Queen of Sheeba is a chocolate torte recipe written by Alice Medrich, and I found it on her book “Seriously Bitter Sweet — The ultimate Dessert Maker´s Guide to Chocolate”. The picture above this text is the Queen of Sheeba I made and as you can see it looks perfect! And believe it had a heavenly taste!!
For those of you who haven´t heard of Alice Medrich, let me introduce her to you. She is a famous baker who specializes in chocolate recipes, she is so wonderful that she´s also known as the “First Lady of Chocolate”. Alice has made TV appeareances in the Food Network and in Julia Child´s PBS Series, Cooking with Julia. Has authored many books including Bittersweet, which won the title of Cookbook of the Year and Best Book: Single Subject awards from IACP. Her latest book was released on May 2012 and it´s called Sinfully Easy Delicious Dessert, this is definitely the next book I will buy.
I´ve only tried one recipe from this book — yet. I reccomend 100% the recipe, it´s reliable, easy to follow and to understand. I advise you to check the book, she has many recipes that look delicious, and I am certain I´ll try them all and of course, share them with you!
This cake is very moist and dense. If you are not into bittersweet chocolate you might find it a little “bitter”, but if you love that kind of chocolate you will definitely love it!
You can find the book on amazon! It´s available on kindle format (for people outside the USA). Click here to see the book.
Since I made this cake the first time, I find myself craving it every now and then. The best part is that I sold 25 Queen of Sheeba for Mother´s Day last year!
THE RECIPE IS A LITTLE LONG BUT WELL EXPLAINED! ENJOY!
Ingredients for Torte
• 6 ounces bittersweet chocolate with 66%-70% cacao, coarsely chopped
• 10 tablespoons (5 ounces) unsalted butter, cut into pieces
• 3 tablespoons rum or brandy (or bourbon or whiskey…)
• 2 or 3 drops almond extract, optional
• 1/8 teaspoons salt
• 1/2 cup (2.5 ounces) whole almonds
• 2 tablespoons (.56 ounces) unbleached all purpose flour
• 4 large eggs, separated and at room temperature
• 3/4 cup (5.25 ounces) sugar
• 1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
Ingredients for Glaze, Marbling, and Finish
• 6 ounces bittersweet or semisweet chocolate (any cacao percentage is fine), cut into pieces
• 8 tablespoons (4 ounces) unsalted butter, coarsely chopped
• 1 tablespoon light corn syrup
• 1 ounce white chocolate, finely chopped (for marbling)
• 1 ounce milk chocolate, finely chopped (for marbling)
• About 1/3 cup (1 ounce) lightly toasted sliced
Special Equipment
• 8” x 3” springform or pan with a removable bottom
• 8-inch cardboard cake circle
1. To make the torte: Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line the cake pan with a circle of parchment paper. Leave the sides of the pan ungreased.
2. Place the chocolate and butter in a medium heatproof bowl in a wide skillet of barely simmering water. Stir occasionally until nearly melted. Remove from heat and stir until smooth and melted. Alternatively, melt the chocolate and butter in the microwave on MEDIUM (50%) power for about 2 minutes. Stir until smooth and completely melted. Stir in rum or brandy and almond extract, if using, and salt. Set aside.
3. Meanwhile pulse the nuts and flour in a food processor until the mixture has the texture of cornmeal. Set aside.
4. In a large bowl, whisk egg yolks with 1/4 cup of the sugar until well blended. Stir in chocolate mixture. Set aside.
5. In a clean dry bowl, with an electric mixer, beat egg whites and cream of tartar at medium speed until soft peaks form when the beaters are lifted. Gradually sprinkle in the remaining . cup sugar, beating at high speed (or medium-high speed in a heavy-duty mixer) until peaks are stiff but not dry. Sprinkle the nut mixture over the chocolate batter and scoop about one quarter of the egg whites on top. Fold with a large rubber spatula until partially blended. Scrape the remaining egg whites into the bowl and fold them in. Turn the batter into the prepared pan and tilt it to level the batter if necessary. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted about 1. inches from the edge emerges almost clean but a toothpick inserted in the center is still moist and gooey. Set the pan on a rack to cool.
6. The torte rises like a soufflé during baking, then falls as it cools, sometimes leaving a faintly crusty higher rim around the edges. Level the torte before removing it from the pan, as follows. Run a small plastic or metal spatula between the edges of the torte and the sides of the pan to detach it. Press the raised edges of the torte down with your fingers until it is level with the center. Place the cardboard cake circle on the torte. Release the sides of the pan (or push up on the removable bottom) and invert the torte so that the bottom becomes the top, then remove the pan bottom and paper liner. If the torte is still uneven or appears slightly sunken in the center, level it again by pressing the top firmly with the bottom of the empty cake pan. Wrap well and store at room temperature up to 3 days, or freeze for up to3 months. Bring to room temperature before serving, glazing, or decorating.
The cake will be crumbly and little pieces of the sides might fall off. Don´t panic, it´s normal and when you crumb coat it you won´t notice it. Make sure to press firmly and evenly on the cake, this is going to help it become more compact and that dense and moist structure I talked about at the beggining will show.
7. To make the glaze: Place the chocolate, butter, and corn syrup in a medium heatproof bowl. Set the bowl in the skillet of water over low heat, stirring frequently until almost completely melted. Remove glaze from water bath and set aside to finish melting, stirring once or twice until glaze is perfectly smooth. Stir mixture gently with a spatula or a wooden spoon until completely smooth; do not whisk or beat. Cool glaze, without stirring, until nearly set and the consistency of easily spreadable frosting.
8. To glaze and marble the torte: Transfer up to a quarter of the cooled glaze to another bowl. Use a metal icing spatula to spread the transferred glaze over the torte, in a thin layer, to smooth the rough surface, secure loose crumbs, and fill any cracks. This “crumb coat” will not be glossy or attractive. Its purpose is to provide a smooth, even undercoat for the final glaze. Be careful not to get any crumbs in the remaining glaze. Refrigerate the crumb-coated torte for about 10 minutes to set the crumb coat. Do not leave the torte in the refrigerator any longer, or the torte will be too cold and the glaze will not be pretty.
9. Melt the white and milk chocolates in two separate heatproof cups as follows: Reheat the water in the skillet until it comes to a simmer. Turn off the heat for 60 seconds before setting the cups of chocolate in it. Stir the chocolates until they are melted. Remove them and set aside until needed.
10. Re-warm the remaining cooled glaze in the skillet over low heat, stirring gently until the glaze is perfectly smooth, 90-92 degrees, and the consistency of heavy cream. If glaze is accidently overheated, cool it down again to the proper temperature before using. If there are crumbs or air bubbles in glaze, pour it through a fine strainer before using.
11. Center the torte on a platter or turntable. Have ready a clean, dry metal icing spatula, two small spoons for drizzling, and a skewer or fine artist’s brush for marbling. Pour all of glaze in the center of the top of the torte. Working quickly, and rotating the turntable, use just 2 or 3 spatula strokes to spread the glaze over the top of the torte so that it runs down over all sides. Use the spatula to scoop up excess glaze and touch it to any bare spots on the sides of the cake. Fix tiny bare spots by dipping a finger into the excess glaze and dabbing the bare spots. Immediately, while the glaze is still fluid, drizzle the white and milk chocolates randomly in an overlapping “scribble” all over the top of the torte. Immediately drag the skewer or artist’s brush through the glaze to create a marbled pattern. Rap the turntable gently to settle uneven glaze or skewer tracks.
12. Slide a wide spatula under the torte and remove it to a rack to dry at room temperature. Keep the torte as leveled as possible while you lift and transfer it so that the wet glaze on the top won’t shift before it sets. Glaze will set in 10-20 minutes. Press toasted nuts against the sides before the glaze has completely dried.
Store and serve at room temperature.
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