Opera Cake Easy Authentic Recipe

Craving more elegant desserts? Try my petit fours, chocolate creme brulee, pot de creme, and brownie cheesecake next. With a name like ‘opera cake,’ you might think this would be too sophisticated for your everyday dessert, but that couldn’t be farther from the truth. Made with six layers of pillowy almond sponge cake, French buttercream, and chocolate ganache, you’d be amazed at just how easy (and fun!) it is to make.

Why I love this recipe

Deceptively simple to make. Yes, there are multiple steps to making this cake, but each is quite simple. If I can make it, you can make it! The perfect texture. The almond sponge is pillowy soft and infused with coffee syrup, and the tangy coffee buttercream MELTS in your mouth. A real showstopper. Jaws will drop when you bring out this gorgeous layered cake–I promise! Convenient. I’ve made this cake a week in advance, and it still has the perfect crumb and fresh coffee flavor.

Ingredients needed

For the almond sponge cake: Hailing from France, an opera cake consists of six layers, including an almond sponge cake (also known as a joconde sponge) with layers of chocolate ganache and coffee buttercream. With a flavor similar to tiramisu, what sets this apart is the strong coffee (as opposed to espresso) and chocolate flavor.

Almond flour. Essential for the sponge cake. I highly suggest blanched almond flour to keep the cake light and airy. All-purpose flour. To mix with almond flour and give the cake sturdiness. Sugar. I used both confectioners’ sugar and granulated sugar. Butter. Melted. Large eggs and egg whites. Whole eggs for the flour mixture and egg whites for meringue. Salt. Just a pinch.

Coffee buttercream:

Espresso powder. For a concentrated coffee flavor. Milk. To dilute the espresso powder. Unsalted butter. Softened to room temperature. Sugar. I used regular white sugar. Vanilla extract. To create a richer flavor.

Coffee syrup:

Instant coffee. Definitely use instant coffee and NOT regular ground coffee, as instant makes for easy mixing. Use decaffeinated coffee if needed. Cointreau liquor. I used an orange-flavored liquor for this syrup. Rum and brandy would work well too. Feel free to omit this to make it alcohol-free. Water and sugar. For the base of the sugar syrup.

Chocolate ganache:

Chocolate. I used semi-sweet chocolate to balance out the sweetness of the cake layers. Whipping cream. For creaminess and texture. Regular heavy cream also works.

Chocolate glaze:

Chocolate. I used dark chocolate. Vegetable oil. Coconut oil or cocoa butter also works.

How to make opera cake

I’ve included step-by-step photos below to make this recipe easy to follow at home. For the full printable recipe instructions and ingredient quantities, scroll to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

Arman’s recipe tips

Get all of your ingredients ready. Think of this as your ‘mise en place,’ and have everything portioned and ready to go. Don’t overmix. Texture is a huge component of this cake recipe. If you overmix the cake, it’ll become dense and crumbly, and if you overmix the buttercream, it’ll become thick and buttery. Weigh out the frosting and ganache. The beauty of this cake is in the layers, so I like to divide the buttercream and ganache into equal parts to make absolutely certain the cake is even. Accidentally over-mix the egg whites? I do this all the time! Just add an extra egg white and mix lightly until it’s smooth again.

Storage instructions

To store: Store leftover cake in an airtight container in the refrigerator for up to one week. To freeze: Wrap leftover cake slices in plastic wrap, store them in a freezer-safe container, and freeze them for up to three months.