Cuban Opera Cake Recipe! Using Amoretti Ingredients YUMMY!

CUBAN OPERA CAKE RECIPE
Ingredients

4 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped - good quality like Valrhona
2 cups all purpose flour
2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt - good french salt or kosher
2 cups (packed) golden brown sugar or dark mixture
1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
3 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract - Amoretti Crema di Vanilla #651 or #500 or #595 with specks 2 fold
4 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup crème de cacao
1/4 cup Amoretti Compound - Mocha Espresso #11
1 - 2 tablespoon Cake Batter Compound Amoretti #3059

Butter Cream
Ingredients

8 ounces imported dark chocolate, chopped - quality
1/2 cup sugar
4 large egg yolks
2 tablespoons water
2 tablespoons light corn syrup
3/4 cup (1 1/2 sticks) unsalted butter, room temp
A bit of Amoretti Vanilla see above options
1 teaspoon cinnamon oil extract - Amoretti - powerful stuff #590 - taste

Mocha Espresso Mousse
Ingredients

1/2 cup half and half
4 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoon Amoretti Mocha Espresso Compound #11
4 large egg yolks
1 teaspoon unflavored gelatin softened in 1 tablespoon water 10 minutes
1 cup chilled whipping cream - not half and half
1 teaspoon vanilla extract - Amoretti - see above options
1 tablespoon of Caramel Compound - Amoretti - to taste #318

Chocolate Glaze
Ingredients

1 1/2 cups sugar
1 cup water
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
12 ounces bittersweet (not unsweetened) or semisweet chocolate, chopped - good quality like guittard
1 pat of unsalted butter for texture/shine
1 teaspoon or to taste Cinnamon Oil Extract Amoretti #590
Decorate Cake with Edible Gold Dusted Cinnamon Sticks

Chocolate Mocha Simple Syrup
Ingredients

1 cup water
1/2 cup sugar
2 Tablespoons Chocolate Mocha Amoretti compound #357 - generous tablespoons

For Cake: NOTE: review when extracts/compounds are added some flavors
towards end are added. Also compounds you can go a bit towards to
taste, but extracts are very concentrated.

Preheat oven to 325°F. Butter two 9-inch-diameter cake pans with 2-inch-high sides;
line bottoms with parchment paper rounds. Dust pans with flour; tap out
excess. Melt chocolate in top of double boiler over simmering water,
stirring until melted and smooth. Remove from over water. Cool to
lukewarm. Whisk flour, baking soda, and salt in medium bowl. Using
electric mixer, beat sugar, butter, and vanilla and other
compounds/extracts in large bowl to blend. Add eggs 1 at a time,
beating well after each addition and stopping occasionally to scrape
down sides of bowl. Gradually beat in lukewarm melted chocolate. Beat
in dry ingredients in 3 additions alternately with sour cream (drain
firs to reduce water content) in 2 additions, beginning and ending with
dry ingredients. Gradually beat in crème de cacao and mocha compound.
Divide batter evenly between prepared pans; smooth tops. Taste batter
and adjust accordingly to your flavor profile you are trying to reach.
Spice? Less Spice? More Sweet?

Bake cakes until toothpick inserted into centers comes out clean, about 35 minutes. Cool cakes in
pans on racks 10 minutes. Invert cakes onto 9-inch cardboard rounds or
removable tart pan bottoms; cool cakes completely on racks.

For Simple Syrup: in pot put in water and sugar and dissolve sugar with low
to med heat. Once dissolved lower heat and add compound. Taste and
adjust compound addition accordingly. Let cool and use pastry brush to
brush on each round of cake as added to cake structure top side is
sufficent and poke some holes or run knife across in few spots in cake
for absorbsion. Keeps moist cakes and adds more flavor dimension.

For Butter Cream: not a bad idea to use Oil Soluble Extracts or Compounds for working with a high fat application.

Melt dark chocolate in top of double boiler over simmering water, stirring
until smooth. Remove from over water. Whisk sugar, egg yolks, 2
tablespoons water, extracts/compounds and corn syrup in medium metal
bowl to blend. Add 1/4 cup butter. Set bowl over saucepan of simmering
water; whisk constantly until mixture reaches 170°F, about 4 minutes.
Remove bowl from over water. Using electric mixer, beat until
completely cool and thick, about 6 minutes. Gradually beat in 1/2 cup
butter, about 1 tablespoon at a time, fully incorporating each addition
and stopping occasionally to scrape down sides of bowl. Beat in
lukewarm melted chocolate.

For Coffee Mousse:

Bring half and half, 2 tablespoons sugar, and Amoretti Compound to simmer in small
saucepan over medium-high heat. Whisk egg yolks and remaining 2
tablespoons sugar in medium bowl to blend. Gradually whisk hot half and
half mixture into yolk mixture. Return mixture to saucepan and stir
constantly over medium heat until thermometer registers 160°F, about 2
minutes. Pour into large bowl. Add softened gelatin; stir until
dissolved. Using electric mixer, beat until cool, about 10 minutes.
Using clean dry beaters, beat cream and vanilla and extracts/compounds
in medium bowl until stiff peaks form. Fold whipped cream into coffee
mixture.

Cut each cake layer horizontally in half and be sure to trim top make even and save scaps for use later see tip below. Place 1
cake layer in bottom of 9-inch-diameter spring form pan and with pastry
brush cover entire cake with simple syrup and continue with each layer
of cake. Cover with 3/4 cup butter cream. Place second cake layer atop
butter cream; cover with mousse. Top with third cake layer. Refrigerate
1 hour to allow mousse to set. Spread 3/4 cup butter cream over third
cake layer. Top with fourth cake layer (cake will rise above rim of
pan). Cover and refrigerate at least 4 hours or overnight.

For Chocolate Glaze:

Stir sugar and 1 cup water in medium saucepan over medium heat until sugar
dissolves. Increase heat to high; bring to boil. Whisk in cocoa; remove
from heat. Add chocolate; add butter, whisk until smooth. You can add a
bit of Cinnamon Oil Extract if you really like it a bit spicy. Let
stand until cool but still pourable, about 2 hours.

Run knife around pan sides to loosen cake. Release pan sides. Scrape excess
mousse from sides of cake. Transfer cake on spring form pan bottom to
rack set over baking sheet. Pour glaze over cake, allowing glaze to
drip down edges onto baking sheet (use spatula to spread glaze over any
uncovered spots). Refrigerate at least 2 hours to allow glaze to set.
(Can be made 1 day ahead. Keep refrigerated. Let stand at room
temperature 1 hour before serving.)

You can also decorate with Edible Gold Leaf it looks amazing or Cinnamon Sticks powdered with
Edible Gold Dust. Of course you can write L'Opera on top in fancy
writing!

This is also a cake that you can replace the topping of Chocolate Glaze to the Chocolate Butter Cream and cover cake with
fondant and decorations. The glaze would have to much moisture to add
fondant too and the fondant would not stay on your cake.

Makes 12 servings. ENJOY! Thank you!