Hello, young Padawan
This end of spring resembling October, rain, cold and gray, I told myself that a little gourmet cake recipe would surely cheer you up, between puzzles and board games, with friends or family. The magnesium that the chocolate contains will help us to pass this rainy moment, I hope.
A little tribute to Suzanne, Paulette, and Jeanine, thanks to which I was able to make this delicious childhood souvenir cake. These three good fairies are the hens of a friend who lives not far from the mountains of La Clusaz, in the French alps, the only eggs I eat, so thank you, girls. Their friends are the marmots, the neighbor’s cows which make the famous reblochon cheese, Josée, the Golden Retriever, and the donkey, Léon. Yes, my friend is very inspired by the names of his animals; sorry if someone you know is called like one of them, but know for your information that I knew an architect whose Labrador was called Caroline. I was very proud to share my name with this blonde able to lick her feet. Indeed, the fact of not being so skillful taught me humility.
So, are you ready ? Let’s go.
The daily production at the start of the season from your faithful servant will go wonderfully with this cake.
La Reine de Saba – Queen of Saba cake.
For more or less six gourmets – Gluten-free recipe, for those who are concerned.
4,4 oz of baking chocolate (or 3/4 cup chocolate chips)
1/3 cup of butter or margarine
1/2 cup of powdered cane sugar
4 eggs from Suzanne, Paulette, and Jeanine (but you can also use organic eggs for example – or a small tray of silky tofu for the “yolks”, and the aquafaba (juice) of a medium box of chickpeas for the “whites”)
2 tbsp. cornstarch
1/2 cup ground almonds
1 pinch of vanilla powder or a sachet of vanilla sugar
1 pinch of salt
RECIPE
Butter a round cake mold, preheat the oven to 320 ° F.
Break the eggs, separate the whites from the yolks in two bowls.
In that of the yolks (or silky tofu), add the sugar, cornstarch, vanilla, and ground almonds. Stir well. Melt the chocolate cut into small squares (or chocolate chips) with the butter in a bain-marie, stir to obtain a smooth mixture. Add it to the preparation and stir well to obtain a uniform paste.
Beat the egg whites (or the aquafaba – must be very cold) with a pinch of salt. They must be soft and flexible, that is to say, well beaten, but not so firm that they are hard and can be cut into pieces, therefore “too” beaten. You know what I mean, “flexible.”
Incorporate them into the dough using a spatula or a wooden spoon, with love, glory, beauty, and without breaking the whites. The preparation should be airy, light, almost like a giant chocolate mousse. Almost, lol.
Pour the preparation into the mold and bake for 30-35 min at 320 °F. Monitor carefully from 25 min of cooking, depending on how your oven works. The cake should be baked but remain “hydrated” inside (see photo).
In real, it is even more tasty.
PRESENTATION
To highlight this superb cake, I accompany it with strawberries of my production and depending on the time it is : a nice glass of burgundy (red, and rather Côte de Nuits), or a “Strawberries-Guarana” tea from GreenMa or a “Tea to the Opera ” of Mariage Frères (it is also a red-fruit tea). Coffee lovers, you do what you want, lol – well, a friend of mine told me: choose a balanced-fruity coffee.
An option to transform this family cake into a chef’s dessert: Instead of the classic baking chocolate, replace with 3 oz of baking chocolate (or 1/2 cup chocolate chips) and 1,4 oz of Terra Etica “Super Fruit d’Amazonie” 65% chocolate ( found in European organic markets, for example, but also everywhere on the net – see photo below. For US or UK readers, you can found the equivalent of this chocolate at any Whole Foods Market or Target). The acerola and the orange essential oil it contains will add fruitily and a little classy touch to this cake. Accompany it with red fruits (strawberries, blueberries, raspberries), and voila, you’re at the french Crillon … Or almost, lol.
You are now ready to face the long rainy afternoons of spring 2021; all you have to do is agree on the board game you want to play with your family or friends!
XO ☔️
The “famous” chocolate that will transform your family cake into a great dessert. You can easily found an equivalent at Whole Foods Market or Target, for example.