Chocolate and Almond Tiger Cake

Name: Chocolate and Almond Tiger Cake
Total time: 1 h 10 min
Yield: 8 servings
Cuisine: french
Ingredients: 5 tablespoons/70 grams unsalted butter, plus more for the pan; 1/2 cup/65 grams all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan; 3/4 cup/150 grams granulated sugar; 1/2 teaspoon baking powder; 1/4 teaspoon baking soda; 1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt; 2/3 cup/70 grams almond flour; 6 large egg whites, at room temperature and lightly whisked; 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract; 5 ounces/142 grams semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped; 1/3 cup/80 milliliters heavy cream; 3 ounces/85 grams semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped; 1/2 cup/48 grams sliced almonds, toasted

By Dorie Greenspan

Published Feb. 6, 2022

Chocolate and Almond Tiger Cake — Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food stylist: Sue Li. Prop stylist: Pamela Duncan Silver.

Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes, plus cooling
Rating: 4(1,176)
Comments: Read comments

This almond cake is based on financiers, the small, usually ingot-shaped cakes first made in Paris in the late 1880s. The pastry chef Lasne created and named them for his stockbroker clients, keeping them easy and neat to eat on the run — no fuss, no muss. Made with egg whites, ground nuts and a lot of melted butter, the recipe is invitingly riffable. My favorite take is the tigré, a round, chocolate-speckled cake topped with a dab of ganache. Years ago, I misread the name, and I’ve called them tiger cakes ever since. My play on the tiger is a large cake, a little less rich than the original, run through with chopped chocolate and covered with enough ganache to leave telltale smudges. Stockbrokers beware.

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Ingredients

Yield:8 servings

For the Cake

5tablespoons/70 grams unsalted butter, plus more for the pan
½cup/65 grams all-purpose flour, plus more for the pan
¾cup/150 grams granulated sugar
½teaspoon baking powder
¼teaspoon baking soda
¼teaspoon fine sea salt
⅔cup/70 grams almond flour
6large egg whites, at room temperature and lightly whisked
1teaspoon pure vanilla extract
5ounces/142 grams semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped

For the Topping (optional)

⅓cup/80 milliliters heavy cream
3ounces/85 grams semisweet or bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
½cup/48 grams sliced almonds, toasted

Ingredient Substitution Guide

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Preparation

Step 1
Make the cake: Center a rack in the oven and heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and flour a 9-inch round cake pan and fit a circle of parchment paper at the base.
Step 2
Bring the butter just to a boil in a small saucepan over medium heat. Turn off the heat and leave the saucepan on the burner to keep the butter warm while you make the cake batter.
Step 3
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda and salt until thoroughly blended. Add the almond flour and whisk. If the almond flour is lumpy, use your fingers to break up the clumps. Switch to a spatula and add the egg whites in 3 additions, stirring until the batter is smooth and easily flows off the spatula. Stir in the vanilla until incorporated. Add the butter in 3 additions, folding until it is completely incorporated and you’ve got a smooth batter with a light sheen. Stir in the chopped chocolate, mixing well. Scrape the batter into the pan and spread evenly.
Step 4
Bake until golden brown, evenly risen and pulling away from the sides of the pan, 37 to 40 minutes. A tester inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and leave for 5 minutes. Run a table knife around the sides of the pan, flip the cake over, remove the pan, peel away the parchment and invert the cake onto another rack. Allow the cake to come to room temperature before serving or covering with ganache.
Step 5
If you’d like, make the topping: Put the cream in a small saucepan and bring just to a boil. Turn off the heat and add the chocolate. Gently stir the chocolate and cream together until blended, thick and shiny. Pour the ganache over the top of the cake and use an offset spatula or kitchen knife to spread it across the cake. Scatter over the toasted almonds. Either leave the cake on the counter to allow the ganache to set a bit (it will never be really firm) or refrigerate the cake for 15 minutes to set the chocolate. The cake is best at room temperature. Covered, it will keep for about 3 days at room temperature.

Ratings

4 out of 5

1,176 user ratings

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Comments

Paul Joseph3 years ago

Anyone use three whole eggs rather than six egg whites? What about you, Dorie? How different could it be? I'm inclined to try it...

Another Elizabeth3 years ago

Lightly whisk means enough to break them up, but not so much that you're aerating them in any significant way.

Jean3 years ago

Absolutely delicious and easy. I did not make the topping . I dusted the serving plates lightly with cocoa powder and powdered sugar.

Jay3 months ago

Why melt the butter on the stove? Why not simply put the butter in a microwavable bowl and nuke it at 50% power for a couple of minutes until melted?

Bebe Watson5 months ago

Does it work baking it in an eight inch pan (to make it a bit thicker)?

Catherine in Maine8 months ago

I cant believe no one has mentioned swapping oil for the butter - used roasted walnut oil but otherwise followed the recipe. Tastes and looks impressive. Worthy of a repeat.

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