Opera Cake- A scrumptious French Dessert

I made an Opera Cake!!!! I was thinking of making this cake from many months and I thought our anniversary is a perfect occasion to bake this cake. This cake surprisingly came out perfect though this was a little time consuming. The delicious taste of coffee and chocolate make this opera cake recipe well worth the time investment. 

This cake has different layers of almond Joconde with buttercream and chocolate ganache which is topped with chocolate glaze. The effort you put into this showstopper is well worth the result. Authentic opera cake has opera piped on top of the cake but as this was our anniversary, I left it plain. This cake is a super hit among my family and friends and can be made in any occasion. This cake would be liked and loved by all. Here is the recipe, try this out and please let me know.

Ingredients:

For the Almond Cake:

1. Eggs White- 4
2. Sugar- 2 tbsp
3. Almond Flour- 2 cups
4. All Purpose Flour- 1/2 Cup
5. Sugar- 2 Cups
6. Whole Eggs- 3
7. Butter- 3 tbsp

Method for Almond Cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Beat the egg whites slightly and add the 2 tbsp sugar. Beat till they form creamy and holds stiff peaks.
3. In another bowl, beat the almond flour along with the whole eggs and confectioners sugar till they become creamy.
4. Add this into the above made egg mixture, gently fold and add the melted butter at last. Mix and pour this in a greased square baking pan and bake till done, for about 30 minutes or a skewer inserted comes out clean.

Coffee Syrup:

1. Instant Coffee Powder- 4 tbsp
2. Sugar- 3 tbsp
3. Water- 1/4 Cup

Method:

• Add the coffee to the boiling water and add sugar. Mix well to incorporate. Keep this aside.

Coffee Buttercream Frosting:

Ingredients:

1. Confectioners Sugar- 1 1/2 Cup
2. Butter- 2 sticks (1 cup)

Method:

• Beat the butter and sugar with a tbsp of coffee syrup. Beat till smooth, fluffy and well incorporated. Add little cream or milk if the buttercream is thick.

Chocolate Ganache:

1. Chocolate- 1 Cup
2. Cream- 1 Cup

• Heat the cream and pour this onto the chocolate chips. Keep this for 5 minutes and stir well to form ganache. Keep this refrigerated until lightly set.

Method for assembling the cake:

1. Cut the cake horizontally into 3 thin layers of cake using a floss thread.
2. Separate the layers. place the bottom layer on a cake board, soak the coffee syrup all over the cake using a brush, so that the cake layer absorbs the syrup well.
3. Spread the buttercream on top of the layer using a spatula, Place the second layer on top of the buttercream and soak it with coffee syrup, spread the chocolate ganache in a smooth layer.
4. Place the last layer of cake over the chocolate ganache, soak this layer with the remaining coffee syrup, spread a thin layer of  buttercream frosting properly . Even if it drips to the sides no need to worry.
5. Chill the cake till you make the chocolate glaze.
6. For Chocolate Glaze, melt 1/4 cup of butter and pour this into the remaining chocolate ganache. Mix well.
7. Take the cake out of the refrigerator and pour the chocolate glaze on top of the cake. Spread evenly and refrigerate again for 30 minutes.
8. After 30 minutes, take the cake out of the refrigerator, cut the side using a warm knife and enjoy a rich and delicious opera cake.

Barbecued Grilled Fish- Kerala Style

The thought of eating a grilled fish was lingering in our minds from the time we saw many youtube videos, in which they grill the whole fish, or wrapped in banana leaf and baked or in foil. This time we decided to cook as soon as we bought without keeping it in the freezer. Believe me it tasted heavenly!!!

The place where i came from (Kerala) is a place where fish is staple food and Kerala cuisine has a lot to offer to fish lovers. In this coastal state you will discover a variety of seafood delicacies. 

This grilled fish has all the flavors seeping through and once it gets cooked well, it's so juicy and bursting with flavors. Fish cooks very fast and it's preparation is less time consuming. We can do this using pieces of fish but I wanted to try the whole fish and here it is, in my blog. Try this out and let me know.

Ingredients:

Marination:

1. Red Snapper Fish- 1 Medium size
2. Red Chilli powder- 3 tbsp
3. Turmeric Powder- 1/2 tbsp
4. Ginger and Garlic Paste- 2 tbsp
5. Pepper Powder- 1/2 tbsp
6. Curry leaves- a bunch 
7. salt- as required
8. Lemon Juice- 1

Method:

1. Mix all the ingredients except curry leaves in a large mixing bowl and keep this aside.
2. Clean and wash the fish and make slight gashes on both sides of the fish.
3. Rub this marinade well onto the fish and make sure to coat inside of the fish properly. Keep this for about 15- 20 minutes.
4. Place an aluminum foil, spray oil and spread the curry leaves and place the marinated fish on top. Place lemon pieces on top and more curry leaves (optional) and seal the fish in the foil tight. We can seal with another foil paper on top, so that the fish doesn't get burned.
5. Pre heat the barbecue grill, place the fish and close it. Grill for 10-12 minutes using tongs until beautifully charred.
6. Enjoy with a splash of lemon, and vinaigrette onions.

PS: Fish cooks very fast, so always keep an eye on it while grilling.

You can use any fish and also the grilling time can vary accordingly.