French Opera cake — the classic dessert with coffee, chocolate and almond sponge

Ingredients (for 10–12 servings, 20×20 cm tin)

For the almond sponge (joconde):

• 200 g ground almonds
• 200 g icing sugar
• 5 eggs
• 60 g flour
• 40 g melted butter
• 4 egg whites
• 40 g sugar

For the coffee syrup:

• 150 ml water
• 100 g sugar
• 2 tablespoons strong espresso coffee

For the coffee buttercream:

• 200 g butter at room temperature
• 150 g sugar
• 80 ml water
• 2 egg yolks
• 3 tablespoons strong espresso coffee

For the chocolate ganache:

• 200 g dark chocolate (60–70% cocoa)
• 200 ml whipping cream

For the glaze:

• 150 g dark chocolate
• 30 g butter

Preparation steps

1. Prepare the joconde sponge: Heat the oven to 200°C. Beat the eggs with the icing sugar and ground almonds until the mixture is fluffy and pale. Add the flour and the melted butter. Separately beat the egg whites with the sugar until they form stiff meringue and fold them gently into the mixture. Bake in a tin lined with baking paper for 8–10 minutes, until golden. Leave to cool and cut into three equal layers.
2. Prepare the syrup: Boil the water with the sugar for 3–4 minutes, remove from the heat and add the coffee. Leave to cool.
3. Prepare the buttercream: Boil the water with the sugar to 118°C (thick syrup). Beat the egg yolks and pour in the hot syrup slowly while beating continuously, then keep beating until the mixture cools. Add the butter piece by piece and the coffee, beating until the cream is soft and glossy.
4. Prepare the ganache: Heat the cream until it just comes to the boil, pour it over the chopped chocolate and stir until completely melted. Leave to cool slightly.
5. Assemble the cake: Place the first sponge layer on the plate, brush with coffee syrup and spread half the buttercream. Place the second layer, brush with syrup and spread the ganache. Place the third layer, brush with syrup and cover with the rest of the buttercream. Chill in the fridge for 2 hours.
6. Glaze: Melt the chocolate with the butter in a bain-marie, pour it over the cake and spread it in a thin, smooth layer. Chill for another hour before cutting into neat squares.

Preparation time: 45 minutes | Cooking time: 25 minutes (+ 3 hours chilling) | Servings: 10–12

The Opera cake, known as gâteau opéra, is one of the most iconic desserts of French patisserie — created in Paris and famous for its thin, elegant layers. According to Wikipedia, its name comes from its resemblance to the stage of the Paris Opera.

Photo: Willis Lam / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 2.0)