done!
francijn
Ha, I like your cake plate 🙂 And the cake on it is a good job! Congratulations!
Nan
Beautiful cake, your cake plate is kind of hilariously kitschy! Love the straight perfect-ness of the angles.
maybelles parents
Lovely cake and plate.
Rachel
Perfect and very very neat layers….
Meeta
Oh June what a pretty looking cake June – this is so perfect!
Jyotsna
Your cake looks very exquisite!! The clean lines, the beautiful layers …. simply wonderful!!!
Lunch Buckets
Great googly moogly that’s a fine lookin’ cake. And that cake plate is perfect for it!
Sheltie Girl
You did a wonderful job on your cake. I love your cake plate…it’s very pretty.
Natalie @ Gluten a Go Go
marion - il en faut peu pour ...
you cake slices look so regular !!!! I’m very impressed by that agnificent cake 🙂 congratulations !
Candace
OH My Gah… Is that a fancy shoe cake plate???? Adorable!
The Opera looks perfect too!
Deborah
I thought it was too sweet as well. But it does look picture perfect!
Jaime
wow your layers look so perfect! cute cake stand too 🙂
Elle
Your Opera cake looks beautiful…and you did the mousse! The only reason that my macadamia nut jaconde wasn’t oily and heavy was that I made the flour by grinding the nuts by hand with a rotary chees grinder which made for a light flour…a food processor just makes nut butter. I suspect that there is a reason that this is usually chocolate, almond, and coffee flavored. A good bittersweet chocolate would cut some of the sweetness, right? LOVR your cake stand…so cute.
Aparna
That’s a beautiful cake, absolutely perfect layers. Looks very professional.
Dolores
I’m with Renee, Natashya, Cookie, Virginia and the gang… I covet your cake plate. I’m sorry the flavors in this one didn’t work out better for you, but the cake *and* the plate you served it on are gorgeous!
Rebecca
Lovely! Your layers came out so perfectly, and I’m loving that yellow. Good job!
Helen
Add me to the one loving your cake stands! You did a wonderful job with this challenge! Bravo!