Oh, and here's the recipe, which I had typed up for a Valentine's Day cooking class
It was kind of cruel now that I think about it--preceding a night of love with a dessert that is, by definition, so much better.
QUEEN OF SHEBA
from Julia Child's The Way to Cook. The trick to this cake is to underbake it so the center stays soft, like mousse.
For an 8" cake, 1½ inches high, but rich enough to serve 8 easily.
3 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
1 oz. unsweetened chocolate
2 Tbs. strong coffee
4 oz. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
½ cup sugar
3 egg yolks
3 egg whites, at room temperature
¼ tsp. cream of tartar
A pinch of salt
2 Tbs. sugar
1/3 cup blanched almonds pulverized in a
processor with 2 Tbs. sugar
1/4 tsp. almond extract
1/2 cup plain bleached cake flour (scooped
and leveled) in a sifter set on wax paper
Butter an 8" round cake pan with 1 1/2" to 2" sides. Put a round of parchment or wax paper in the pan and butter the paper.
Pulverize the almonds and measure the flour. Preheat the oven to 325* with the rack in the lower middle.
Combine the 2 chocolates and the coffee in a covered saucepan. Bring a ½ inch of water to simmer in a skillet. Remove from heat and set the chocolate pan in the hot water. It will melt in 5-10 minutes. Whisk smooth. Keep tepid.
Cream the butter in a mixer. When soft and fluffy, add the ½ cup sugar and beat 1 minute, then beat in the egg yolks.
With clean bowl and beaters whip the egg whites on medium speed until foamy. Add cream of tartar and salt and whip to soft peaks. Add 2 Tbs. sugar, increase speed and whip to stiff peaks.
Mix the chocolate into the butter mixture. Mix in the almonds and almond extract.
Stir 1/4 of the egg whites into the batter to lighten it. Pile the rest on top of the batter and fold them in gently, sprinkling in the flour as you go. Fold just until everything is incorporated. Spread into the prepared pan and tilt it up the sides, then put in the preheated oven.
Bake about 25 minutes, or until it has puffed and a toothpick inserted near the edge of the pan comes out clean. The center, however, should move slightly when the pan is gently shaken.
Remove to a rack and let cool 15 minutes. Unmold onto a rack covered with a piece of parchment, (otherwise, the gooey center might ooze through the rack.), and let cool completely, about 2 hours, before storing or icing.
Invert onto a platter or cake round. You can cover and refrigerate for several days.
To freeze: The unfrosted cake freezes beautifully. Flip it onto a foil-covered cake round and wrap in plastic, then slip into a resealable plastic bag.
SOFT CHOCOLATE ICING:
(Don't bother cleaning the chocolate pan if you're making frosting the same day)
1½ Tbs. rum
1½ tsp. sugar
2 oz. semisweet or bittersweet chocolate
1 oz. unsweetened chocolate
A pinch of salt
3 oz. (6 Tbs.) unsalted butter, room temp.
Put the rum in a saucepan with the sugar and set in a skillet of simmering water until sugar is dissolved. Add the chocolates and melt as before. When smooth and glistening beat in the salt, then beat in the butter a tablespoon at a time. Remove from the hot water and beat over cold water until firm enough to spread. Frost the top and sides of the cake.
Serve at room temp. If you have successfully underbaked the cake it may be difficult to slice. Use a knife dipped in hot water and wiped clean, or you may want to cut it while chilled and let the slices come to room temperature
(CHOCOLATE NOTES: The combination of sweet and bitter chocolates in this recipe gives it a boost. Julia’s recipe calls for sweet chocolate, and the photos show her using German’s Sweet Chocolate in the green box. I find bittersweet chocolate (i.e. Trader Joe's Pound Plus) both better and less expensive. It works well for the cake without adjusting the sugar. For the frosting, I have added a scant tsp. sugar per ounce of bittersweet chocolate to compensate, adding it to the rum and heating to dissolve before melting the chocolate.
In the past I have tried subbing bittersweet or semisweet chocolate for both chocolates but the effect isn’t the same as the combination)
