Queen of Sheba - the ultimate chocolate cake
 
Preparation time
Cooking time
Total time
 
Author:
Recipe type: Cake
Cuisine: Baking
Serves: 8
Ingredients
For the cake
  • 4ozs/115g plain chocolate (minimum 55% cocoa solids)
  • 2 tablespoon dark rum
  • 4ozs/115g unsalted butter
  • 4ozs/115g caster sugar
  • 3 large eggs whisked together
  • Pinch of salt
  • 1 tablespoon caster sugar
  • 2ozs/55g ground almonds
  • ¼ tsp. almond essence
  • 2ozs/55g plain flour
For the icing
  • 2ozs/55g plain chocolate
  • 1 tablespoon dark rum
  • 2ozs/55g unsalted butter
Instructions
For the cake
  1. Heat oven to 350F/180C/160C fan.
  2. NB As a guide, if using a fan oven, which is hotter than other ovens, allow for a cooking temperature 10C less than the recipe states.
  3. Put the chocolate (I used Lindt 70%) and the rum into a small bowl and melt over hot, but not boiling water until the chocolate has melted. No need to stir continually, wait till the chocolate melts and then stir to mix thoroughly. Remove from heat and leave to cool for 5-10 minutes.
  4. Cream butter and caster sugar together in a bowl and once soft and fluffy slowly add the whisked egg yolks into the mixture and combine.
  5. With a spatula blend melted chocolate/rum mixture into the creamed butter mixture and then add the ground almonds and ¼ tsp of almond extract until all mixed in together.
  6. In a separate bowl whisk all three egg whites together along with a pinch of salt and a tbsp. of caster sugar until stiff peaks are formed.
  7. Finally, gently fold in ¼ of the egg whites followed by ⅓rd of the sifted plain flour into the chocolate mixture. Continue to fold in alternating between egg white and flour until all incorporated.
  8. Pour into an 8” diameter x 2” high sided cake tin, which has previously been lined with well-buttered greaseproof paper spreading the mixture evenly with a spatula.
  9. Bake in middle of preheated oven for about 15-20 minutes.
  10. Cake is done when it has puffed, and 21/2 to 3 inches around the circumference are set so that a needle plunged into that area comes out clean; the centre should move slightly if the tin is shaken, and a needle comes out oily. In other words, the cake should be slightly undercooked in the centre.
  11. When cake is done, allow to cool in the tin, which has been place on a cake rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge of the tin, and reverse cake of the rack. Remove greaseproof paper and allow cake to cool for an hour or two; it must be thoroughly cold of it is to be iced.
For the icing
  1. Melt the chocolate with the rum over hot water as carried out for the cake. When chocolate is completely melted, remove from heat and add butter a tablespoonful at a time stirring continuously.
  2. Do not make second addition until first one has completely melted. Continue in this way until all the butter has been amalgamated into the chocolate/rum mixture. (If the mixture cools too much, you might have to place the bowl over hot water again to warm it slightly in order to mix in any remaining butter still continuing to stir all the time.)
  3. Next place the bowl in a shallow bath of cold water and continue stirring until the mixture thickens to the consistency of whipped cream. Remove bowl from cold water, then scrape out contents onto top of cake and spread evenly over the entire surface with a spatula.
Recipe by Edinburgh Foody at http://www.edinburghfoody.com/2016/04/21/queen-of-sheba-the-ultimate-chocolate-cake/