Opera gateau

Instructions

1. To make the coffee cream, preheat the oven to 140°C. In a medium saucepan, combine the milk and cream, and bring to a boil. Add crushed coffee beans and allow to infuse. Mix the egg yolks and caster sugar quickly and add to the cream mixture. Whisk, then strain through a fine mesh strainer. Discard the coffee beans.
2. Pour the custard base into a large baking dish and bake for 35 minutes, or until the custard has set. Remove from the oven, add soaked gold gelatine leaves, strain, and chill overnight.
3. To make the sponge, preheat the oven to 170°C. Place whole eggs in the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment. Whisk eggs and gradually add the sugar, until the mixture is thick and pale. Gently fold in the almond meal, followed by plain flour and melted butter.
4. In a separate clean mixing bowl, beat the egg whites to soft peaks. Gradually add sugar until you reach firm peaks. Gently fold the meringue into the sponge mixture.
5. Divide the batter evenly and thinly between 6 x 25 x 25 cm lined baking trays. Bake for 6-8 minutes, until lightly golden. Allow to cool.
6. For the chocolate ganache, in a medium saucepan, bring the cream to the boil. Pour the cream over the dark chocolate and allow it to sit for 5 minutes, until the chocolate is fully melted. Whisk to combine.
7. Cut the sponge layers into 20 x 20 cm squares. Spread the sponge layers separately with chocolate ganache and allow to set.
8. Line a 20 x 20 cm baking tin with baking paper. Place one layer of sponge, ganache side up, in the tin. Spread over about a fifth of the coffee cream and spread evenly across the layer. Repeat with the remaining sponge layers, placing the last sponge layer with the ganache side down.
   Cover the pan with baking paper and place another baking tin 20 x 20 cm on top with a weight - about 2 kg. Set the pressed sponge cake in the fridge overnight.
9. For the glaçage, combine the water, caster sugar, cocoa powder and cream in a heavy-bottomed saucepan. Bring to a boil and remove from the heat. Add soaked gold gelatine leaves. Strain through a fine mesh strainer and cool to 25°C.
10. Remove the sponge cake from the baking tin. Place on a wire rack with a tray underneath to catch all the glaze drips. Slowly pour the warm glaze over the cake. Allow excess glaçage to drip off, then refrigerate for 15 minutes, or until set. Keep the remaining glaçage warm.
11. Pour a second coat of the glaçage over the cake, then allow to set fully in the fridge before serving.
12. To serve, slice the opera gateau and serve with a scoop of vanilla bean ice-cream.