Chocolate and Almond Tiger Cake Recipe (2024)

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...

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

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

@Paul Joseph, I haven't tried this recipe yet but, typically you cannot substitute whole eggs for whites. It's the science of baking. Both yolks and whites contain a significant amount of water, but the whites are albumin protein with no fat, and the yolks contain protein and fat (about 32%) which would change the chemistry of the formula. Save the yolks to enrich an egg dish or make a custard or a curd with them. Two desserts! Win-win.

I had some leftover ganache in the fridge, and leftover egg whites in the freezer, so the recipe spoke to me. It was simply wonderful! I might consider adding some almond extract to this the next time I make it. I love that flavor profile. I didn't do any whisking of the egg whites (forgot), but I don't think it affected the outcome. One caveat: I used a wax paper round , buttered & floured , in the pan, which is my usual habit. I had a little trouble removing the wax paper. It stuck a bit.

What does "lightly whisk" mean? Soft peaks?

Truly delicious. Made twice. First with almonds, then pistachios. It's superb with ground pistachios. Used normal salted pistachios, which we shelled, ground in a high-power blender (have to stir up the un-ground nuts a few times) with the sugar, then sieved. It's only a small hassle. Also, second time, used chopped semi-sweet chocolate chips, chopped in a food processor until sizes of sesame-seed to peppercorns. Baked as 6 muffins (24 minutes at 375°) super-convection oven.

Maybe making it completely as the recipe called for would improve it.

Can we use egg whites from a carton?

For those of you interested in sweets baked in mini muffin pans, Dorie had a recipe for Tiger Tea Cakes in "Paris Sweets" many years ago. She repeated the recipe, somewhat modified, in "Baking Chez Moi." I've been baking them in mini muffin pans for many years, and always get rave reviews. I dip half in ganache and leave half plain. They're delicious both ways. This recipe, which I haven't baked yet, has significantly different ratios of butter to eggs to almond flour, and I'll have to try it.

I just made this for the second time. Just a couple of changes elevated this recipe from very good to fabulous. First, I added a tsp of almond extract. The other key element is to make sure that the finely chopped chocolate does not include any of the powder since this greatly affects the consistency and the color of the cake. That said, the pieces need to be small enough not to sink to the bottom but do not include the powder. Instead use the powder as part of the measurement for the ganache.

Hi Zelda (and all others asking about making this recipe GF)- first forgive me for not exactly addressing the issue of using all almond flour. May I suggest an alternative? It would be to use GF flour in place of wheat flour (rather than using all almond flour). I have had particularly good results using King Arthur Flour's "Measure for Measure" GF flour as a substitute in recipes like this, when it is not 100% wheat flour-based (since a fair amount of the "flour" is almond). Good luck!

Could you make this with all almond flour (gluten-free? )

The only note I’d add is that I toasted the sliced almonds in about a half Tbsp of butter in a skillet over medium heat, stirring til lightly browned. Delicious little cake that I’ll definitely add to my repertoire!

it was dry and flavorless because you reduced the sugar. Adding orange zest or extract will change the flavor only. I recommend making a recipe exactly as written before decreasing or increasing major ingredients. Try it again as written.

Perfect! Not too sweet; sweetness from rich topping. Mixed the dry ingredients in the blender and chopped the chocolate using the pulse button on the Cuisinart to get small chunks. Very easy and quick.

Can a springform pan be used instead of regular cake pan?

Easy and delicious recipe! I used browned butter and cut back on the sugar by a couple tablespoons. I skipped the ganache.

easy, and tasty

I’ve made this cake several times for dinner parties. I follow the recipe and it gets rave reviews every time. So easy to do ahead so you can focus on other dishes. I especially like that it is so delicious but still light - I’ve had guests ask for a second piece at more than one dinner. One of my favorites!

This cake is simply delicious. I did not change a thing, and it turns out great at high altitude. This is my go-to recipe when asked to bring a dessert. I make it gluten-free by using GF flour in place of the wheat flour.

My absolute favorite light chocolate dessert - a never - fail recipe: always works and never fails to impress. Those wanting a too-sweet, sticky mess of a cake: find something else. This is delicate, not crumbly, Parisian.

Excellent and super-easy to make. I served it without the ganache for an afternoon tea.

Has anyone frozen this cake?

I have macadamia nuts and they sub perfectly for almond flour. Just grind in food processor. Instead of mixing chocolate I sprinkle onto layers of batter as I pour it in. I'm trying a loaf pan this time with parchment sling. Came out wonderful.

I just made this and it is absolutely delicious. I made it 100% gluten-free by using Bob's Red Mill GF "1 to 1 Baking Flour" instead of the 1/2 C of regular all-purpose flour called for in the recipe. It baked in about 33 mins and came out of the pan beautifully. The cake texture is great and the slightly chewy sides (where the batter was nearest the sides of the cake pan) are sublime. This recipe is keeper for sure!

Has anyone made this with an egg substitute like either aquafaba or Bob's Red Mill egg replacement?

Okay Paul Joseph, being the lazy cook I am…the cake is GREAT with whole eggs! Albeit probably totally different than the recipe here. I used blanched macadamias that a friend gave me instead of the almonds. Next time I won’t bake as long. Financiers are more melt-in-your-mouth and this came out fluffy. Will make again! And I’ll try it as written too and post an update.

Excellent recipe. My only change would be in the method to make the ganache, as mine broke twice making it in the pan i heated the cream in. It's a lot easier to just pour the hot cream over the chopped chocolate in a bowl. Also, I used almond extract in lieu of vanilla and toasted the almond slice garnish.

Delish and super quick and easy