JOCONDE DE COCOA / OPERA CAKE

This classic and elegant French Chocolate Cake or Opera Cake is a work in four acts. There are one layer of almond cake, each soaked in a potent coffee syrup,, one layer flourless chocolate sponge cake and a layer of bittersweet chocolate buttercream and a topping of cocoa powder. Traditionally, the cake is decorated with its name written in glaze across the top and finished with a piece of shimmering gold leaf. It was worth it, because the cake tasted super delicious. 

The flavor combination is absolutely delicious. The layers of different colors make it so pretty to look at. The cake took a long time to make, but I think it's worth it! Give it a try.

The  Yellow Sponge Cake

280 g - whole eggs

210 g - icing sugar

210 g - ground almond

  60 g  - cake flour

190 g - egg white

  35 g - caster sugar

  35 g - melted butter

1. Whisk egg, icing sugar, ground almond till fluffy then add in flour and mix
2. Whisk egg white and sugar till light soft peak then fold into flour mixture

1. Then get some mixture to fold into melted butter
2. Then slowly fold into reminder mixture
3. Bake at 220 C for 8 minutes.

Flourless Chocolate Sponge

240 g egg yolk

100 g caster sugar

425 g egg white

350 g caster sugar

120 g cocoa powder

Whisk egg yolk and sugar till fluffy

Whisk egg white and sugar till soft peak

Fold egg yolk into egg white until well mixed

Then fold in cocoa powder and mix well

Bake at 180 C for 18 - 20 minutes

Coffee Syrup

140 g - warm water

  10 g -  instant coffee powder ( I used nescafe)

    2 g  - gelatine

140 ml -  sugar syrup

 15 ml  - water

Dissolved gelatine with water then dissolved nescafe with warm water and mix together. Then pour in sugar syrup set a side

Sugar Syrup

65 g water

75 g caster sugar

Boil at low heat for 3 minutes

Chocolate Cream

250 g dairy UHT whip cream

100 g egg yolk

    5 g gelatine powder

  30 g water

130 g dark chocolate melted

250 g Rich's chowhip cream

Boil dairy cream to 60 C then pour into eggyolk  and again boil at 80 C

Gradually pour in dissolved gelatine

Pour in melted dark chocolate

Finally mix in whipped chocolate cream

To assemble the cake: 

Line a baking sheet with parchment or wax paper.  Place almond cake on the parchment and moisten the layer with coffee syrup. Spread about three-quarters of the coffee buttercream evenly over the cake. (If the chocolate cream is soft, put the cake in the freezer for about 10 minutes before proceeding.)  Spread the chocolate cream over the surface, top with the chocolate sponge cake, moisten, then chill the cake in the freezer for about 10 minutes. Cover the top of the cake with a thin layer of coffee chocolate cream. (This is to smooth the top and ready it for the glaze - so go easy.) Refrigerate the cake for at least 1 hour or for up to 6 hours; it should be cold when you pour over the glaze. If you're in a hurry, pop the cake into the freezer for about 20 minutes, then continue.

At serving time, sieve coao powder and carefully trim the sides of the cake so the layers revealed.

Keeping: Each element of the cake can be made ahead, as can the assembled cake. The cake can be kept in the refrigerator, away from foods with strong odors, for 1 day, or you can freeze the cake, wrap it airtight once it is frozen, and keep it frozen for 1 month; defrost, still wrapped, overnight in the refrigerator.

Kek yang popular di Perancis, dan tidak sah jika anda ke Perancis tanpa mencuba kek ini. Menarik tentang kek ini...ia seperti kek lapis, lapisan pertama ada kek sponge badam, dilapiskan dengan kek cocolate sponge tanpa tepung...yang disapukan dengan sirap kopi dan cokolat krim dan diakhiri di atas nya dengan ganache. Untuk kek ini saya tidak membuat ganachenya tetapi cuma menggunakkan cokolat krim yang di tapis dengan serbuk koko. Membuatnya memang renyah tetapi masyallah sungguh sedap. Jonde de Cocoa ini juga dikenali sebagai Kek Opera. Anda dapat meraskan kombinasi rasa, kopi, badam dan cokolat..hemmmmm.

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