Reine de Saba Recipe
In my opinion, there are 3 things that soothe the soul: good company, good wine, and good chocolate. I can’t imagine my life without either of these. A recipe like this reine de saba cake will remind you just how important the chocolate part of this life equation is.
Reine de Saba
Named after the Queen of Sheba, this chocolate and almond cake is said to be one of the first French cakes that Julia Child ever ate. If this is indeed true, then it’s no wonder she fell in love with French cuisine.
A reine de saba gateau is gloriously French in concept and execution. You have what the French would deem a simple chocolate cake made with plentiful butter and the finesse of a lovely meringue.
Reine de Saba Gateau: Le Chocolat
It’s important to use quality chocolate for a reine de saba, although, if you ask me, it’s always important to use quality chocolate. I’m making a point of saying it here, however, because this is a chocolate cake.
If good chocolate isn’t used here, then where should it be?
I like to use 72% dark chocolate. It’s got that perfect balance of rich cocoa flavor and sweetness, unlike darker chocolate bars that can end up tasting a bit too bitter.
Those just won’t do for a cake like this.
Reine de Saba Recette via Julia Child
A reine de saba recipe is made with typical baking ingredients (nothing peculiar), and yet this cake is definitely luxurious. Simply put, it’s fit for a queen. The reason is, it’s got remarkable texture.
A reine de saba is typically much lighter and spongier, thanks to the almond flour and meringue that’s used in the batter. And if you bake the cake like Julia Child instructs, you’ll get a slightly underdone quality that lends creaminess to it.
I’ve baked a reine de saba the way Julia Child advises, and I’ve also baked it till it’s perfectly done. How long you decide to bake the cake really depends on what kind of person you are: do you like your brownies super fudge-y, or do you prefer them cake-like?
I’m the latter, so you’ll notice my cake has a tender, yet fully baked crumb.
Why Less Is More
For me, the appeal of this reine de saba cake is in its simplicity. I love the idea of a single-layer cake. It’s a vintage idea that brings nostalgia for what home baking used to be.
The chocolate glaze on top is nothing but melted chocolate and softened butter stirred together to create one glossy coat. The only artful task in decorating this cake was the careful placement of shaved almonds along the sides of the cake.
This reine de saba proves that, more often than not, less can be so much more.
Reine de Saba (Chocolate and Almond Cake)
A delectable, yet simple chocolate and almond cake with a light, spongy crumb and sinfully good chocolate glaze. A recipe adapted from Julia Child.
Ingredients
Meringue
- 3 egg whites
- pinch of salt
- 1 tbsp granulated sugar, (15 grams)
Cake
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, (115 grams) softened
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar, (150 grams)
- 3 egg yolks
- 4 oz dark chocolate (72%), (114 grams) melted
- 2 tbsp brewed coffee, (30 grams)
- 1/3 cup almond meal, (26 grams)
- 1/4 tsp almond extract, (1.25 grams)
- 1/2 cup cake flour, (62 grams)
Chocolate Glaze
- 2 oz dark chocolate, (57 grams)
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter, (57 grams) room temperature
Extras
- shaved almonds, for garnishing
- unsalted butter, softened, for pan
Instructions
Create the meringue
- Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Brush a 9" cake pan with softened butter. To the bowl of a stand mixer, add the egg whites and the pinch of salt. Whisk on high speed until the eggs lose their yellow appearance and begin to foam.
- Sprinkle the tablespoon of granulated sugar over the egg whites and continue to whisk on high speed until stiff peaks form. The egg whites should stick to the whisk when the whisk is held upside down, and they should look just a bit more firm than shaving cream.
- Transfer the egg whites to a medium bowl and temporarily set aside. Rinse out the stand mixer's bowl.
Create the cake
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the unsalted butter and granulated sugar together on medium speed until light and fluffy. To the mixer, add the egg yolks and mix until the batter is light yellow (vanilla-colored).
- Add the melted chocolate and coffee to the batter, then mix just to incorporate. Then mix in the almond meal and almond extract. Finally, on low speed, mix in 1/3 of the egg whites to lighten up the batter.
- Now, use a rubber spatula to stir in half of the cake flour. Fold to incorporate. Add another third of egg whites to the batter, and very gently fold the whites into the batter to incorporate. Add the remaining cake flour and gently fold to mix. Finally, add the remaining egg whites and gently fold to incorporate. There shouldn't be any unmixed egg whites.
- Gently pour the cake batter into your prepared pan, using a light hand to evenly spread out the batter in the pan. Bake the cake for 16 to 20 minutes. If you want a fudgey texture, the center of the cake should slightly wobble. Otherwise, remove once cake is set all over. Let the cake rest in the pan for 10 minutes before running a sharp knife along the edges. Flip the cake out onto a wire cooling rack to cool completely.
Create the glaze
- Melt the chocolate in a medium bowl in the microwave in 30 second intervals. Use a rubber spatula to stir the chocolate and make sure it's smooth. Add in the butter and stir until the butter has melted as well and the glaze is smooth.
- Place the cake on your serving plate, then pour the glaze over the cake. Smooth the glaze across the top of the cake first, giving time for the chocolate to somewhat set before smoothing down the sides. As each minute passes, the chocolate will set more and more, making it less runny. Gently press shaved almonds along the sides of the cake.
Notes
If you want to make this cake gluten-free, you can substitute the cake flour with almond meal too. Follow the directions exactly the same way.
Almond meal can be substituted with almond flour or pulverized almonds.
Coffee can be substituted with rum or water.
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 8 Serving Size: 8 ServingsAmount Per Serving: Calories: 323
Thank you so much for this recipe. I was looking to switch it up and try something new with chocolate and almonds and stumbled upon your recipe, and made it yesterday. Few things to add here:
1. I used all almond meal per your note. It turned out fine and fudgy-ish based on how long you recommended cooking it for, but I would like to try with cake flour next time. Have you ever tried with just all purpose flour?
2. I cooked it for exactly 17 minutes for less “wobbly-ness” in the middle but I have to say that it was still very fudgey like texture and would break slightly easier bc of how soft it was, but not a big deal.
3. I’m super confused on the glaze having so much butter and so little chocolate. I used not even half the amount mentioned and it was perfect amount to mostly cover the cake (not every bit of the sides but it wasn’t necessary). Wouldnt the glaze be all butter vs chocolate with the amount mentioned? What am I missing here?
4. I used rum instead of espresso and it was delicious.
Regardless, can’t wait to play around the next time I make it again to aim for a slightly more cakey texture. This is definitely being added to my favorites. Thanks!
Hi Erica, I’ve never made this cake with another type of flour entirely. I would assume cake flour would give you a similar texture but perhaps a slightly different flavor. All purpose would also give you a little bit of a different flavor, and probably wouldn’t make it as delicate or light. Both types of flours would counteract the “fudgy-ness” of the cake, however, as they don’t contain fat in them like almond meal does.
A couple of notes on the bake: if you’re wanting the cake to be more cake-y with the current ingredients as they stand, I would consider two things with this recipe. The first is that your egg whites may not have beaten well enough or folded in carefully enough, which can affect the cake’s texture making it more fudge-y. The second thing to consider is one you mentioned, that you simply may just need a longer bake as every oven is a little different. I would bake a little bit longer and perhaps let the cake rest in the pan a little longer too outside of the oven as it will continue baking like that outside of the oven as well.
As for the the glaze, the glaze is meant to be more of a frosting consistency rather than icing. The butter not only adds the richness in flavor, stability, and shine to the glaze, but it also helps the chocolate set with a different texture than it does when you use less butter and more chocolate, for example.
Hi,
Can I freeze this cake and how long does it keep otherwise?
I have not made it yet but will do it in the next few days.
Thank you
Hi Sara, I usually don’t like freezing cakes like this as their crumb is so delicate having been made with almond meal. If you wanted to try it though, I would let the cake cool, wrap it tightly in plastic wrap, then a layer of foil and freeze.
This recipe will take a place alongside Vongerichten’s molten lava cake and the recipe on the back of the Hershey’s can as one of my favorite choco cake recipes. The steps are intricate but make economical use of good ingredients for a cake that is well-balanced between lightness of crumb and depth of flavor. Delicious! Now, can we have a torta caprese recipe? Still searching for the one that I’ve been hoping for.
Wow, Pam! Thank you so much for the awesome feedback! I really love this cake too! 🙂
Hi. The “Create the Cake” section says to mix in the egg whites, although there are no egg whites mentioned in the ingredients for the “cake”, only for the “meringue”. How many egg whites should I use for the cake?
Many thanks
Hi John, the egg whites that I am referring to under the “Create the Cake” section are the same egg whites you whipped under the meringue step. 🙂
Can i use a 7/ 9 inch loaf pan to make this recipe
Can u suggest pipieble frosting for thus cake
Thanks
Hi Cheryl, I would be careful about using a loaf pan as it will change the amount of time you need to bake this cake, so just be conscious of that. Personally, when I make chocolate cakes and I’m doing a chocolate frosting, I love using the one shared here.
Would it ruin the cake if I want to add extra rum to give it a bit of a kick?
Hi Kay Kay, I guess it would depend how much rum you’d be adding but I couldn’t say for sure as I’ve never tried that. It’s already pretty moist and fudgy, so I’d be conscious of that when trying.
We tried the recipe exactly as it was written and the cake came out extremely dense, like a chocolate truffle. I’ve never had a Queen of Sheba before, so I don’t know, but it wasn’t what I was expecting.
Hi Katherine, this could be because you either didn’t bake the cake until completely set or you didn’t mix up the egg whites properly. If it’s the latter, you may have not whisked the egg whites stiff enough or you may have over-mixed your cake batter once you did incorporate the egg whites. The meringue gives a lot of the cake’s lightness.