Opera cake explained
Opera cake (French: Gâteau opéra) is a French cake. It is made with layers of almond sponge cake (known as French: [[Sponge cake#Joconde cake|Joconde]] in French) soaked in coffee syrup, layered with ganache and coffee (or Grand Marnier) French buttercream, and covered in a chocolate glaze. Its name originates from its layers resembling the levels of an opera house.
According to French: [[Larousse Gastronomique]], "French: Opéra gâteau is an elaborate almond sponge cake with a coffee and chocolate filling and icing."[1] Traditionally, the word Opera is also written on top of the chocolate glaze. Edible gold leaf is sometimes added to the presentation.[2]
Origin
An advertisement in Le Gaulois in 1899 offers a "French: gâteau opéra".[3]
The cake was popularized by the French French: pâtisserie house Dalloyau, but its origin is unclear. Cyriaque Gavillon claimed to have created the cake there in 1955[4] [5] [6] and that his wife Andrée Gavillon named it after the Opéra Garnier.[5]
Gaston Lenôtre (1920–2009) claimed he invented the dessert in 1960.[7]
See also
Notes and References
- French: [[Larousse Gastronomique]]
- Web site: Greenspan . Dorie . Opera Cake . 24 October 2021 . . en . 17 October 2022 . https://web.archive.org/web/20221017092939/https://www.splendidtable.org/story/2002/12/07/opera-cake . dead .
- News: Pâtisserie du Grand-Hôtel, 1 rue Auber. Spécialités : Gâteau Grand-Hôtel, Gâteau Opéra, Plum-cakes. Salon reservé au Five-Oclock Tea . . 18 March 1899 . 3 .
- Book: Grand Larousse Gastronomique . Larousse . 2007 .
- Web site: L'Opéra . . fr . 9 April 2016 . [The Opera cake. The famous cake, consisting of three sheets of joconde biscuit, topped with butter cream coffee and chocolate ganache, is an invention of Cyriaque Gavillon, the grandfather of Christelle Bernardé, current co-chair of Dalloyau. The story goes that the pudding was named in homage to the capers of a star dancer and her young rats who came to tea is the talk of the Rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré boutique.] .
- News: Dalloyau au Moulin-Rouge, la fête des sens — Des petits rats de l’Opéra aux Doriss girls . Dalloyau at the Moulin Rouge, a festival of the senses — From little rats of the Opéra to the Doriss girls . MC de La Roche . . 4 March 2012 . 8 April 2016 .
- News: Jean-Claude Ribaut . Gaston Lenôtre . . 10 January 2009 . 21 . French: Gaston Lenôtre avait revendiqué l’invention du gâteau « opéra » (biscuit et ganache au chocolat parfumé au café). Rendons à César... Le père de l’« opéra » est Cyriaque Gavillon de la maison Dalloyau. [{{lang|fr|Gaston Lenôtre}} has laid claim to the invention of the 'opera' cake (biscuit and ganache flavoured with chocolate coffee). Render unto Caesar ... The father of the 'opera' is Cyriaque Gavillon of maison Dalloyau. ] .
