Julia Child’s Chocolate Almond Cake may just be my new favorite cake. It’s incredibly rich and decadent. The center is purposefully undercooked, leaving a fudgy center you’ll crave long after the cake is gone.

Chocolate Almond Cake, rich and decadent! completelydelicious.com

After spending two weeks away on vacation, I very much enjoyed coming home and slipping into our old routine— grocery shopping on monday, laundry on thursday, pizza night on friday. I also relished returning to my kitchen. It felt so good to be cooking and baking again.

And after weeks of talking about things like sugar and canning on the blog, I wanted to share a purely beautiful and completely delicious indulgence. Like this chocolate cake.

Chocolate Almond Cake, rich and decadent! completelydelicious.com

And not just any chocolate cake, Julia Child’s chocolate almond cake from Mastering the Art of French Cooking. If you were only to bake one chocolate cake for the rest of your life, this may be it. It’s not super fancy, with multiple layers, a complicated filling, and intricate decorating, and it doesn’t need any of that. It’s perfect as it is.

I left the recipe as she wrote it, with one exception. I could barely frost half of the cake with the chocolate butter frosting recipe provided, so I made another batch. I’ve given the recipe below with the doubled icing, but feel free to cut it in half if you’d like to try it with less.

Chocolate Almond Cake, rich and decadent! completelydelicious.com
Chocolate Almond Cake, rich and decadent! completelydelicious.com

baking tip:How to fold ingredients together

“Folding” is a method of combining ingredients without knocking the air out of the mixture, such as the folding of egg whites and batter to make this chocolate almond cake. Here’s how it’s done:

  • Use a rubber spatula and make sure your bowl is big enough
  • Add 1/4 of the lighter ingredients (i.e. whipped egg whites) to the batter to lighten it
  • Fold the remaining egg whites in small batches
  • Using the spatula, cut through the egg whites at 90 degree angle to the bottom of the bowl
  • Scoop of the batter and fold it on top of itself and the egg whites.
  • Rotate bowl a quarter turn and repeat only just until the lighter ingredients are incorporated into the batter.
More Baking Tips »

Chocolate Almond Cake, rich and decadent! completelydelicious.com

get the recipe

Chocolate Almond Cake

Servings: 8 servings
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 25 mins
Cooling Time: 25 mins
Total Time: 1 hr 20 mins
Julia Child’s Chocolate Almond Cake is incredibly rich and decadent. Be sure not to over bake or you'll destroy its fudgy center.
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4.80 from 5 votes

Ingredients

For the cake:

  • 4 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate , chopped (113 grams)
  • 2 tablespoons rum or coffee
  • ½ cup unsalted butter , at room temperature (113 grams)
  • ⅔ cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar , divided (132 grams)
  • 3 large eggs , separated
  • Pinch of salt
  • ⅓ cup almond flour/meal (35 grams)
  • ¼ teaspoon almond extract
  • ½ cup cake flour , sifted (57 grams)

For the icing:

  • 4 ounces semisweet or bittersweet chocolate , chopped (113 grams)
  • ¼ cup rum or coffee (60 ml)
  • ¾ cup unsalted butter , at room temperature (170 grams)
  • Slivered almonds for garnish

Instructions

To make the cake:

  • Preheat oven to 350°F. Butter and flour an 8-inch round cake pan and line with parchment paper.
  • Combine the chopped chocolate and coffee or rum in a small bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir as the chocolate melts and remove from heat as soon as it's smooth. Set aside to cool.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and 2/3 cup sugar until pale and creamy. Add the 3 egg yolks and beat until thick. Add the cooled melted chocolate. Stir in the almond extract and almond meal/flour and mix until just combined.
  • In a separate bowl and with a whisk attachment, whip the 3 egg whites and salt on high speed until foamy. Slowly add the tablespoon of sugar and whip to stiff peaks.
  • Add ¼ of the whipped egg whites to the batter and fold gently until combined. Add and fold in the remaining whites in 3 additions, alternating with the sifted cake flour. Fold only until the streaks of egg whites disappear, do not overmix.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan. Bake until the edges are set but the center still jiggles when the pan is bumped, about 25 minutes.
  • Let cool 10 minutes, then run a knife around the edges to remove cake from pan and place on a wire rack to cool completely.

To make the icing:

  • Combine the chopped chocolate and coffee or run in a small bowl placed over a saucepan of simmering water. Stir as the chocolate melts and remove from heat as soon as it's smooth.
  • Add the butter a tablespoon at a time and use a whisk to beat it into the chocolate. Whisk until smooth.
  • Let the icing cool to a spreadable consistency, stirring it every 5 minutes or so. It should take about 15-20 minutes, depending on the temperature of your kitchen.
  • Spoon the icing on top of the cooled cake and spread it to cover. Garnish with slivered almonds.
Recipe from Mastering the Art of French Cooking.

Nutrition

Calories: 562kcal, Carbohydrates: 38g, Protein: 6g, Fat: 44g, Saturated Fat: 25g, Cholesterol: 139mg, Sodium: 31mg, Potassium: 196mg, Fiber: 3g, Sugar: 27g, Vitamin A: 990IU, Calcium: 45mg, Iron: 2mg
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: French
Author: Annalise
Have you tried this recipe?I’d love to hear about it! Leave a review below or take a photo and tag it on Instagram @completelydelicious with #completelydelicious.