Chocolate Almond Cake (Queen of Sheba)
The classic Julia Child cake, tweaked slightly to avoid using rum and topped with cherries instead of ganache. If you're looking for a twist on the classic, this is a great choice!
Equipment
- Stand Mixer With whisk attachment
- Mixing Bowls
- Sauce Pan
- Rubber Spatula
- Cherry Pitter If you're using fresh cherries
- Microwave-safe Bowl
- Springform Pan
- Parchment Paper
- Sifter
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 4 Oz Semisweet Chocolate Chunks
- 2 Tbsp Coffee
- ½ Cup Butter
- ⅔ Cup Sugar Plus an extra tablespoon
- 3 Eggs Yolks and whites separated
- ⅓ Cup Almond Flour
- ½ Cup Cake Flour
- ¼ Tsp Almond Extract
For the Cherry Sauce
- 2 Cups Tart Cherries
- ½ Cup Sugar
- 2 Tbsp Corn Starch
Instructions
Make the Cake
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare your cake pan by greasing and coating it with flour, and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- Cream the butter and ⅔ cup of sugar together until fluffy.
- Add the egg yolks and beat until blended.
- In your mixer bowl, add the egg whites and 1 Tbsp sugar until stiff peaks form. This is about 10-15 minutes on medium speed.
- In your microwave-safe bowl, melt the chocolate. Stir this into the butter and sugar mixture.
- Add the almond flour and almond extract tot he chocolate mixture and stir to combine.
- Once your egg whites are beaten, take about ¼ of them and stir them into the chocolate mix.
- Carefully fold in another quarter of the egg whites, and add ⅓ of the cake flour. Repeat until all of the egg whites and flour are added.
- Pour the batter into your prepared cake pan.
- Bake for 18-25 minutes, depending on your oven. Mine took about 20.
Make the Cherry Sauce
- Pit your cherries, if necessary.
- In your sauce pan, add the tart cherries and simmer until they release their juices and soften up, around 10 minutes.
- Add the corn starch and sugar, stirring to thoroughly dissolve and mix. Simmer for another 1-2 minutes or until it thickens.
Assemble the Cake
- Once the cake is done baking, set it aside to cool. The same with the cherry sauce: allow it to cool before using it.
- Top the cake with cherry sauce, and add a bit of whipped cream or chocolate shavings if you desire. Enjoy!