Almond-Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Glaze - Queen of Sheba Cake

My eight-year-old son has a dream, he wants to open his own restaurant when he grows up. Every day after school when his homework is done he sits quietly and plans his dream. I have helped him to make layout of the kitchen, put together design of the tables and the milkshake bar. He even planned for piano to be put in the corner for the live entertainment. He already knows what kind of people he needs to hire, he learns about walk-in freezers, pantry and ovens. He started asking his school friends if they would like to take a position at his place and there is already someone who wants to take cleaning job. Menu with special drinks and desserts has been planned, business cards design has been prepared. And now we are getting to the most exciting part - cake. My dear son has asked me to teach him how to bake a restaurant quality chocolate cake. And there it is, ladies and gents: cake recipe for my son's future family friendly restaurant. It is rich, chocolaty with a crunch of almonds. This cake will  melt in your mouth and with some mint chocolate for your glaze it will come out refreshing!



This rich chocolate and almond cake is so moist it needs no filling. It is wonderful for entertaining as it can be made in advance and stored, well wrapped, in refrigerator, for up to three days.

Serves: 6

Ingredients:

• 2/3 cup almond flour or ground almonds
• 2/3 cup superfine sugar
• 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 5 oz. semisweet chocolate, melted
• 3 eggs, separated
• 2 Tbsp. almond liqueur (optional)

For the chocolate glaze:

• 8 oz. semisweet chocolate, chopped
• 2 Tbsp. unsalted butter
• 3/4 cup heavy cream
• chocolate decorations or chopped toasted almonds, to decorate the sides

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350F. Lightly butter an 7-8 inch spring form pan or deep loose-based cake pan. Line the base with nonstick baking paper and dust the pan lightly with flour.

In a medium bowl mix together the flour and ground almonds. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer until creamy, then add half of the sugar and beat for about 1-2 minutes until very light and creamy. Gradually beat in the melted chocolate until well blended, then add the egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition, and beat in the liqueur, if using.

In another bowl, beat the eggs white until soft peaks form. Add the remaining sugar and beat until the whites are stiff and glossy, but not dry. Fold a quarter of the whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it, then alternately fold in the almond mixture and the remaining whites in three batches. Spoon the mixture into the prepared pan and spread evenly. Tap the pan gently to release any air bubbles.

Bake for 40 - 45 minutes until the edge is puffed but center is still soft. Transfer the cake in its pan to a wire rack to cool for about 15 minutes, then remove the sides of the cake pan and let cool completely.

To make the chocolate glaze: bring the cream to a boil in a saucepan. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Stir gently until the chocolate has melted and is smooth, then add the butter. Cool for about 20 minutes until slightly thickened.

Place the cake on a wire rack over a baking sheet and pour over the warm chocolate glaze to cover the top completely. Using a spatula, smooth the glaze around the sides of the cake.Let stent for 5-10 minutes to set slightly, then carefully press the chocolate decorations or toasted almonds onto the sides of the cake. Chill the cake until ready to serve.