This recipe for chocolate-almond cake is four hundred years old, and was passed down orally in one Bayonne family from mother to daughter in Spanish, Ladino, and then French. The accent of rum was probably introduced in the seventeenth century. My guess is that at first the eggs would have been whole, and later separated, the whites whipped to give it more height, probably in the eighteenth century. This cake can be made with matzo cake meal for Passover.
Recipe information
Yield
1 cake, serving 8 people, or twenty-four 1-inch circles or squares
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees, and grease a 9-inch springform or cake pan.
Step 2
Melt the chocolate in the top of a double boiler over low heat. Let cool slightly.
Step 3
Cream the butter or margarine with the granulated sugar and salt in the bowl of an electric mixer equipped with a paddle.
Step 4
Mix the cooled, melted chocolate into the butter. Then add the egg yolks, one at a time, beating well after each addition. Finally, mix in the vanilla, almonds, and flour or cake meal.
Step 5
In a clean bowl, with clean beaters, beat the egg whites to stiff peaks. Fold the egg whites into the cake batter.
Step 6
Pour into the springform pan, and bake for 30 to 35 minutes, inserting a cake tester or toothpick to make sure it is done. Cool on a rack, and unmold.
Step 7
To make the glaze, dissolve the confectioners’ sugar in the rum and 1 tablespoon water. Mix well. Pour the glaze over the cooled cake. This cake can also be cut into 1-inch circles or squares before glazing. If you wish, garnish with raspberries, and serve with a dollop of whipped cream.
