"A party without cake is just a meeting." - Julia Child

This blog took a longer time because I had to combine pictures from my phone, my camera, my brother's phone and his camera and shots from the great Jennifer Glasse's instagram.  Jenn is a fellow "food enthusiast" who jumped at the chance to help make a birthday cake for Bobby.  Because of our love of chocolate and Julia Child, the idea of baking her famous chocolate almond cake seemed both necessary and terrifying.  But a brother only turns 21 once. Even though, oddly enough, his sister continues to turn 25, year after year.

Recipe #29: Julia Child's "Queen of Sheba" Chocolate Almond Cake

Choice of libation: For Jenn and myself, La Granja Tempranillo ($4! Smooth!), for Chad, Short's Brewery Huma Lupa Licious (Michigan! Delightful hops!), for Bobby, milk (...).

Choice of music: Chocolate cake wasn't gift enough. Oh no.  We gave him the gift of T-Boz, Left Eye and Chilli since he'd never heard them before.  Try to reserve your judgement - he was born the year before CrazySexyCool came out.  You may now dissolve into tears.  Or Waterfalls, if you will.

The most important thing about this (and probably all Julia Child recipes) is that you don't veer too far away from the actual recipe.  Don't let our smiles in this picture fool you, we were both terrified of disappointing Julia.  But we were both still more adorable than Amy Adams in that one movie.  You know.  American Hustle.

Here is one of the only times I actually contributed to the making of this cake.  I buttered and floured the cake pan.  Jenn was very patient with me.

The recipe calls for rum OR coffee.  We laughed and figured that was a mistake.

Jenn combining the wet and dry ingredients like a champ

This was the part where we had to alternate adding the egg white and flour mixtures until everything was incorporated.   These are our pleasant concentrating faces.

Me: But Jenn, we already sifted the flour...

Jenn: The recipe asks us to do it again. This will make it smooth. 

You don't want to skip this step. 

Me: Oh. 

Is it done? When is it done? Is it done now? HOW ABOUT NOW???

So we had to wait awhile, even after the cake came out, it had to cool for two hours. TWO HOURS??? WHAT EVER WILL WE DO TO PASS THE TIME?! Oh, here's this television movie about TLC I had recorded on my DVR.  Perfect.  Honestly, the similarities were sometimes eerie.  And sometimes a bit of a stretch.  But I've seen worse TV movies. Much much worse.   

This will seem like it's taking forever, but I promise you it's worth it.  Once the cake is cooled you can start on the icing...

Yes.  Rum. Coffee. Chocolate.  More butter. 

Everyone, try not to drool into the cake.

You'd think that after all that, we'd dive right into eating.  But no.

This is 2014.  

We took about 20 minutes taking pictures of the cake, and taking pictures of each other taking pictures of the cake. Seriously.

Jenn: Oh, Bobby.  You HAVE to stand on this chair and take the picture from this angle.

Me: Bobby, aren't you going to eat the cake?

Bobby: Wait! Take a picture of me eating the cake!

Here is a picture of Bobby eating the cake.

Here is a picture of Jenn eating the cake.

(There is no picture of me eating the cake. 

Because I inhaled it in a corner without anyone seeing.

It was...Unpretty.)

The final step is to "press a design of almonds" over the icing, which we did, even though Jenn is allergic to almonds.  Bobby and I generously ate the side of the cake that had almonds on it. Because we're good people.

Oh man.  You guys. I mean, I will eat other chocolate cakes. And I will make other chocolate cakes. But, oh, Chocolate Almond Cake.  I am Diggin on You.

Stolen from

Mastering the Art of French Cooking by Julia Child

Reine de Saba avec Glaçage au Chocolat

(Chocolate and Almond Cake with Chocolate Icing)

This extremely good chocolate cake is baked so that its center remains slightly underdone; overcooked, the cake loses its special creamy quality. It is covered with a chocolate-butter icing, and decorated with almonds. Because of its creamy center it needs no filling. It can be made by starting out with a beating of egg yolks and sugar, then proceeding with the rest of the ingredients. But because the chocolate and the almonds make a batter so stiff it is difficult to fold in the egg whites, we have chosen another method, that of creaming together the butter and sugar, and then incorporating the remaining items.

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

4 ounces or squares semisweet chocolate melted with 2 Tb rum or coffee

1/4 lb. or 1 stick softened butter

2/3 cup granulated sugar

3 egg yolks

3 egg whites

Pinch of salt

1 Tb granulated sugar

2/3 cup pulverized almonds

1/4 tsp almond extract

1/2 cup cake flour (scooped and leveled) turned into a sifter

For the Icing:

2 ounces (2 squares) semisweet baking chocolate

2 Tb rum or coffee (*shh! we did 1 tb rum and 1 tb espresso)

5 to 6 Tb unsalted butter

Equipment:

A round cake pan 8 inches in diameter and 1-1/2 inches deep

A 3-quart mixing bowl

A wooden spoon or an electric beater

A rubber spatula

A cake rack

A small covered pan

A larger pan of almost simmering water

A wooden spoon

A bowl with a tray of ice cubes and water to cover them

A small flexible-blade metal spatula or a table knife

Instructions:

For the Cake:

Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).

Butter and flour the cake pan. Set the chocolate and rum or coffee in a small pan, cover, and place (off heat) in a larger pan of almost simmering water; let melt while you proceed with the recipe. Measure out the rest of the ingredients. Cream the butter and sugar together for several minutes until they form a pale yellow, fluffy mixture.

Beat in the egg yolks until well blended.

Beat the egg whites and salt in a separate bowl until soft peaks are formed; sprinkle on the sugar and beat until stiff peaks are formed.

With a rubber spatula, blend the melted chocolate into the butter and sugar mixture, then stir in almonds, and almond extract. Immediately stir one fourth of the beaten egg whites to lighten the batter. Delicately fold in a third of the remaining whites and when partially blended, sift on one third of the flour and continue folding. Alternate rapidly with more egg whites and more flour until all egg whites and flour are incorporated.

Turn the batter into the cake pan, pushing the batter up to its rim with a rubber spatula. Bake in middle level of preheated oven for about 25 minutes. Cake is done when it has puffed, and 2-1/2 to 3 inches around the circumference are set so that a needle plunged into that area comes out clean; the center should move slightly if the pan is shaken, and a needle comes out oily.

Allow cake to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Run knife around the edge of the pan, and reverse cake on the rack. Allow it to cool for an hour or two; it must be thoroughly cold if it is to be iced.

For the Icing:

Place the chocolate and rum or coffee in the small pan, cover, and set in the larger pan of almost simmering water. Remove pans from heat and let chocolate melt for 5 minutes or so, until perfectly smooth. Lift chocolate pan out of the hot water, and beat in the butter a tablespoon at a time. Then beat over the ice and water until chocolate mixture has cooled to spreading consistency. At once spread it over your cake with spatula or knife, and press a design of almonds over the icing.

Yield: For an 8-inch cake serving 6 to 8 people