We are building a house. Or planning to. I am NOT daunted about all the intrinsic details that go along with it. In fact I am looking forward to the whole gamut of the game; choosing the tiles and colours, selecting the packages, budgeting the essentials, weeding out the wants and sticking it out with the needs. Our weekends for a month now have been spent meeting with the land and house developers. Phew! I see our private coffer shrinking by the minute. We decided to make a change and its really about time: buy a new house, make the current house our investment property instead and really look after our future.
I am intimating this in the hope that the readers out there will also share our belief that saving and investing are good for THE future. My little boy says, Im too anal about these things. Just like I'm too anal about running our household. I asked him, Am I a perfectionist? My little boy then affirmed, with a big resounding YES! Lol. I beg to differ though. Perhaps it goes with age. I always get "3" on Enneagram test; 3 is the Achiever, not the Perfectionist, in the same breath that I'm defensive. Hahaha! Or I simply believe that you don't settle for less. Yes, I can be so process driven and can be extremely organised - as my boss would say much about me. And yes I thrive on work pressures. Be that as it may, my Legendary Mommy really taught me well, at the tender age of four (4) I already know how to tie my own shoe laces. Lol! And by 8 years old, I was already making sure my siblings get their lunch at school. I was trained to be this way, being the eldest child in the family.
So let me digress, building a house is costing us our European Holiday next year. Or may cost us the trip. It will be hideously expensive to do two things at the same time. But I wanna get to Paris and take our sweet time soaking in the culture, and experience the city, the Parisian way. There is a pletora of food to be had and far too many scenic spots to witness upon. I would also love to visit the United Kingdom again and spend time with my best friend who I haven't seen for 6 years, let alone see her two (2) darling little kids, as I am a godmother to both.
Will we ever get to Paris next year? I don't know. Maybe. But for now, this classic Opera Cake would do.
*Warning, this cake is not for the faith hearted, very rich and the making being process intensive. However, please endeavour as the final product is worth the pain and the love handle! :)
The opéra, named after the Paris Grand Opéra of the 1900s, comprises neat layers of sponge, buttercream and ganache, all enticingly flavoured with coffee.
Makes 12 ( Mine actually yielded 16 pieces)
Ingredients
8 tablespoons ready-made coffee
Almond cake
120 g egg whites (about 4 egg whites)
80 g caster sugar
4 eggs
130 g ground almonds
75 g icing sugar
40 g plain flour
5 tablespoons instant coffee granules
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled
Ganache
300 ml whipping cream
3 pinches of salt
500 g dark chocolate (70% cocoa), chopped
100 g milk chocolate, chopped
3 tablespoons unsalted butter
2 teaspoons instant coffee granules
Coffee Italian meringue buttercream
250 g caster sugar
100 ml water
5 large egg whites
50 g caster sugar
500 g unsalted butter, softened and cubed
1 shot of espresso or 50 g instant coffee granules
Equipment
3 Swiss roll pans, lined with greaseproof paper
Sugar thermometer
20 x 30-cm rectangle frame
Start the recipe the day before you want to serve the cake. Preheat the oven to 190˚C (375˚F) Gas 5.
For the almond cake
Put the egg whites and sugar in a stand mixer or in a bowl using an electric whisk and whisk until stiff peaks form.
Whisk in the whole eggs. Gently fold in the ground almonds, icing sugar, flour and coffee granules using a large metal spoon. Finally, stir in the melted butter.
Spread the mixture thinly and evenly onto the prepared pans and bake in the preheated oven for 5–10 minutes. Flip each slab of cake onto a sheet of greaseproof paper dusted with a little semolina. Peel the baking paper off the top and allow the cakes to cool.
For the ganache
Put the cream in a saucepan and bring to the boil over low heat. Put the chocolates, salt and butter in a heatproof bowl and pour in the boiled cream. Using a spatula, start to mix the ingredients in a circular motion, just in the centre of the bowl. Keep mixing in a tight circle until the chocolate starts to melt and emulsify with the liquid. Gradually widen the circle to incorporate more of the mixture.
When you have reached the edge of the bowl, the chocolate should be entirely melted and all the ingredients should have emulsified and combined into a shiny, rich, velvety truffle ganache. If the ganache looks like it is splitting, add a dash of cold milk – that should bring it back. Finally, fold in the coffee granules and allow to cool slightly.
For the coffee Italian meringue buttercream
Put the 250 g sugar and the water in a saucepan and bring to the boil. Simmer over low heat until the syrup reaches 121˚C/250˚F on a sugar thermometer. Use a brush dipped in cold water to dislodge any sugar crystals on the side of the pan. This will stop the syrup from crystallizing.
Meanwhile, put the egg whites and the 50 g sugar in a stand mixer and begin whisking until stiff peaks form. You can use a heatproof bowl and an electric whisk but you may need a second person’s help when you come to pour the syrup in!
Once the syrup has reached the right temperature, slowly pour it in a steady stream into the meringue bowl with the beaters still running. Avoid letting the syrup touch the beaters otherwise you’ll get lumps of hardened sugar. Keep whisking until you have used up all the syrup and the meringue is glossy, thick and has cooled substantially – this may take several minutes of whisking. The bowl itself must have cooled too.
Now add the butter, a cube at a time, whisking well between each addition until the butter is used up and fully incorporated in the meringue. Finally, whisk in the coffee.
To assemble
Press the rectangle frame down on top of each cake slab in turn to cut out equal rectangles of cake. Leave the frame pressed into one cake and brush half the ready-made coffee over the cake within the frame.
Spread half the meringue buttercream over that and spread level with a spatula.
Freeze for 10 minutes to set, then spoon one-quarter of the ganache over the top of the buttercream and spread level.
Place a second cake slab on top. Top with the remaining coffee, meringue buttercream and one-quarter of the ganache as before and freeze for 30 minutes to set.
Place the last cake slab on the top and spread another quarter of the ganache over it. Freeze overnight, still in its frame, and reserve the last of the ganache.
The next day, warm the reserved ganache to liquify it. Gently ease the frame away from the layered opéra and cut it into 12 neat fingers using a hot, sharp knife.
Put the slices on a wire rack over a tray and pour the ganache over each one to enrobe it. Allow to set before serving.
recipe from 'Patisserie at Home by Will Torrent' (Ryland Peters & Small, £19.99)
