Queen of Sheba Cake
Source of Recipe
Source: Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child, Louisette Bertholle and Simone Beck
List of Ingredients
4 ounces or squares semi-sweet chocolate melted with 2 tablespoons rum or coffee
1/4 pound or 1 stick softened butter
2/3 cup granulated sugar
3 egg yolks
3 egg whites
Pinch of salt
1 tablespoon granulated sugar
1/3 cup pulverized almonds, see note
1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1/2 cup cake flour (scooped and leveled), turned into a sifter
Equipment
A round cake pan 8 inches in diameter and 1 1/2 inches deep
A 3-quart mixing bowl
A wooden spoon or an electric beater
A rubber spatula
A cake rack
Recipe
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. Butter and flour the cake pan. Set the chocolate and rum or coffee in a small pan, cover, and place (off heat) in a larger pan of almost simmering water; let melt while you proceed with the recipe. Measure out the rest of the ingredients.
3. Cream the butter and sugar together for several minutes until they form a pale yellow, fluffy mixture. Beat in the egg yolks until well blended. Beat the egg whites and salt in a separate bowl until soft peaks are formed; sprinkle on the sugar and beat until stiff peaks are formed.
4. With a rubber spatula, blend the melted chocolate into the butter and sugar mixture, then stir in the almonds, and almond extract. Immediately stir in one fourth of the beaten egg whites to lighten the batter. Delicately fold in a third of the remaining whites and when partially blended, sift on one third of the flour and continue folding. Alternate rapidly with more egg whites and more flour until all egg whites and flour are incorporated.
5. Turn the batter into the cake pan, pushing the batter up to its rim with a rubber spatula. Bake in middle level of preheated oven for about 25 minutes. Cake is done when it has puffed, and 2 1/2 to 3 inches around the circumference are set so that a needle plunged into that area comes out clean; the center should move slightly if the pan is shaken, and a needle comes out oily.
6. Allow cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pan, and reverse cake on the rack. Allow it to cool for an hour or two; it must be thoroughly cold if it is to be iced.
To Serve: Use the Chocolate-Butter Icing and press in a design of almonds over the icing.
To Pulverize Almonds: These are most easily done in the blender or processor, and should always be ground 1/2 cup at a time for the blender (1 cup for the processor) with several tablespoons of sugar to prevent them from becoming oily and lumpy, which would make them impossible to combine with other dry ingredients.
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