This one-layer chocolate almond cake is both dense and light, supremely chocolatey, a little bit boozy, and honestly one of the best things that has ever come out of this chocolate lover's tiny kitchen.

"This cake was incredible! It had the most decadent crumb and the frosting was to die for. And your pictures are stunning! Mine wasn't as pretty but still tasted great!" - Nicole

Photo byRebecca Blackwell/ ofbatteranddough.com

This simple, elegant, one-layer French chocolate almond cake is adapted from Julia Child's Mastering the Art of French Cooking Volume 1.

I made Julia's cake many years ago for my husband's birthday, not long after I'd received the two-volume set as a gift from my mom. The cake somehow manages to be both dense and light, which I know is a confusing way to describe it, but that is actually the truth.

Last month, as I thought about what kind of cake I wanted to make for my husband's birthday this year, Julia's cake popped into my mind.

After tinkering with the recipe to create a simple one layer cake that was rich, tender, deeply chocolate, and simple to make, I spread on some chocolate orange buttercream, snapped some photos, and presented my husband with a slice of birthday cake, no candles or singing, in the middle of the afternoon.

He did not complain.

Photo byRebecca Blackwell/ ofbatteranddough.com

The cake uses considerably less flour than one might expect - just ½ cup of cake flour - so its texture is a little bit similar to a flourless chocolate cake. While Julia's recipe calls for the baker to pulverize almonds with some sugar, I found that toasted almond flour was a simpler option and added a touch of almond flavor while keeping a softer, more tender texture.

I opted for brown sugar instead of granulated white sugar because brown sugar adds flavor and makes the cake even more moist and fudgy. I also bumped up the amount of almond extract and chocolate and added an extra egg yolk.

The result is a chocolate and almond cake that is rich, deeply chocolate, and full of flavor without even approaching the line of overly sweet. The recipe includes no chemical leaveners (like baking soda or baking powder), relying instead on beaten egg whites to create some rise in the batter while the cake bakes.

In contrast to fluffy butter cakes like Devil's Food Cake or Chocolate Brownie Cake, this cake is thin and dense, much closer to a chocolate almond torte than what we Americans usually think of as "cake".

Regardless of how you want to describe it, call it delicious because this chocolate almond cake is absolutely delightful.

Photo byRebecca Blackwell/ ofbatteranddough.com

Recipe: Chocolate Almond Cake

This recipe was originally published on ofbatteranddough.com. For step-by-step photos and instructions, please see the original recipe: Chocolate Almond Cake

• ⅓ cup (32 grams) almond flour
• 6 ounces (170 grams/ 1 cup, chopped) semi sweet chocolate
• 2 tablespoons rum or brewed coffee
• 1 stick (4 ounces/ 113 grams) butter, at room temperature (I used salted)
• ½ teaspoon almond extract
• ⅔ cup (142 grams) packed light or dark brown sugar
• 4 large egg yolks, at room temperature
• 3 large egg whites, at room temperature
• 1 tablespoon (12.5 grams) granulated sugar
• ½ cup (60 grams) cake flour
• ¼ teaspoon table salt (OR - ½ teaspoon kosher salt)
• 1 recipe Chocolate Orange Buttercream
• Optional: chopped roasted and salted almonds and finely grated orange zest for sprinkling over the top of the frosted cake. Candied Orange Slices also make a delicious garnishment for this cake.

1. Add the almond flour to a skillet and set it over medium heat. Let the almond flour cook, stirring frequently, until about 50% of it is a dark golden brown and the rest of it is light golden brown. Remove from the heat, scrape into a bowl and let cool completely.
2. Heat the oven to 350° F (176° C) Coat the inside of an 8-inch round cake pan with butter or vegetable shortening. Line the bottom of the pan with a round of parchment and rub some butter or shortening over the parchment. Shake some flour around in the pan to coat, tapping out the excess. Here's how to prepare a cake pan so the cake will not stick.
3. Add the chocolate and rum or coffee to a double boiler (a small pan set over a larger pan filled with simmering water). *See instructions and photos about how to create a double boiler in the post above. Heat the chocolate gently (keep the water at a low simmer), stirring constantly, just until it's about 75% melted. Remove it from the heat and continue to stir until completely melted. Set aside.
4. Beat the butter and brown sugar with an electric mixer until the mixture is lightened in color and looks fluffy. Add the almond extract and beat until incorporated.
5. Add the egg yolks to the butter and sugar mixture one at a time, beating well after each addition to fully incorporate one yolk before adding another.
6. Add the egg whites to a separate bowl and, using an electric mixer, beat until soft peaks form - when you lift the beater from the egg whites, a soft peak that falls over onto itself will form. Sprinkle in 1 tablespoon of granulated sugar while you continue to beat the egg whites. Beat until stiff peaks form - when you lift the beater from the egg whites, a peak forms that holds its shape.
7. Stir almond flour, cake flour, and salt together in a small bowl.
8. Use a silicone spatula or wooden spoon to stir the melted chocolate into the butter and sugar mixture.
9. Add about ⅓ of the beaten egg whites to the batter and very gently fold the egg whites into the batter until they are about 75% incorporated. Sprinkle about ⅓ of the flour into the batter and very gently fold the flour into the batter until about 75% incorporated. Repeat two more times with the remaining egg whites and flour. After incorporating the last of the flour, stir gently until fully incorporated.
10. Scrape the batter into the prepared pan and bake the cake in the center of the oven for 23 - 28 minutes. The cake is done when it has visibly puffed and about 3 inches of the outside edge of the cake is set and just barely beginning to pull away from the side of the pan; if you insert a toothpick in the outside of the cake and pull it out, there will not be any evidence of raw batter on the toothpick. But, the center of the cake will still move slightly if the pan is gently tapped or shaken.
11. Set the cake, in the pan, on a wire rack. Allow the cake to cool completely in the pan. When the cake has cooled to room temperature, run a knife or spatula around the edges of the pan, then gently turn it out onto a plate or cake platter.
12. If the cake feels slightly warm to the touch, allow it to cool completely before covering the top with a thick layer of chocolate orange buttercream. (Other icing and buttercream options in the notes section below.)
13. Optional: sprinkle the outside edge of the frosted cake with chopped roasted and salted almonds and finely grated orange zest.

Recipe notes

Other Buttercream and Icing Options for this cake:

• This cake is delicious with just a simple dusting of powdered sugar.
• If you want to cover this cake in chocolate without the orange, this classic chocolate buttercream is hard to beat.
• A drizzle of vanilla icing adds a sweet finish to the rich chocolate flavor of this cake.
• White Chocolate Ganache Buttercream is so rich and velvety it tastes like the inside of a white chocolate truffle.
• The subtle tang of Cream Cheese Buttercream is a delicious compliment to the rich chocolate flavor of this cake.

Substitute for Cake Flour:

Cake flour gives this chocolate almond cake a more tender texture than if you used all-purpose flour. If you can't find cake flour, remove 1 tablespoon from ½ cup of all-purpose flour and replace it with cornstarch.

What kind of chocolate should you use in this cake?

I used Lindt 70% cocoa chocolate bars, which technically qualify as bittersweet chocolate bars, because my husband and I both like super dark chocolate. If you prefer chocolate that's sweeter and less bitter, choose chocolate bars that are 55 - 60% cocoa.

Can you taste the rum or coffee in this cake?

This recipe contains just 2 tablespoons of either rum or brewed coffee, both of which emphasize and compliment the flavor of chocolate. The small amount will not make the cake taste like rum or coffee. Rather, it gives the cake an even deeper, slightly more complex chocolate flavor.

For more of my recipes, visit alittleandalot.com and ofbatteranddough.com.

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