Reine de Saba (Chocolate Almond Cake)

When you make this, you’ll need some patience. The cake has to be completely cooled before you frost it, and the cake can’t be over or under baked, as it won’t be the amazing cake it is. Now, don’t wanna be like other bloggers, going on and on about something that has nothing to do with the recipe, so I’m just gonna give tips about the recipe and if I must go on and on about stuff, I’ll put it in a separate post. But, I’ll just get to this recipe :) .

Reine De Saba (chocolate almond cake)

Adapted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking

Makes one 8 inch cake, serves 6-8

Cake

4 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped

2 tbs rum or coffee

1/4 lb butter, plus more for the pan, softened 

2/3 cup, plus 1 tbs sugar, divided

3 eggs, separated

1/4 tsp salt

1/3 cup almond flour

3/4 cup sifted cake flour (if you make this gluten free, just use this amount of almond flour in addition to what it already calls for)

1/8 tsp almond, rum, or vanilla Extract 

Icing

1 oz semisweet chocolate, chopped

1 tbs rum or coffee

3 tbs butter, softened

Slivered almonds, for decorating 

Cake

Heat the oven to 350°F

Grease and flour an 8 inch cake pan that is 1 1/2 inches deep.

In a microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate in 30 second intervals, stirring in between each one (don’t worry Julia Child was pro-microwave you won’t make her mad).

Once melted, stir in the rum or coffee until combine.

In a stand mixer with the paddle attachment or large bowl and wooden spoon, beat the butter and 2/3 cup sugar for a few minutes, until light and fluffy. Add the yolks and beat again until fluffy.

In a separate bowl, whip the whites and salt until soft peaks form. Add the remaining tablespoon of sugar and whip again until stiff peaks form. 

Fold in the chocolate, extract, and 1/2 the whites and flours to the butter mixture. Once combine, fold in the remaining whites and flours until combine and pour into the prepared pan. 

Bake for about 25 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the edges are set and the center is slightly jiggly. 

Cool it in the pan until the pan is cool to the touch, take it out, and allow it to finish cooling. This may take an hour or two, but the wait is more than worth it. 

Icing

In a medium microwave safe bowl, melt the chocolate like when you made the cake, and add the coffee or rum like before, then set the bowl in a bigger bowl with about an inch of cold water, and beat in the butter, until it reaches a spreadable consistency. Ice the cake with it and decorate it with slivered almonds. 

Now, to watch Julia Child make this cake, click here (it’s not a rickroll, promise!): Julia Child’s The French Chef: Reine de Saba

Now that you’ve watched her make this cake (it’s cussing delightful to watch, isn’t it?!), read what I’m about to say in your best Julia voice: Bon appetite!