Sanoli's Kitchen

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

REINE DE SABA AVEC GLACAGE AU CHOCOLAT (CHOCOLATE ALMOND CAKE) : A TRIBUTE TO JULIA CHILD

“Just like becoming an expert in wine–you learn by drinking it, the best you can afford–you learn about great food by finding the best there is, whether simply or luxurious. The you savor it, analyze it, and discuss it with your companions, and you compare it with other experiences.”
― Julia Child, Mastering the Art of French Cooking

This is my heartiest tribute to the culinary legend Julia Child, in honour of her 100th birthday on 15th August, 2012. There are lot of chefs arround the world I admire, Julia Child is one of them. A chef, a writer or she is such a personality who introduced French cuisine among Americans. The late American culinary icon is being celebrated with dinners, events and parties in Boston and across the United States. Her popular TV show, "The French Chef" changed the way Americans cooked, ate or even thought about food.

Now, I am for the first time a part of the group called Baking partners, a baking group hosted by Swathi Iyer. Being part of the 'Baking Partners - A Group of Home Bakers' our challenge for this month is Julia Child's famous Reine de Saba Avec Alacage au Chocolat which is Chocolate Almond Cake.

This is a chocolate almond cake with chocolate-butter icing and almond meal, absolutely delicious. Very rich in chocolate, flovored with spiced rum and almond extract, simple and short time baked cake. Not so much fluffy, but still moist inside, really delectable one. It is just one layered cake, easy and simple chocolate icing with almond dressing just perfect and luscious for any special occassion. Rum enhances the flavor of this cake while mixed up with the chocolate...

INGREDIENTS:

CAKE FOR 9" SQUARE PAN:
4.5OZ / 4&1/2 Squares / 127.57 gm Semi Sweet Baking Chocolate (I used Ghirardelli Chocolate)
2&1/3 tbsps Spiced Rum (Sailor Jerry brand)
4 OZ / 1stick + 1 tbsp / 127 gm Softened Unsalted Butter
3 Eggs (yolk and white seperated)
1 cup Granulated Sugar
A pinch of Salt
1 tbsp & 1/2 tsp Granulated Sugar
3/4 cup / 73.12 gm Pulverized (ground) Almond
1/2 tsp Almond Extract (use less if you don't like too much almond flavor)
2/3 cup or 64 gm All Purpose Flour
1 tbsp Corn Flour

FOR CHOCOLATE ICING:
2.25 OZ / 2 + 1/4 squares / 63.7 gm Semi Sweet Baking Chocolate
2&1/3 tbsps Spiced Rum
7 tbsps Softened Unsalted Butter
Note: Add about 3/4 cup sliced almonds to the ingredients for decoration. Instead of rum, you may use coffee.

METHOD:
FOR THE CAKE:
Preheat the oven to 350 F / 180 C.

Butter and flour the cake pan. Set aside.

In a steel bowl mix chocolate and rum. Place it over another larger bowl with boiling water. Chocolate will melt after 5 minutes. While chocolate melts, let proceed with the recipe. Measure all rest of the ingredients.

Cream the butter and sugar together for several minutes until they form a pale yellow fluffy mixture. Beat the egg yolks until they well blended.

Beat egg whites and salt in a seperate bowl until soft peaks are formed (gradually increase the speed of electric hand mixer and blend for about 5 minutes). Sprinkle on the 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 ground almonds and almond extract. Immediately stir in one-fourth (1/4th) of the beaten egg whites to lighten the batter. Delicately fold in a third (1/3rd) of the remaining whites and when partially blended, sift on one-third (1/3rd) of the flour and continue folding. Alternate repidly with more egg whites and more flour untill all egg whites and flour are incorporated.

Turn the batter into the cake pan, pushing the batter upto its rim with a rubber spatula. Bake in middle level of preheated oven for 25 minutes. Cake is done when it has puffed, and 2&1/2 to 3 inches arround the circumference are set so that a toothpick plunged into that area comes out clean; the centre should move slightly if the pan is shaken, and a toothpick comes out oily.

Allow cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Run a knife arround the edge of the pan, and reverse cake on the rack. Allow it to cool for two hours; it must be thoroughly cold if it is to be iced.

To serve, use the chocolate-butter icing recipe below and then press a desigh of almonds over the icing.

FOR THE ICING:
A bowl filled with a tray of ice cubes and water to cover them and set aside.

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 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 the ice and water until chocolate mixture has cooled to spreading consistency. At once spread it over the cake cake with spatula.

Place cake on platter or tray. Scrape icing onto top center. Using small offset spatula, spread icing evenly and thinly over top and sides of cake.

Then press a design of almonds over the icing.