L’Opéra

May 28 2008 at 12:00 am

The Daring Bakers Light Opera Cake Company

presents

L’Opéra, A Cake in Five Acts

__________

Composed by Louis Clichy

Original Libretto by Dorie Greenspan, Tish Boyle and Timothy Moriarty

Libretto Adaptation by Ivonne and Lis

Conducted and Directed by Susan

__________

This evening’s performance is dedicated to cancer survivor and honorary Daring Baker Barbara, creator of LiveSTRONG With A Taste of Yellow, in recognition of her inspiring strength and love of life. The performance is also dedicated to Susan’s dad, who died of pancreatic cancer in 2002, and among whose favorite things were opera and cake.

__________

Principal Singers

Sweets ……………….. White Chocolate
Sugar
Fats ……………….. Butter
Cream
Body ……………….. Almond Meal
Leavening ……………….. Eggs
Flavorings ……………….. Orange Extract
Lemon Zest
Vanilla Bean
Tuaca

__________

Synopsis

Act I: The Joconde. An almond sponge cake is baked in jelly roll pans and cut into three square layers.

Act II: The Syrup. A simple syrup of water, sugar, and Tuaca (an Italian vanilla and citrus liqueur) is brushed onto the joconde.

Act III: The Buttercream. Seeds from one vanilla bean, two teaspoons of orange extract, and one teaspoon of lemon zest flavor a very buttery buttercream that is sandwiched between the three syrup-soaked joconde layers.

Intermission: 30 minutes, during which the house is cooled to 38 degrees.

Act IV: The Ganache. White chocolate mousse spiked with Tuaca tops the final joconde layer.

Intermission: 3 hours at 38 degrees.

Act V: The Glaze. For the grand finale, warm white chocolate glaze is poured over the ganache. In the postlude, additional cooled glaze is piped decoratively on top to complete the cake.

__________

The Critics Are Talking…

“Delicious!” — S.

“I’m having another piece” – M.

“The white chocolate topping is too thick” – T.

“Really good” – L.

“Although a bit too much sweet-on-sweet for my taste, I enjoyed learning how to create each component and seeing them come together in an elegant cake. If I were going to make this again, I would: use less orange extract (it bordered on overpowering), use the traditional dark chocolate instead of white, and incorporate some fresh fruit between the layers. Thanks to Lis and Ivonne and their co-hosts Fran and Shea for this spectacular challenge! Check out the other Daring Bakers for their interpretations of this classic work.” – Susan

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Post a comment » 69 Comments

  1. zorra on May 28 2008 at 12:07 am:

    What a wonderful decoration. For me it was also a bit too sweet, even I skipped the syrup.

  2. rainbowbrown on May 28 2008 at 12:08 am:

    My, my. What a great piece. Entertaining and visually stunning. Lovely.

  3. Anne on May 28 2008 at 12:17 am:

    Beautiful – and I loved the post :)

  4. Baking Soda on May 28 2008 at 02:06 am:

    Sweet on sweet, nail on the head! Your decoration is stunning Susan, reallly wonderful

  5. Cakelaw on May 28 2008 at 02:55 am:

    Beautiful end result Susan – I love the piped swirls. And especially love your opera program style post.

  6. Mary on May 28 2008 at 03:19 am:

    What a terrific looking cake! So very elegant! And I love the idea of using an opera program.

  7. Aparna on May 28 2008 at 03:30 am:

    Absolutely lovely presentation. Both the cake and the post. And the chocolate swirls.

  8. Eileen on May 28 2008 at 03:46 am:

    Your Opera Cake is just lovely Susan! What a beautiful post.

  9. Tracy on May 28 2008 at 04:25 am:

    Bravo!

  10. Gretchen Noelle on May 28 2008 at 04:33 am:

    Oh my gosh, your post is great!!! Love the idea to complement a gorgeous gorgeous cake!!

  11. Nan on May 28 2008 at 04:35 am:

    Cute post! ;) I also felt that the cake had too much sweetness, but it definitely satisfies those cravings… Lovely job and gorgeous photos!

  12. foodie froggy on May 28 2008 at 04:39 am:

    I like the way you wrote your recipe and your cake is amazing !

  13. Caitlin on May 28 2008 at 04:41 am:

    I love how you presented this! Beautifully decorated cake too!

  14. barbara on May 28 2008 at 04:58 am:

    Wow a fabulous presentation of a beautiful, beautiful cake. Thank you for the dedication.

  15. Ulrike aka ostwestwind on May 28 2008 at 05:46 am:

    Your cake is fabulous!

  16. Y on May 28 2008 at 06:09 am:

    Bravo – a fine performance indeed! :D

  17. Dana McCauley on May 28 2008 at 06:18 am:

    Wonderful layout of the challenge and a really perfect looking cake, too. You have quite a talent for presentation!

  18. Dianne on May 28 2008 at 06:32 am:

    Your cake is beautiful. I would like to try it with dark chocolate as well.

  19. MyKitchenInHalfCups on May 28 2008 at 07:25 am:

    You take the cake Susan.
    Fabulous presentation! White on white – perfection!

  20. katy on May 28 2008 at 07:34 am:

    gorgeous, and your post is too adorable for words! but i think i like the sweet-on-sweet combo — although the sugar rush after two slices was a tiny bit uncomfortable! :-)

  21. Andrea on May 28 2008 at 07:39 am:

    Stunning! Bravo! I love the piped decorations on top!

  22. Tartelette on May 28 2008 at 07:41 am:

    I can always rely on you for a creative write up! Well done my friend! The Opera turned out gorgeous!

  23. mimi on May 28 2008 at 07:46 am:

    love your write-up!! and your opera cake is just beautiful and the flavor combos sound delish.

  24. Elle on May 28 2008 at 08:22 am:

    Stunning! I also love the post about it–very creative!

  25. Judy (Judy's Gross Eats) on May 28 2008 at 08:56 am:

    Great post presentation; great cake! Truly inspirational.

  26. Cheryl Harris on May 28 2008 at 09:16 am:

    gorgeous cake, and love the post.

  27. breadchick on May 28 2008 at 09:49 am:

    Susan, I love your cake and it is lovely but I love the programme feel of your post even more. As both a classical musician (in my ever so small spare time) and an opera lover, I wanted to sit down and devour the programme!

  28. rachel on May 28 2008 at 09:58 am:

    Elegance personified!!!

    Love the swirls…

  29. Aran on May 28 2008 at 10:01 am:

    Gorgeous and I loved the originality when writing the post! Too cool!

  30. pixie o on May 28 2008 at 10:11 am:

    Stunning cake! I similarly pieced my write-up in scenes and acts congratulations!

  31. Jeremy on May 28 2008 at 10:50 am:

    Susan,
    Very nice, but is white chocolate really chocolate? (provoking a conversation, as usual!)

    ; )

  32. Randi on May 28 2008 at 12:51 pm:

    Genius post! totally awesome :)

  33. Anita on May 28 2008 at 01:51 pm:

    Fab write-up! And your cake totally fits the bill – so elegant and classy!

  34. Shellyfish on May 28 2008 at 02:20 pm:

    Your entry is just beautiful. Creating our cakes already needs much creativity, it’s nice to see you extending that to your blog entry as well. Bravo!

  35. enza on May 28 2008 at 02:29 pm:

    wonderful as usual and same sensation of an exceeding sweetness.

  36. Katie B. on May 28 2008 at 02:30 pm:

    Beautiful presentation – and what a clever way to share it with us! Bravo!

  37. farida on May 28 2008 at 02:33 pm:

    Wow, wow, wow! I can say it million times! This is by far the cutest entry of Opera Cake I’ve seen so far! I love your presentation! And your principal singers are getting a standing ovation from me right now! How cute!!!!!! Can’t stop reading it from top to bottom:)

  38. Jerry on May 28 2008 at 02:53 pm:

    Wow! Beautiful!

  39. Michelle on May 28 2008 at 03:09 pm:

    Love…love…love your opera cake. It’s like a symphony in white! Just gorgeous!

  40. Kim on May 28 2008 at 03:24 pm:

    You have outdone yourself! I think the cake is absolutely fabulous and your Opera is splendid beyond words.
    Bravo! Bravo! with many standing ovations.

  41. Melissa L. on May 28 2008 at 03:38 pm:

    I loved your post! And the cake, well, its just stunning! I’m quite jealous :) Mine turned out looking like a marshmallow sandwich! :) Next time, right? Very, very well done, Susan!

  42. patsyk on May 28 2008 at 04:49 pm:

    I really enjoyed your post! So original! Your cake is also stunning! I hope to improve on my ability to decorate cakes as time goes on.

  43. Lori on May 28 2008 at 05:12 pm:

    Love, love love your post. That was genious! Your cake looks fabulous.

  44. maybelles mom on May 28 2008 at 05:47 pm:

    OH, i love your write up! very fun. And superbe job–tuaca is new to me, clearly I need to do more drinking Italian style…

  45. kellypea on May 28 2008 at 06:03 pm:

    Susan, this was marvelous. Really. Your creativity is amazing. And the cake is perfect — the swirls on the top so cute. Did I use up my quota of adjectives? I can keep going…

  46. Big Boys Oven on May 28 2008 at 06:04 pm:

    this is amazing as it sings! fantastic!

  47. maria~ on May 28 2008 at 06:25 pm:

    Can I pretty please have a slice? Maybe a sliver? :)

  48. HoneyB on May 28 2008 at 06:53 pm:

    An awesome and creative post – not to mention a beautiful cake!

  49. Samantha on May 28 2008 at 06:53 pm:

    Wow you’re soooo creative! What a good idea for your blog post! And a beautiful cake. :)

  50. giz on May 28 2008 at 07:09 pm:

    Your staging is awesome – your cake is awesome – it makes it that much more fun.

  51. judy serrao on May 28 2008 at 07:25 pm:

    WOW…amazing. Well done challenge.

  52. Elle on May 28 2008 at 08:16 pm:

    Fun post..an opera program is perfect. It is a super sweet and rich cake. Yours looks divine with all the white and the swirls on top. Maybe less orange next time, but it LOOKS great.

  53. CookiePie on May 28 2008 at 08:23 pm:

    WOW – your cake is GORGEOUS!! It was my first Daring Bakers challenge — seeing yours is an inspiration! I love the swirls. The citrus sounds luscious – I love the idea of combining it with dark chocolate too. Lovely!

  54. nek0 on May 29 2008 at 12:01 am:

    Your cake turned out wonderful!

    And I love the description of the making in acts ;)

  55. Jen on May 29 2008 at 12:13 am:

    Definitely smart to skip the syrup. It’s amazing, I admire you for many other reasons than your incredible cake! Great job!

  56. Rosa on May 29 2008 at 01:56 am:

    Very beautiful and elegant!

    Cheers,

    Rosa

  57. Amy B on May 29 2008 at 06:19 am:

    I love your whole presentation here! Such a beautiful cake & a worthy dedication to your dad – he would be proud.

    xoxox Amy

  58. Candace on May 29 2008 at 07:31 am:

    Lovely piping on top! Nice job!

  59. edamame on May 29 2008 at 08:20 am:

    I am interested in the food culture of your country. And I support your site. If there is time, please come in my site. From Japan
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  60. Madam Chow on May 29 2008 at 10:36 am:

    So much fun! Beautiful cake, but I love the thought and creativity that went into the post. Well done, or should I say, “Brava, Bravissima!”

  61. Kevin on May 29 2008 at 07:18 pm:

    Nicely decorated opera cake!! It looks great!

  62. Shari on May 30 2008 at 06:49 am:

    Bravo! Encore! Love the post – one of the best so far!
    Shari@Whisk: a food blog

  63. marion-il en faut peu pour ... on May 30 2008 at 06:56 am:

    it’s wonderful :) cake and article :) congratulations, everything is perfect !

  64. Lisa on May 30 2008 at 07:23 pm:

    Now that’s a stunning cake, Susan! Well done! And I love! love! LOVE! your post.. Bravo!

    xoxoxxo

  65. Jaime on May 30 2008 at 08:19 pm:

    wow, beautiful layers! love how you composed the post too ;)

  66. Dolores on May 31 2008 at 11:29 pm:

    Brilliant! Encore?

  67. Gabi on June 2 2008 at 09:02 am:

    I adore your post- very clever!!
    Your cake is divine – I love the white on white very elegant decoration! Just beautiful- Brava!!! Encore!!!

  68. Andreia Sousa on June 3 2008 at 09:07 am:

    Congratulations on your cake. It came out perfect! The post was very poetic, creative and inspiring.

  69. Fran Z on June 6 2008 at 07:03 pm:

    Susan, Lovely cake! Pretty decorating!

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