Opera Cake
 
Prep time
Bake time
Total time
 
Since I use Earth Balance Vegan Butter which is salted, I always leave the salt out of my recipes. If you are using an unsalted vegan butter you can add ¼ tsp salt to the cake recipe
If you do not want to make the Aquafaba Buttercream, you can choose your favorite one here, they all work interchangeably
Serves: serves 12-16 people
Ingredients
  • For the Cake:
  • Hazelnut Flour 1½ cup (145g)
  • All Purpose Flour ¾ cup (94g)
  • Confectioner's Sugar 1 cup (120g)
  • Follow Your Heart Vegan Egg 4 Tablespoons (32g)
  • Cold Water ⅓ cup (80ml)
  • EnerG Egg replacer 2 teaspoons
  • Flax Meal 3 Tablespoons (24g)
  • Warm Water 6 Tablespoons (90ml)
  • Baking Powder 4 teaspoons (20g)
  • Vegan Butter 6 Tablespoons (85g)
  • Granulated Sugar 6 Tablespoons (85g)
  • Vanilla Extract 1 Tablespoon (15ml)
  • ½ Recipe Aquafaba Buttercream
  • Instant Coffee Granules 3 teaspoons
  • Hot water 1 Tablespoon (15ml)
  • Cocoa Powder ½ cup
  • For the Ganache:
  • Semi Sweet Vegan Chocolate 4 ounces
  • Soy Milk ¼ cup (60ml)
Instructions
  1. For the cake:
  2. Sift the flour, confectioner's sugar, baking powder and EnerG egg replacer together and then add the hazelnut flour.
  3. Combine the vegan egg with the cold water, whisk smooth then add the vanilla extract
  4. Combine the warm water with the flax meal and whisk smooth
  5. Cream the vegan butter with the sugar on medium to high speed for about 3 minutes until fluffy
  6. Add the vegan egg mixture and whip on high speed for another 30 seconds
  7. Add the flax paste and mix smooth
  8. Add the sifted dry ingredients all at once and mix on medium to high speed to combine well.
  9. Pour batter into a lightly greased and parchment lined sheet pan (12" x18")
  10. Bake in a preheated 350°F oven for 15 minutes then turn the oven temperature down to 300°F for another 8 minutes.
  11. Cool completely while you prepare the Aquafaba Swiss Buttercream according to the instructions on that blog post.
  12. Divide the buttercream into ¾ and ¼ and add ½ cup cocoa powder to the larger portion, whisk smooth
  13. Add ½ cup of the chocolate buttercream to the smaller portion of buttercream and then combine the coffee granules with the hot water and add that to make mocha.
  14. Cut the cooled cake into 4 equal squares (as shown in the video) and assemble by layering with the chocolate and mocha buttercream
  15. Prepare the ganache by combining the semi sweet chocolate with the soy milk in a small saucepot over low heat and whisk smooth stirring constantly
  16. Freeze the cake for at least 1 hour and then ice with ganache
  17. Trim the edges and garnish as you like
  18. I used a ganache rosette and a hazelnut with a sparkle of gold leaf
Notes
Keep refrigerated for up to 10 days in an airtight container.

It can stay at room temperature for up to a day as it is best served at room temperature.

You can freeze wrapped well for up to 2 months
Recipe by Gretchen's Vegan Bakery at https://www.gretchensveganbakery.com/opera-cake/