By: Gabriella Castillo Tejada
The absolute perfect Valentine’s day dessert. Cute, sweet, and very strawberry this cake is the perfect gift for your special someone. Throughout the pandemic, I’ve been watching a lot of cafe vlogs, especially the ones from Nebokgom cafe in Seoul, Korea and from Cafe Bless roll also in Seoul, Korea. In one of those videos I saw a recipe of the strawberry opera cake but there were no steps I could follow for it, so instead of giving up I recreated the recipe! When freshly made it’s light and soft but I refrigerated it overnight so the Joconde sponge was a bit dense. Mine looks a bit different from the one from Nebokgom cafe but it sure tastes good!
INGREDIENTS
JACONDE SPONGE CAKE BASE
2 cup almond flour
1 2/4 cup powdered sugar
2/4 all purpose flour
6 eggs
2 egg yolk
6 egg whites
2/4 cup superfine sugar
4 tbsp butter; melted
FOR FILLING
⅓ cup Premium store bought strawberry jam
STRAWBERRY BUTTERCREAM
1 cup butter softened
4 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp vanilla extract
¼ cups strawberry jam
1-2 tbsp heavy cream if needed to make more spreadable
STRAWBERRY CHOCOLATE GLAZE
1 Hershey's strawberries and cream chocolate
1 tablespoon of vegetable oil
EQUIPMENT
17x11 jelly roll pans
Spatula
Offset spatula
Parchment paper
Stand mixer or hand mixer
STEPS
FOR JACONDE SPONGE
Preheat the oven to 450°F/ 232°C. On both 17x11 jelly roll pans, line with parchment paper and lightly spray with a cooking spray or use a silpat.
In a bowl beat the almond flour, all-purpose flour, powdered sugar, whole eggs and egg yolk until combined. Remember to scrape down the sides of the bowl.
In another bowl, whip the egg whites until they form stiff peaks. Slowly incorporate the fine sugar and continue to whip until it becomes a glossy meringue. Do NOT over whip! It will form a dry foam and will damage the Joconde sponge.
Fold the almond mix into meringue until well combined. Do not over mix because the batter will then deflate. Pour the Joconde batter into the lined pan and spread it evenly with an offset spatula. Tap the tin onto the counter to lose any air bubbles and place in the oven. Bake for 5-7 minutes until the middle of the cake springs back when pressed by the center.
Place cakes onto a wire rack and let cool. Cake should peel off easily from the parchment paper. Once cooled, cut the edges of the cake and set aside to cool completely.
FOR BUTTERCREAM
In a stand mixer whip the butter until the butter is nearly white in colour. Add in the powdered sugar, strawberry jam, and vanilla extract. If you want the buttercream to be slightly pinker add 1-2 drops of food colouring.
Beat the butter cream for 2 ½ minutes. Cover the bowl with cling wrap and refrigerate until needed. The buttercream might be a bit stiff so if needed add the tablespoon of heavy cream before spreading.
FOR SIMPLE SYRUP
Pour equal parts of sugar and water into a sauce pan and boil until all sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and set aside to cool.
FOR ASSEMBLY
Cut both the Joconde sponges in half, leave one half and set aside the rest. On your counter cover it with cling wrap so it doesn’t get messy. Place the sponge onto the cling wrap and spray some of the simple syrup until the sponge is moist. Spread half of the set aside strawberry jam evenly across the cake. Do not spread to the sides as the cake shows its layers on the outside.
Place another cake half on the base and make sure it's aligned. Again spray the simple syrup on the top part of the slice to make it moist. This time spread half of the strawberry buttercream evenly on top. Again make sure to not spread it along the sides.
Place the third cake half onto the base and make sure it’s aligned. Spread the rest of the strawberry jam evenly on this layer and don’t spread to the sides.
And for the final layer repeat step two but this time make the buttercream smooth at the top as the strawberry chocolate ganache will be poured directly on top. For best results use an offset spatula.
For the strawberry ganache, split the chocolate and place in the microwave for 2-3 minutes and make sure that the chocolate doesn’t burn. Once melted incorporate the tablespoon of vegetable oil and mix until the chocolate gets more liquid like. While still hot pour on top of the opera cake. For best results, pour into the middle and with an offset spatula or a regular spatula spread evenly on the top of the cake. Spread to all the edges of the cake but try not to let it drip onto the sides. Do work quickly as the chocolate will set quickly
Once the chocolate has hardened, cut off the edges and cut the cake like the diagram shown below.
7. Finally, you may wrap the opera cakes with cling wrap and store in the refrigerator or serve. Enjoy!
INSPIRATION:
For visual help (from 0:00-3;30)
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