Aucbvax.6073
net.cooks
utcsrgv!utzoo!decvax!ucbvax!upstill
Thu Feb 4 08:32:43 1982
Neutron Cake
The real name of this chocolate cake is Queen of Sheba. It is an old
French recipe, and is of a different breed. A friend of mine calls the
genre 'neutron cakes' because they contain the highest density of
chocolate possible without exploding your tongue. The result of this
recipe (which is much easier with a food processor or blender) is a small,
supermoist, superdense cake which will surprise and delight any chocoholics
in the vicinity.
Queen of Sheba
from Mastering the Art of French Cooking, Vol. 1
PREHEAT
the oven to 350 degrees
BUTTER
an 8-inch cake pan and roll flour around inside to coat.
SIFT AND MEASURE
3/4-cup of cake flour, return to the sifter, and set aside.
BLANCH
about 1/2 cup of almonds. That is, throw them in boiling water, then
boil for about 30 seconds. Remove them to cold water and slip the skins
off. Then pulverize them in a blender or processor (you could even chop
them if you're determined enough) to a very fine, near-powdery state.
You want 1/3-cup of pulverization, but I've used twice as much with
no ill effects.
Add 1/4 teaspoon almond extract and set them aside.
MELT
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate with 2 tablespoons of dark rum or coffee
in a double boiler or something similarly gentle (say, a bowl in hot water).
Stir to blend and set aside.
SEPARATE
3 eggs, the whites into a beating bowl, the yolks into a cup or something.
BEAT
the egg whites with 1 tablespoon of sugar until you get a fairly stiff
meringue (i.e. stiff peaks).
CREAM
1 stick softened butter and 2/3 cup sugar. That is, beat until they form a
pale yellow mixture.
Beat the egg yolks into the butter/sugar mixture until well-blended.
Blend in the chocolate.
Now stir in the almond stuff.
Alternately add the egg whites by fourths and the flour by thirds.
(that is, lighten the batter with 1/4 of the egg whites by gently folding
them in until partially blended. Then add-and-partially-blend-by-folding
whites, flour, whites, flour, whites, flour. Gentleness is the watchword
here; half a dozen strokes should suffice each time, since it isn't
necessary to blend completely at each addition. A rubber spatula is the
perfect tool)
Finally, pour into the cake pan and bake for 25 minutes or so. Timing is
critical here (especially if you're not sure of your oven thermostat), since
the result should be slightly undercooked for maximum moistness. I find that
the best criterion is the toothpick test; a toothpick inserted halfway between
rim and center should be clean, but one inserted in the middle should still
come out with crumbs on it. Start checking after 20 mins.
Cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then on a cake rack (or on a bunch of
chopsticks on a plate) until completely cool, then frost with:
Chocolate Buttercream Icing
MELT
1 oz. semisweet baking chocolate
1 Tablespoon rum or coffee
in a double boiler or etc. as above
BEAT in
by tablespoons, 3 tablespoons UNSALTED butter (sorry, the unsalted butter
IS important), preferably softened beforehand (makes it easier).
Suspend the double boiler/bowl in some cool water and stir the mixture until
of spreading consistency.
Real chocolate junkies may want to increase the amounts here by 50 or 100%.
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