Operation Opera Cake!

Back again for my second Daring Baker challenge...

Eagerly awaiting the post for the challenge earlier this month while vacation in Miami - I was a certainly impressed when the Opera Cake was revealed.   Though I don't typically bake anything that is not chocolate (what's the point?), I still was excited about the challenge. I didn't have an event in mind for the cake, so I just planned on making it the last weekend so I'd have time. I wish I would've made some of the parts earlier in the week, but I spent most of a lazy Saturday putting everything together except for the glaze and buttercream.

I had to run out and get a candy thermometer for the buttercream.   I need to do a little research and find something better, because the one I bought from Target didn't really submerse into the small amount of liquid I was heating for the buttercream.  Even so, my buttercream turned out really well.  I was nervous after reading some of the posts from others who had problems.  One thing I learned from making this recipe was the importance of beating things the correct amount of time.  I still love beating egg whites and watching them turn into stiff peaks!

One of my layers of jaconde didn't bake as well as the other - so next time I might do them separately.  Construction of the cake went well.  I finished the glaze just in time to serve to some friends on Memorial Day.  The cake wasn't my favorite, because of the lack of chocolate, but it was still quite tasty.