Queen of Sheba Cake
Julia Child is probably most responsible in America of reigniting a passion for food across the country. I won’t say she did it alone, but she definitely got the ball rolling with her show “The French Chef” and all the subsequent cooking shows that she made. She made fine food accessible to the average American cook, and was a huge inspiration to me as I watched her programs in reruns growing up. When I had the opportunity to get her first book Mastering the Art of French Cooking which she co-wrote with her friends Simone Beck and Louisette Bertholle, I couldn’t wait to dive in and try some of the classic recipes within. One of those recipes which has been on my to-do list for a long time is the Reine De Saba, or Queen of Sheba cake. This process took a lot of trust on my part as there were several times that I was tempted to change something or when something didn’t go quite the way I thought it should, but I’m happy to say that it all worked out just as Julia claims and I was stunned by the results.
One of the first things that threw me off about this cake was mixing rum and chocolate together. I have always been so afraid of adding any liquid to chocolate. I have had too many disasters where chocolate, either regular or white, has seized up on me because of a moisture issue. So when one of the first instructions was for me to mix the rum and chocolate together, I immediately began to question the recipe. However, I kept plugging along and melted the two together over recently boiled water as Julia instructs.
Wanting to make sure that this recipe turned out exactly right, I made sure to leave my butter out overnight to get to room temperature so that it would mix perfectly with the sugar. I will admit that in most cases, I do not leave my butter out before I start baking and I do use a microwave to get it softer. I find usually about 10-15 seconds for a full stick is sufficient, but again I wanted to follow this one to the letter so I remembered to leave it out ahead. The result was butter that I could blend with the sugar using my whisk instead of an electric mixer.
This cake is so old fashioned that it has no leavener in it at all. I find these kinds of recipes, puffed up with egg whites, highly appealing. I think there’s something so attractive about a cake with no chemicals in it. One mistake I made, which I had to start over with, is that I accidentally got a little yolk in with my egg whites. You cannot leave this be and just keep plugging along. ANY fat that gets in with your egg whites will prevent them from whipping up. So if you watch the video, you’ll see me dump the first egg and start over with a clean bowl. I could have cut this mistake out of the video, but Julia was famous for her gaffs on live TV, and how she just fixed them and moved on. So I decided to leave it in because it’s important that we learn from mistakes.
My worst fears were realized, or so I thought, when I started mixing the softened chocolate and rum. It seemed to me that the chocolate had seized as it got all clumped together, but I kept plugging along and trusted Julia. Guess what? It paid off. As you see in the next photo, the chocolate and rum mixed perfectly with the egg yolks, butter and sugar and the day was saved!
One of the other nice things about this cake is that it doesn’t have a ton of flour in it. Gluten-free people, you can easily substitute out a gluten-free flour in this recipe and I can’t imagine it would make too much difference. The other binder besides the flour that’s in this recipe is almond flour, or almond meal. Julia calls this pulverized almonds, which I imagine is the same thing. Those who know my baking know that almond flour is a favorite ingredient of mine and so it made me happy to see it here.
Once you fold in all of the rest egg whites and flour into your mixture, it’s time to bake the cake. A word about folding though. This is meant to be a delicate procedure. Remember that there is no leavener in this cake, so the only air we have is from the egg whites, so you don’t want to beat the air out of them by mixing vigorously. Gentle folding is definitely the way to go. When it comes to the baking, this cake is a little unique because you don’t test for doneness right in the middle of the cake as usual. Julia says that the cake is meant to be a little underdone in the middle, so you should test with a toothpick about 2 inches from the side of the pan instead.
Making the icing for this cake was a bit of an arm workout, but it was worth it. This is a European dessert so it isn’t as sweet as most American desserts. As a result, the only sugar in this icing comes from the little that’s in the chocolate itself. It comes out tasting light and delicate and just more refined. It does, however, take a lot of whipping. First you must whip in the butter to the melted chocolate and rum, then you need to whip it over ice until it firms up to be spreadable. Again, it’s a bit of work, but very worth it in the end.
I covered the cooled cake with the icing using an off-set spatula. I gave the top some swirls and then coated the sides with toasted, sliced almonds. I think that the result was quite beautiful after I finicked with it for a bit.
After cutting myself a slice, I went to taste this cake which I had only ever seen on my TV before. I was so excited to try it and I was even more pleased with the results. The cake was light, packed with chocolate and almond flavor, and was pure, refined decadence. I found that instead of punching me in the mouth with sweetness, by having less sugar it allowed me to taste all the other flavors in the dessert. The bitterness of the chocolate and the organic sweetness of the almonds really hit you and make an almost royal experience in your mouth.
I really can’t say enough good things about this dessert and about Julia Child herself. She has been and continues to be a source of inspiration and education for me, and I hope that you’ll try this recipe and seek out some others by her so that she can do the same for you. Remember you don’t have to be a chef to make magic in your kitchen…and Bon Appetit!
Joe the Blue Wizard
Reine De Saba (Queen of Sheba)
Ingredients:
- 4 oz (114 g) Semi-Sweet Chocolate
- 2 tbsp. (30 mL) Rum or Coffee
- 1 stick (110 g) Softened Butter
- 2/3 cup (134 g) Sugar
- 3 Large Egg Yolks
- 3 Large Egg Whites
- Pinch of Salt
- 1 tbsp. (13 g) Sugar
- 1/3 cup (32 g) Almond Flour
- 1/4 tsp. (1 mL) Almond Extract
- 1/2 cup (57 g) Cake Flour
- 2 oz. (57 g) Semi-Sweet Chocolate
- 2 tbsp. (30 mL) Rum or Coffee
- 5-6 tbsp. (70-85 g) Softened Butter
- 1/2-3/4 cup (35-53 g) Sliced, Toasted Almonds
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees
- Butter and flour an 8-inch cake pan.
- Set chocolate and run or coffee in a small pan, cover and place (off heat) in a large pan of almost simmering water; let melt while you proceed with the recipe.
- Cream the butter and 2/3 cup sugar together for several minutes until they forma 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 1 tbsp. sugar and beat until stiff peaks are formed.
- With a rubber spatula, blend the melted chocolate into the butter and sugar mixture, then stir in the almond flour 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.
- 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.
- Allow cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the pan, and reverse cake onto a cooling rack. Allow it to cool for an hour or two; it must be thoroughly cold if it is to be iced.
- Place the chocolate and rum or coffee in a small pan, cover and set in a larger pan of almost simmering water. Remove pans from the heat and let chocolate melt for 5 minutes or so, until perfectly smooth.
- Lift chocolate pan out of the hot water, and beat in the butter a tablespoon at a time.
- Then beat over an ice bath until chocolate mixture has cooled to spreading consistency.
- At once spread it over your cake with a spatula or knife
- Cover in a design of sliced, toasted almonds.
