Dessert
Home » Dessert
By Tara Noland on | Updated | 32 Comments
Jump to Recipe
Julia Child’s Reine De Saba or Queen of Sheba Cake for JC 100
Well, here we are on week 6 already celebrating JC100. Today We are making Julia Child’s Reine De Saba or Queen of Sheba Cake for JC 100. I have never made this cake before but I now will never make another chocolate cake again. Amazing!!
If you follow Julia’s instructions and techniques you will always have a foolproof recipe. This one was another example of that. It is moist and dense and simply delicious!! Never mind saying that it is quite the eye-catcher.
Come on and join the celebration and bake this cake soon, you will not be disappointed. A great tip Julia spoke about on her show was to place all your ingredients on a tray so that you will never forget to add something. Great idea!!
Table of Contents
Julia Child’s Reine De Saba or Queen of Sheba Cake for JC 100
Julia Child
Julia Child’s Reine De Saba or Queen of Sheba Cake is so good you will never make another chocolate cake again. Amazing!!
4.84 from 6 votes
Print Recipe
Prep Time 25 minutes mins
Cook Time 25 minutes mins
Total Time 50 minutes mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine French
Servings 8 Servings
Calories 527 kcal
Ingredients
- 4 oz. semi-sweet chocolate or 2/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 Tbsp. rum
- 1/2 cup softened butter
- 2/3 cup granulated sugar
- 3 eggs yolks
- 3 egg whites
- 1 Tbsp. sugar
- 1/3 cup pulverized almonds
- Pinch of salt
- 1/4 tsp. almond extract
- 1/2 cup cake flour
ICING
- 2 oz. semi-sweet chocolate
- 2 Tbsp. rum
- 5 Tbsp. unsalted butter softened
- Sliced skin on, almonds for decoration
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350F.
Butter and flour an 8 inch round pan. Set the chocolate and rum in a small pan and place off heat in a larger pan of almost simmering water; let melt while you proceed with the recipe.
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.
With a rubber spatula, blend the melted chocolate into the butter and sugar mixture. Then stir in the almonds (my almonds stuck together when a ground them so I added a little half of a cup of flour to get them loose and easy to incorporate) and the almond extract. Immediately stir in 1/4 of the beaten egg whites to lighten up the batter.
Delicately fold in a third of the remaining whites and when partially blended. Sift in one-third of the flour and continue folding. Alternate rapidly with more egg whites and more flour until all the egg whites and flour are incorporated.
Turn the batter into the prepared pan, pushing the batter up to its rim with a rubber spatula. This will prevent the middle from rising too much. Give the pan one light bang on the counter and bake in the middle of the oven for about 25 min.
The cake is done when it has puffed and 2 1/2 -3 inches around the circumference are set so that a toothpick plunged into the area comes out clean; the center should move slightly if the pan is shaken and a needle comes out oily.
Allow the cake to cool in the pan for 10 min. Run a knife around the edge of the pan and reverse cake on a rack. Allow it to cool for an hour or two; it must be thoroughly cooled if it is going to be iced.
Place the chocolate and rum in the small pan again and cover and set in the larger pan of almost simmering water. Remove pans from the heat and let the chocolate melt for 5 min. or so, until perfectly smooth.
Lift the chocolate pan out of the hot water and beat in the butter a tablespoon at a time with a wooden spoon. Then beat over ice and water until the chocolate mixture has cooled to spreading consistency. At once spread it over your cake with a spatula or knife.
Nutrition
Serving: 1gCalories: 527kcalCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 8gFat: 35gSaturated Fat: 19gPolyunsaturated Fat: 14gCholesterol: 142mgSodium: 190mgFiber: 3gSugar: 38g
Nutrition calculation is an estimation only. If you need nutritional calculations for medical reasons, please use a source that you trust.
Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!
Excerpted from Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child. Copyright © 1961 by Alfred A. Knopf. Reprinted with permission from the publisher Alfred A. Knopf, a division of Random House, Inc.
Reader Interactions
Let us know what you think!
We’d love to know what you and your family think! Make sure to leave a review below and follow us on your favorite social network!
Lisa says
French cooking should contain metric weights and measurements!!
Reply
Tara Noland says
Well I guess you need to complain to Julia Child as this is her recipe.
Reply
Jamie says
Hi, what’s a good substitute for the rum, other than coffee?
Reply
Tara Noland says
I would add 2 tsp. vanilla extract and omit the rum. Hope that helps.
Reply
Stacy says
Just followed your link from Katherine’s Julia blog hop and I love this cake! Especially the name. We’ve been invited to a dinner party next week and I am going to make this cake to bring.
Thanks so much for sharing in the link up!
Stacy
Reply
Noshing with the Nolands says
Thanks Stacy, it turned out to be really good!!! I will definitely make it again.
Reply
Tara! This cake is seriously to die for. I’ve been trying to decide what to do for my birthday cake. I was going to make cheesecake, and now I’m thinking I need to make a Queen of Sheba cake/cheesecake hybrid.
Your recipe has been featured at Wednesday Whatsits. Thanks so much for sharing and for making me hungry!
http://whitelightsonwednesday.blogspot.com/2012/06/wednesday-whatsits-14.htmlReply
Noshing with the Nolands says
Thanks so much for the feature Julie!!
Reply
Michelle says
Tara,
It worked! I don’t know why I didn’t see it earlier in the week but I’m so glad it showed up because it sounds delish! Thanks so much for stopping by Creative Thursday last week. I couldn’t do these parties without you. Can’t wait to see what you link up this week. Have a great week.
MichelleReply
Betsy says
what a gorgeous cake! 🙂
Sonia says
One of the best cakes I have ever had. LOVED it!
Reply
Noshing with the Nolands says
So glad you liked it Sonia!!
Reply
I adore Julia. This cake looks fantastic. I’d love for you to share this post at my link party. 🙂
http://whitelightsonwednesday.blogspot.com/2012/06/wednesday-whatsits-13.htmlReply
Noshing with the Nolands says
Thanks for the invite!!
Reply
Saskia Ericson says
Yum! This is truly my kind of cake. When chocolate features twice in an ingredient list, the recipe immediately goes into my ‘must try’ file. Lovely photo, especially the orange fabric and fab forks.
Reply
Noshing with the Nolands says
Thanks, I hope you try it you won’t be disappointed!!
Reply
Kimberly says
Very good! This is my kind of cake! I wonder if there is something to replace the rum for, can’t be coffee either. I’d like to invite you to link up to Fantastic Thursday. Hope to see you there. http://www.fivelittlechefs.com/2012/06/fantastic-thursday-link-party-1.html
Reply
Noshing with the Nolands says
Maybe substitute some vanilla extract but of course you wouldn’t want to add in as much.
Reply
Ally says
This looks outta this world delicious!
xo
http://allykayler.blogspot.ca/Reply
Colleen says
I can say, without a doubt, that this cake tasted as good as it looked.
Reply
Noshing with the Nolands says
Thanks Colls, I am glad you liked it!!
Reply
Noshing with the Nolands says
I will not make another chocolate cake.
Reply
Sandra says
I can only imagine that it tastes as good as it looks.
Reply
That is a gorgeous cake!! I would feel bad cutting into it! 🙂
Reply
Noshing with the Nolands says
Oh, it has been cut and consumed. I real winner!!!
Reply
Laura says
Beautiful photo! I bet it will make the front page of Foodgawker!
I made mine with coffee instead of rum so the flavour reminded me quite a bit of the Mousseline au Chocolat from Week 2, but the texture was completely different. And the icing! Oh the icing! Like chocolate-flavoured butter
🙂Reply
Noshing with the Nolands says
I found that the rum really enhanced the chocolate flavour and yes the icing, oh the icing!!!
Reply
Noshing with the Nolands says
I like your crystal ball, it is on the front page of Foodgawker!!! Thanks again Laura!!
Reply
carolinaheartstrings says
This looks just delicious! I would love to make some of her recipes. The time to start is now! Come visit us!
Reply
Noshing with the Nolands says
Julia’s recipes are the best. You must try some!!
Reply
Peter @Feed Your Soul says
very nice! julia would be proud.
Reply
Noshing with the Nolands says
Thanks Peter!
Reply
Leave A Reply!
This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.
