Classic Opéra

Name: Classic Opéra
Yield: Makes 16
Cuisine: French
Ingredients: edible gold leaf to decorate; 25 ml (1 fl oz) cognac; 150 g (5½ oz) Simple Syrup; 1 quantity of Dark Chocolate Ganache Glaze; 300 g (10½ oz) tempered dark (bittersweet) chocolate, used to make Patterned Squares and Curls; 150 ml (¼ pint/⅔ cup) filtered coffee cooled

Preparation info

Makes
16

Difficulty
Easy

Appears in

Patisserie

By William Curley and Suzue Curley

Published 2014

About

There are many conflicting stories as to who originally created this French classic. The best known version is that it was created by Cyriague Gavillon who was chef pâtissier at Dalloyau in Paris in 1955. The cake was called ‘Opéra’ by his wife Andreé in honour of a prima ballerina at the Paris Opéra.

Ingredients

300 g (10½ oz) tempered dark (bittersweet) chocolate, used to make Patterned Squares and

Europe
France
Cake
Mediterranean
Vegetarian

Method

First, prepare the decorations, sponge, syrup, Crème au Beurre & ganache

Temper the chocolate, make the decorations as instructed, then leave in a cool, dry place for 2 hours.
Preheat the oven to 200°C (400°F/Gas 6)