9799692b348 Nivedhanam: Eggless Reine de Saba or Chocolate Almond Cake

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Eggless Reine de Saba or Chocolate Almond Cake

Reine De Saba (also known as Queen of Sheba) cake is a very rich chocolate cake. It has a chocolate cream icing and it looks picture perfect when decorated with the almonds. Nice color combination with almonds and chocolate contrasting each other. I got this recipe from the Baking Partners group and this cake was this month's recipe. The recipe is originally from the famous chef - Julia Child. As a honor to the cooking legend, posting her famous recipe on her 100th birthday. This cake is very delicate as it has very less flour and is little fragile when out of the oven. If you overcook it will NOT be creamy and rich. This cake is a challenge for me as I had to substitute many ingredients like egg, rum, cake flour, coffee, did not have an 8 inch pan which is the recommended size. So most of the ingredients are substituted!!! Generally in recipes if you are substituting one or two eggs, it is much easier than substituting 3 large eggs. Anyway I had a lot of good learning from this recipe and everybody loved this cake. This cake does not rise much like other cakes and is not much spongy but more rich, thick and densely chocolate. You taste chocolate, chocolate and chocolate!!!!.
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Ingredients


Semi Sweet Chocolate - 4 ounces + 3 ounces
Butter - 80 grams + 4 table spoons (softened)
Oil - 35 grams
Egg Replacer (Ener G) - 1 table spoon
Warm water - 4 table spoons
Unsweetened Applesauce - 1/2 cup
Almonds Powder - 1/3 cup
Salt - A pinch
Sugar - 2/3 cup
Almond Extract - 1/4 tea spoon
All Purpose Flour - 1/2 cup minus 1 tea spoon
Corn Starch - 1 tea spoon
Baking Powder - 1/4 tea spoon
Grape Juice - 2 table spoons + 2 table spoons
Sliced Almonds - for garnish

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Method
Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C
Butter and Flour the cake pan well and set aside. This step is very key as the cake is very soft, so if you do not do this step well, your cake might get stuck to the pan
Using double boiler method - have a pan of simmering water and keep a heat proof bowl (preferably with handle) over the pan of simmering water. The bowl on top should have a wider mouth and be able to sit on the pan. The water in the pan below should not touch the top bowl
Add 4 ounces chocolate and 2 table spoons grape juice and stir continuously until the chocolate is 75% melted. Again make sure that you do not heat it until the chocolate is 100% melted as the heat in the mixture will melt the remaining chocolate when taken out at 75% itself. Allow this to cool
In another bowl, sieve together flour, corn starch, salt and baking powder.
Add the almonds powder to the dry ingredients and set aside
Add water to the egg replacer mixture and set aside for 5 minutes. Now beat it vigorously until the mixture becomes gooey
Beat the 80 grams of butter with sugar until creamy and fluffy. This takes a long time when done by hand. But this step is also key.
Once creamy, add oil, apple sauce and almond extract and mix well
Mix in the dry ingredients and once well mixed, take 1/2 of the egg replacer mixture (it will be like sponge) and gently fold it in to the batter. Once well folded, add the remaining mixture and fold it in gently until all mixed
Transfer the batter to the greased pan and bake it for around 25 minutes or until the toothpick inserted in the outer ring comes clean and inserted in center comes oily. The center will be little shaky, but the sides will be set.
Remove the pan from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan for at least 30 minutes.
Remove from the pan and allow it to cool completely before icing it. I kept it in the refrigerator for 1 hour and removed it for icing
For icing, have a bowl of ice cubes with water ready. The bowl should hold the double boiler top bowl that we are going to use to make the icing
In a double boiler, add 3 ounces of chocolate and 2 table spoons of grape juice and melt the chocolate until 75% and remove from heat.
Add butter (a tablespoon at a time) one by one to the melted chocolate and whisk thoroughly to combine and add the next butter piece only when the previous one is completely mixed in.
Now keep the bowl on the ice water and stir continuously until it comes to a soft butter consistency - spreadable consistency.
Pour the icing on the cake and gently smooth it on top and down to the sides also
garnish with sliced almonds and almond powder as per choice and refrigerate for and hour and serve!!

36 comments :

  1. Perfectly baked cake,looks divine and beautiful presentation.
    Happy to know you through baking partners,happy baking!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Suja Thanks for your comments... Baking partners is a great way to know new people interested in Baking and happy to meet you through it..

      Thanks
      Sowmya

      Delete
  2. Love how you decorated the cake! And wow...it's eggless!

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  3. Sowmya, you done very well, kudos to make it eggless.Wonderful tribute to great cooking legend.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Swathi.. I love the Baking Partners group and happy to be part of it....

      Delete
  4. Sowmya, you did very well. Kudos to make it Eggless, Wonderful tribute to Great cooking legend.

    ReplyDelete
  5. Loved this eggless version.. Great job, Sowmya!!

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  6. Omg, cant believe its eggless, amazing job Sowmya, you have done it neatly and beautifully.

    ReplyDelete
  7. yummy cake and lovely decor.
    Thanks for linking it to sfsp event.

    Jagruti's Cooking Odyssey
    Super Foods~Super Power

    ReplyDelete
  8. Looks Great Sowmya. Its perfect eggless wonder. You were lucky with Ener G

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  9. Amazing job done by you Soumya. You had choosen apple juice & grape juice. OMG! absolutely delicious cake dear. Glad to know you through baking partner. Happy Baking dear! Thanks for leaving so nice comment on my space Soumya.

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Sanoli, Thanks for your comments. Baking partners is a great way to know new people interested in Baking and happy to meet you through it..

      Thanks
      Sowmya

      Delete
  10. very yummy and awesome... all you people rocking in this cake...
    VIRUNTHU UNNA VAANGA

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  11. your eggless version looks just as good

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  12. Lovely eggless version...Beautiful and perfect...

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  13. Love your eggless version! Nice presentation too.
    Have a nice day!
    Anuja

    ReplyDelete
  14. Wow Wonderful presentation..Looks delicious..

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  15. Sooooooooooo beautiful and perfect. :) :) Do visit my blog http://tangymind.blogspot.com.Please drop any comments and awaiting to hear from u.. Happy to follow you Do follow me back dear :)
    Glad to know about you in baking partners :)

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Achu, Thanks for your comments. Visited your space and am following you too..

      Thanks
      Sowmya

      Delete
  16. You did a fantastic job on this eggless cake! I love how you decorated it! Beautiful. Happy to be in Baking Partners with you!

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Thanks Reeni.. Baking partners is a great way to know new people interested in Baking and happy to meet you through it..

      Thanks
      Sowmya

      Delete
  17. yummy yummy cake.. great presentation :)

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  18. Your eggless cake looks perfect and delicious! We loved our cake.

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  19. Hi sowmya, First time here, you have a lovely space, nice to have met you through baking partners, I made an eggless version too.., yours look so beautiful and lovely decoration too..happy following you dear

    ReplyDelete
    Replies
    1. Hi Jayasri, Thanks for your comments. Your eggless version looks good too... Baking partners is a great way to know new people interested in Baking and happy to meet you through it..

      Thanks
      Sowmya

      Delete
  20. Hi Dear,
    Your cake is just so tempting.

    Check my first EVENT and GIVEAWAY.
    http://paricashkitchen.blogspot.in/2012/09/first-event-and-give-away-and-badges.html

    ReplyDelete
  21. Gosh, this one is one of the best chocolate cakes I've seen. I loved that addition of almonds there in such a creative way. :)

    ReplyDelete

Dear Friends,
Thank you for reading my blog post. Your comments and feedback is very valuable and I appreciate it very much. Please leave your valuable comments and feedback for this post. Thanks Sowmya

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