Southern Style Cooking: Classic French Opera Cake

Saturday, May 14, 2022

Classic French Opera Cake

There is much debate as to who, exactly, invented the original opera cake recipe and where. Some culinary historians have set it as far back as the 1890s, while others put its creation at a Paris shop in the mid-20th century. Most opera cake enthusiasts agree that the best—to some, the only—place to buy opera cake is at Dalloyau, where it was named L'Opera in honor of the Paris Opera.

Whichever camp you fall into, the delicious taste of coffee and chocolate makes this opera cake recipe well worth the time investment. It includes a total of six layers made of light almond sponge cake (joconde in French), coffee buttercream, and dark chocolate ganache, all topped with a chocolate glaze.