May Daring Bakers Challenge

This was my first Daring Bakers Challenge. When I saw the recipe for the Opera Cake, my first thought was "what have I gotten myself into??". I read through it a few (dozen) more times and got a pep talk from my DH. I took a deep breath and decided I could do this. I decided it would be a nice birthday cake for my dad. Knowing he does not like white chocolate or anything overly sweet, I opted to leave out the white chocolate mousse and glaze on top. Since we had plenty of fresh strawberries in the yard, I chose to add some of those in.

I got up early after dh left for work to start the cake determined to do it all in one day. It was my first time making almond flour. I usually make my cakes from scratch anyway so this was not much more difficult. The cake itself was delicious and very light. The ground almonds gave it such a wonderful texture. I could eat the cake plain. The syrup kept the cake moist even after a few days in the fridge. Buttercream is my favorite icing. I would love to try this again with a lighter, less sweet icing. The strawberries combined with the icing flavor perfectly.

I started off this challenge wondering why I even signed up and ended it with a cake I will definitely make again. Looking at some of the other cakes I found mine to be a bit plain. I realize that this is to challenge me to be a better baker and not to compare my decorating skills to anyone elses. I never would have given an opera cake recipe a second glance before Daring Bakers. Now I am looking forward to next month's challenge.

Strawberries on Top of Second Layer

My Finished Opera Cake