The decadent Opéra cake

The Opéra cake is a type of French cake that is rectangular shaped with visible layers, where with just one bite, one is able to taste the entire cake’s flavour and texture. It is created with three delicate layers of almond sponge cake, also known as Joconde in French, which is bathed in coffee syrup.  Then it is garnished with coffee buttercream and chocolate ganache while the top of the cake is coated in a dark chocolate glaze.

There are conflicting theories as to the origin of this cake.  Some say that the cake was originally created at the beginning of the 20th century by Louis Clichy, a famous pastry chef, who naturally named it ‘the Clichy’.  However, the Parisian pâtisserie house, Dalloyau, claims its chef, Cyriaque Gavillon, invented this cake in 1955.  It was his wife who who named it the ‘Opéra Gâteau’ or Opera Cake in tribute of a prima ballerina (a highly distinguished ballet dancer) in the Paris Opera, and so it is mostly known as the opera cake today.

Regardless of who was the first to invent the opera cake, it is certainly worth trying for those who want to indulge in a rich and decadent cake, especially with a cup of quality black coffee. When the flavour of the black coffee mixes with the chocolate, the rich aroma of the coffee and opera cake escalates in a stormy yet synergistic blend. The result is to die for!