A gluten-free French almond flour chocolate cake, known as Queen of Sheba cake. Usually served for special occasions, it's topped with a rum glaze and toasted flaked almonds.
Flourless Almond Flour Chocolate Cake
This Reine de Saba cake is a gluten free recipe as it contains almond flour instead of wheat flour. Cornflour (or potato flour) thickens the batter instead of all-purpose or cake flour.
Chocolate Almond Cake Recipe
Following on from our classic Chocolate Fondant Cake, this Reine de Saba cake recipe was inspired by '50 Best Chocolate Recipes' by France Loisirs. Many years ago, it was popped into my Christmas shopping bag at the checkout in a kitchen appliance shop in Paris's 16th. If you know the chic 16th in Paris (where I worked), getting anything free here is pretty unusual, so I treasured it.
I experimented with the Reine de Saba recipe, using various moulds, toppings, and adjustments like less sugar and added rum. This is the final result.
As with all my chocolate recipes, use the best quality dark chocolate (minimum 64% cocoa solids).
Weigh out the broken chocolate bits and the diced butter in a heatproof bowl and melt them over a pan of simmering water (double boiler or bain-marie). Mix together until just melted and set aside.
Preheat the oven and either grease the cake tin with a little butter or line it with parchment paper - see FAQ on how to line a cake tin.
Separate the eggs: place the 4 egg whites in a large clean bowl to whip them later. In another bowl, place the 3 egg yolks and whisk together with the sugar until light and creamy. Add the cornflour, vanilla and stir in the almond flour. Add in the melted chocolate, alcohol if using, and mix together. Set aside at room temperature.
Whisk the egg whites with the salt in either a stand mixer or using an electric hand whisk. When the whites are whipped up and firm, gently fold into the chocolate and almond mixture.
Pour the batter into the cake tin and bake for about 20 minutes. Leave to cool then transfer to a wire rack to cool further.
Queen of Sheba Cake Glaze with Rum
Mix together the icing/powdered sugar with the rum and lemon juice until a spreadable consistency. Spread the glaze over the cooled cake using a warm palette knife or large flat knife. Dry fry to toast the flaked almonds, leave to cool then sprinkle over the cake.
The icing glaze has a few possibilities. While Julia Child made hers with a chocolate glaze, this French recipe's glaze is without chocolate. If you prefer with, then add a couple of teaspoons of unsweetened cocoa powder or make this Parisian chocolate glaze from Patrick Roger's layered chocolate cake.
Reine de Saba Cake's History
The Reine de Saba cake is most popular in America, thanks to Julia Child. She once tasted it in Paris and went on to make the recipe, catapulting it into almond flour chocolate cake stardom.
Despite living in France for over three decades, I've struggled to trace the origins of this French Saba cake. Even my pastry chef friends and renowned culinary guides like Escoffier, Larousse Gastronomique, even Alexandre Dumas, offer no clues.
I discovered Marie-Hélène de Taillac's Reine de Saba recipe in Philippe Conticini's 'Souvenirs Gourmands.' She recalls enjoying this cake annually for her birthday and uses a blend of dark and milk chocolate in her version.
This recipe is not the same as Julia Child's: it's lighter with much less butter and sugar and it's gluten free.
So for its history, it's a mystery here in France. If you have any exciting leads as to where it came from, please let me know in the comments below.
La Reine de Saba Meaning
Little did I know when I married my Frenchman in 1997 that the Queen of Sheba is la Reine de Saba in French. So imagine, years later, how it was music to my ears to hear that the French make a gluten-free chocolate cake called the Queen of Sheba. An almond flour chocolate cake, or Reine de Saba is a welcome arrival to any party, topped with a silky boozy glaze.
I loved to play Handel's 'Arrival of the Queen of Sheba' as a piano duet with my bestie, Lynda, growing up in Edinburgh. Even the day I married my Frenchman, I came down the aisle with Dad to the music, playing Queen for a whole day. Gounod wrote music for the Queen of Sheba too - listen to the waltz. It's beautiful.
There's also a Reine de Saba museum in Paris, particularly dedicated to Yemen.
Serving Ideas for La Reine de Saba Cake
The rum glaze makes this a special recipe for birthdays or a Christmas or New Year's dessert. It's our favourite topping on our local speciality, le Saint-Germain French almond cake without the chocolate.
Alternatively, top or replace the glaze with freshly whipped Chantilly cream and scatter over some gold leaf, just for an extra Queen of Sheba effect.
This chocolate almond cake is delicious served with a Chai crème Anglaise. To keep this dessert gluten free, serve with Chestnut and Vanilla ice cream or salted caramel macarons - and it's fit for a Queen!
Almond Flour Chocolate Cake (Gâteau Reine de Saba)
Equipment
- springform cake tin (20cm/8-inch) or regular cake tin lined with parchment paper
Ingredients
Reine de Saba Cake
- 125 g (4.5oz/¾ cup) dark (bittersweet) chocolate (at least 64% cacao)
- 75 g (3oz/ ⅓ cup) butter unsalted, diced
- 3 large eggs separated (organic/free-range)
- 1 egg white
- 75 g (3oz/ ⅓ cup) sugar
- 75 g (3oz/ ¾ cup) almond flour (ground almonds)
- 1 tablespoon potato flour or cornflour (Maïzena)
- 2 drops vanilla extract (or ½ teaspoon vanilla powder)
- pinch salt (fleur de sel)
- 1 tablespoon dark rum optional
For the Glaze:
- 100 g (7 tbsp) icing (confectioner's) sugar
- 2 tablespoon dark rum see NOTES
- 1 tablespoon lemon juice
- 2 tablespoon flaked almonds
Instructions
Chocolate Almond Cake
- Weigh out the broken chocolate bits and the diced butter in a heatproof bowl and melt them over a pan of simmering water (double boiler or bain-marie). Ensure the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl so not to overcook the chocolate. Mix together until just melted and set aside.
- Preheat the oven to 200°C/400°F (180°C fan/Gas 6). Either grease the cake tin with a little butter or line with parchment paper (see FAQ on how to line the tin).
- Separate the eggs: place the 4 egg whites in a large clean bowl to whip them later. In another bowl, place the 3 egg yolks and whisk together with the sugar until light and creamy. Add the cornflour, vanilla and stir in the ground almonds. Add in the melted chocolate, alcohol if using, and mix together. Set aside at room temperature.
- Whisk the egg whites with the salt in either a stand mixer or using an electric hand whisk. When the whites are whipped up and firm, gently fold into the chocolate and almond mixture.
- Pour the batter into the cake tin and bake for about 25 minutes. Remove from the oven to cool then transfer to a wire rack to cool further.
Rum Glaze:
- Mix together the icing/powdered sugar with the rum and lemon juice until a spreadable consistency. Spread the glaze over the cooled cake using a warm palette knife or large flat knife. Dry fry to toast the flaked almonds. Leave to cool then sprinkle over the cake.
Notes
- Without alcohol - replace with 2 tablespoons orange juice or 1 tablespoon water and an extra tablespoon lemon juice.
- Unlike Julia Child's recipe this glaze is without chocolate. If you prefer with, add 2 teaspoon of unsweetened cocoa powder or follow the glaze recipe for this Parisian layered chocolate cake.
This recipe was first published 18 December 2019 but now completely updated.
Rebecca
Would you think this cake would be good for a Bundt pan / Nordic Ware mould pan? I usually make quatre quarts cakes in my pans.
Jill Colonna
It would be lovely in a Bundt pan, Rebecca. It depends on the size, however. If much bigger, make double quantities and bake for longer.
Peggy Woods
I love dark chocolate and this gluten-free cake has my name on it. Thanks for your recipe.
Jill Colonna
It's a pleasure - enjoy it, Peggy.
sherry
looks lovely. merry xmas! cheers sherry
Jill Colonna
Thanks, Sherry. Have a delicious Christmas season.
Jacqueline Meldrum
That looks rich and amazing. I could fair tuck into that rich now for a much needed energy boost.
Jill Colonna
Thanks, Jacqueline - welcome to le blog! Funnily enough, it's not that rich - even with top quality dark chocolate, as there's less butter in it than the chocolate fondant cake, for example (that one is much richer). Have a lovely energetic Christmas!
Janice Pattie
This sounds absolutely heavenly and perfect for any celebration. Wishing you and your family a very Happy Christmas.
Jill Colonna
Thanks so much for popping in, Janice. Wishing you also a wonderful Christmas to you and your family x
Kavita Favelle
I speak fairly fluent French and really hadn't made the connection that the Reine de Saba is the Queen of Sheba! In any case, I hadn't come across this lovely looking cake that is named for her, it looks wonderful!
Jill Colonna
I'm so happy to have introduced you to this, Kavita. I didn't realise about the Queen of Sheba either for a while! Have a delicious Christmas x
Betty
Looks like the perfect festive dessert for Christmas, Dear Jill! Wishing you lots of fun and lovely time with loved ones!
Jill Colonna
Thanks so much, Betty. Cheers to you and yours for a most delicious, merry Christmas.
Christina Conte
Oh my goodness, what a dreamy cake! I just love the rum glaze and that you came upon the recipe and decided to make it right away this time. I love your story, and have to say, you better get to that museum before I do! 😉
Jill Colonna
Something tells me you'll get to the museum first at this rate, Christina. I'm going to make that cake yet again, as Julie has made it home in spite of the strikes - yippee!