Recipe Category: Cake
Ingredients
Recipe for: Opereta Mexicana
Serves 30
Almond Cakes
- ½ cup almond flour
- 1½ cups granulated sugar
- 1? cups cake flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ cup water
- ½ cup plus 3 tablespoons vegetable oil
- 4 egg yolks
- 7 egg whites
Chocolate Cake
- 1 cup cake flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably Dutch processed
- 6 eggs
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Crunchy Layer
- 3 cups hazelnut-chocolate spread like Nutella (you’ll need the large 26.5-ounce jar)
- 3 cups plain crispy rice cereal
Ganache
- 1½ cups heavy cream
- 12 ounces semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
- 2 tablespoons tequila (preferably reposado or anejo)
- buttercream
- ¾ cup unsalted butter (6 ounces), cut into pieces
- 3 cups confectioner’s sugar, sifted
- 1 teaspoon freshly ground canela
- 2 to 3 tablespoons heavy cream
Tequila Syrup
- 2 cups tequila (preferably reposado or anejo)
- ½ cup granulated sugar
Method
TO MAKE THE ALMOND CAKES
- Preheat the oven to 400°F
- Lightly grease 2 baking sheets and line with parchment paper
- Heavily butter the paper and dust with flour, tapping out the excess
- Whisk together the almond flour, ½ cup of the granulated sugar, the cake flour, and the baking powder in a bowl
- In a separate bowl, combine the water, oil, and egg yolks
- Beat the egg whites with a mixer on high speed until starting to thicken but not yet forming soft peaks, gradually add the remaining 1 cup sugar, and continue to beat until medium peaks form
- Add the flour mixture to the yolk mixture and blend well
- Fold in the egg whites
- Spread on the prepared baking sheets as evenly as possible with an offset spatula and bake until they spring back to the touch, 8 to 12 minutes
- Let cool
- Loosen the edges of one of the cakes with a paring knife
- Place a piece of parchment or wax paper on top and carefully but rapidly flip over
- Peel the parchment paper away carefully and flip over again
- Repeat with the second cake
TO MAKE THE CHOCOLATE CAKE, preheat the oven to 350°F
- Lightly grease a baking sheet and line with parchment paper
- Heavily butter the paper and dust with flour, tapping out the excess
- Whisk together the flour and cocoa powder in a bowl and then sift
- Combine the eggs and granulated sugar in a metal bowl and set over a pot of simmering water (the water shouldn’t touch the bowl); whisk until warm to the touch, 3 to 5 minutes
- Remove from the heat and continue beating (a stand mixer works best for this) until tripled in volume and a ribbon forms when you lift the beaters, 5 to 8 minutes
- In a separate bowl, combine the melted butter and vanilla and keep warm
- Place the bowl with the egg mixture on a kitchen towel to prevent it from sliding and add the cocoa mixture in thirds, alternating with the butter mixture, folding with a whisk or spatula until just combined
- Spread on the prepared baking sheet as evenly as possible with an offset spatula and bake until it springs back to the touch, 5 to 7 minutes
- Let cool
- Loosen the edges of the cake with a paring knife
- Place a piece of parchment or wax paper on top and carefully but rapidly flip over
- Peel the parchment paper away carefully and flip over again
- If you are making the opereta ahead of time, put each layer of cake between two pieces of parchment paper
- You can stack them on top of one another, but keep the layers on a tray so they are flat
- Wrap well in plastic wrap
TO MAKE THE CRUNCHY LAYER, open the Nutella jar, remove the aluminum cover, and close it again but not too tightly
- Fill a small pot halfway with water and bring to a simmer over low heat
- Place the jar in the water and heat until melted
- Pour the Nutella into a measuring cup to reach 3 cups
- Put the Nutella in a bowl, add the rice cereal, and stir until well combined
- Lightly grease the back of a baking sheet and line with parchment paper
- Pour the Nutella-covered cereal in the center, put another piece of parchment paper on top, and spread evenly to all edges with a rolling pin (enjoy any excess that may peek over the edges)
- Freeze until set, 30 to 40 minutes
TO MAKE THE GANACHE, scald the heavy cream in a saucepan over medium heat
- Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl and pour the heavy cream over; let stand for 3 minutes
- Whisk until smooth, then add the tequila
- If making ahead, let it come to room temperature or reheat it slightly in the microwave until it is a spreadable consistency
TO MAKE THE BUTTERCREAM, combine the butter and confectioner’s sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer with the whisk attachment
- Beat on medium-low speed until blended
- Increase the speed to medium and continue to beat, scraping the sides as necessary, for 3 minutes
- Add the canela and 2 tablespoons of the heavy cream and whip for 1 to 2 minutes longer
- Add the remaining 1 tablespoon heavy cream, if needed, to make a spreadable consistency
- If making ahead, let it come to room temperature or reheat it slightly in the microwave until it is a spreadable consistency
TO MAKE THE TEQUILA SYRUP, combine the tequila and granulated sugar in a small saucepan and cook over low heat, stirring, until the sugar has dissolved, being careful so that the tequila doesn’t catch fire (if it does, simply cover it immediately with a lid)
- If making ahead, reheat it on the stove or in a microwave before using
- To assemble the cake, turn a baking sheet upside down or use a cutting board as a cake stand
- Pour one-third of the warm tequila syrup over one of the almond cakes and let it soak in
- Spread with half of the warm ganache and allow to cool slightly (you can refrigerate it if you want to speed the process)
- Place another almond cake on top and moisten with another third of the syrup
- Let it soak in, and then spread with half of the buttercream
- Take the crunchy layer out of the freezer and carefully peel away the paper
- Flip it onto the cake and carefully peel away the remaining paper
- If you have a blowtorch, lightly warm the crunchy layer so the cake adheres to it (otherwise, you can rub your hands on top or be patient and wait)
- When the crunchy layer has softened, place the chocolate cake on top and moisten with the remaining one-third syrup
- Place a sheet of parchment or wax paper on top of the cake, place 2 full baking sheets on top, and weight with a couple of cutting boards (you want to press the layers together slightly, but not use too much weight or the cake will collapse)
- Refrigerate for at least 1 hour
- Remove from the refrigerator; remove the weights, pans, and parchment paper, place a baking sheet upside down on top; and carefully but rapidly flip over
- Spread with the remaining half of the buttercream and freeze until set, 10 to 15 minutes
- Warm the remaining half of the ganache in a water bath or the microwave and spread on top rapidly because it will harden
- Using a ruler, measure as many ½ by 3½-inch pieces as you can (you should have around 30 when you cut the edges so that all pieces are straight)
- Cut, dipping a sharp knife into very hot water and quickly drying with a towel between each slice (this will make nice clean edges)
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