# Chai & Eggless Opera Cake

An impressive eggless opera cake with a twist on the classic by using chai instead of coffee, featuring layers of sponge cake, buttercream, and ganache.

- Cuisine: Indian
- Category: Baked Goods
- Language: en

## Ingredients

- 1.5 cups roasted pistachios
- 4 tbsp all-purpose flour
- 4 tbsp powdered sugar
- 2 tbsp plain yogurt
- 2 tbsp melted butter
- 1 cup milk
- 1 tbsp white vinegar
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 1.5 tsp baking powder
- 0.5 tsp baking soda
- 0.25 tsp salt
- 0.25 cup plain yogurt
- 2 tbsp melted butter
- 0.5 cup cake flour
- 1 cup water
- 1 cinnamon stick
- 4 cardamom pods
- 1 star anise
- 4 cloves
- 10 -15 fennel seeds
- 3 large fresh ginger slices
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 2 tbsp black tea leaves
- 0.33 cup semi-sweet chocolate
- 0.5 cup feuilletine flakes, crushed
- 0.75 cup unsalted butter
- 0.33 cup sweetened condensed milk
- 2 tbsp chai syrup
- 0.75 cup semi-sweet chocolate pieces
- 0.5 cup heavy cream, hot
- 0.75 cup dark chocolate chips
- 1 tbsp neutral oil
- edible gold lustre dust

## Instructions

1. Finely grind whole roasted pistachios in a food processor until a good portion is finely ground.
2. Sift the ground pistachios into a large bowl.
3. Continue grinding the larger pieces until you have 1 cup of pistachio flour.
4. Set the pistachio flour aside.
5. To make the crispy feuilletine, combine equal amounts of all-purpose flour and powdered sugar in a medium bowl.
6. Pour in 2 tbsp of plain yogurt followed by 2 tbsp of melted butter.
7. Mix until you have a smooth creamy batter.
8. Spread the batter out as evenly and thinly as possible on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, using a bench scraper.
9. Bake in a preheated 340 degree oven for 10-15 minutes until brown and crispy.
10. Allow to cool completely, then separate from the parchment paper and break the sheet into pieces that will fit inside a food processor.
11. Pulverize the pieces until they are a fine crumb.
12. Transfer to a bowl or container with a lid, cover, and set aside.
13. Combine 1 cup of milk with 1 tbsp of vinegar to make a buttermilk substitute and let it sit for about 5 minutes.
14. In a large bowl, add 1 cup of pistachio flour then sift in powdered sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
15. Set the dry mix bowl aside.
16. In a new bowl, mix together 1/4 cup of plain yogurt with 2 tbsp of melted butter.
17. Gradually add the milk and dry mix into the butter and yogurt, mixing after each batch until everything is combined.
18. Finally, sift in 1/2 cup of cake flour and mix until the batter is well combined.
19. Transfer the batter to a greased and lined 9 1/2 by 13 inch sheet tray.
20. Spread the batter out evenly by lifting and gently rotating the tray.
21. Bake at 390 F for 10-15 minutes, then allow to cool completely.
22. Flip the cake onto a cutting board and carefully remove the parchment paper.
23. Cut the cake into 3 even slices and set aside.
24. To make the chai syrup, add water, a cinnamon stick, 4 cardamom pods cut in half, 1-star anise, 4 whole cloves, 10-15 fennel seeds, 3 large slices of fresh ginger, and 2 tbsp of sugar to a saucepan.
25. Turn the heat to medium-high and bring the mixture to a simmer.
26. Cook for 10-15 minutes to infuse the flavors.
27. Add 2 tbsp of black tea leaves and cook for another 5 minutes.
28. Strain the syrup through a sieve, discard the spices, and save the syrup for later.
29. Melt semi-sweet chocolate in a double boiler over recently simmering hot water.
30. Once fully melted, remove from the heat and pour in the crispy feuilletine bits.
31. Mix well, then spread evenly over one portion of the cake.
32. Cover the chocolate coated cake piece and chill.
33. Whip softened unsalted butter with an electric mixer or whisk until light and fluffy.
34. Pour in 1/3 of a cup of sweetened condensed milk followed by 2 tbsp of the chai syrup.
35. Mix again until fluffy to create the chai buttercream frosting.
36. Make a simple chocolate ganache by pouring hot heavy cream over semi-sweet chocolate pieces.
37. Cover and chill the ganache for 30 minutes to firm up.
38. After chilling, fluff up the ganache again with an electric mixer so it’s easier to spread.
39. Remove the chocolate-coated portion of cake, which should be firm enough to flip so the chocolate is on the bottom.
40. Brush on a layer of chai syrup onto the cake.
41. Add half the buttercream and spread it out evenly.
42. Place the second piece of cake on top and brush on another layer of the chai syrup using a dab and brush motion.
43. Top with the chocolate ganache and spread out evenly using a knife, spatula, or offset spatula.
44. For the last layer, repeat with a layer of chai syrup followed by the other half of the buttercream spread out evenly.
45. Chill the cake in the fridge for 30 minutes.
46. When the cake is nearly done chilling, make a chocolate glaze by melting dark chocolate chips in a double boiler over recently simmering water with the stove turned off.
47. Once the chocolate is mostly melted, pour in 1 tbsp of neutral oil and mix.
48. Pour the chocolate glaze over your chilled cake placed on a cooling rack over a cookie sheet.
49. Carefully spread the glaze out to get as even a layer as possible without dripping too much down the sides.
50. Chill for 15 minutes to allow the chocolate glaze to firm up a bit.
51. To make the cake look professional, slice off about 1/2 an inch from all sides.
52. Decorate the cake as desired; for example, with a simple line of cold lustre dust along one edge.

## Equipment

- food processor
- large bowl
- sieve
- medium bowl
- baking sheet
- parchment paper
- bench scraper
- container with a lid
- saucepan
- double boiler
- electric mixer
- cooling rack
- cookie sheet
- knife
- spatula
- offset spatula
- sheet tray
- cutting board

## Tips

- Sift dry ingredients for cakes to avoid lumps.
- Use a bench scraper to spread batter thinly and evenly.
- When making chocolate glaze, turn off the stove after simmering water to avoid scalding the chocolate.
- Slice off about 1/2 an inch from all sides of the cake for a professional look.

## Source

- Original video: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=-JNSYsJ36WM
- Recipe page: https://www.cliprecipe.com/recipe/58bb2162-1e6f-4985-9ade-d596e80c6c57
- Extracted: 2025-12-22

Extracted from the video by Clip Recipe (https://www.cliprecipe.com). Quantities and steps are as stated or shown in the video. Site guide for agents: https://www.cliprecipe.com/llms.txt