Chocolate Olive Oil Cake (for Sophia)

As you have probably gathered with my previous blogs, I associate the dishes that I make with certain people. This cake is one that I discovered a couple of weeks ago courtesy of the voluptuous Nigella so it probably should come with a warning about how sickeningly delicious it is. Anyway, enough of Nigella, this cake is one that I made with my especially awesome friend Sophia in mind. Like Alev, Sophia doesn’t eat wheat, but this comes with the added bonus (complication?!) of the fact that she also doesn’t eat any dairy either. Yes bakers, I know what you are thinking- worst nightmare and all that! But fear not, help is at hand in the form of this really quite surprising Chocolate Olive Oil Cake, which is a future staple of the City Kitchen. Sophia, this one is for you...

Ingredients:

150 ml olive oil (or any good quality vegetable oil)

50 grams of cocoa powder

125 ml boiling water

2tsp vanilla extract

150 grams of ground almonds

½ teaspoon of bicarb

Pinch of salt

200 grams of caster sugar

3 large eggs

Method:

Preheat your oven to 150 degrees (if using a fan oven like me, 170 otherwise) and grease a 9 inch spring form cake tin (or standard sponge tin works just as well)

Pour the boiling water into a heat proof bowl and sift the cocoa powder into this and whist vigorously. Add the vanilla and set aside to cool.

In another bowl, combine the almonds, bicarb and salt. Meanwhile beat the eggs, oil and sugar until you have a light yellow, creamy batter.

Following this, slowly pour in the cocoa mixture and continue mixing, then slowly add the almond combination to this as well.

Pour this into the prepared tin and bake for 40-45 minutes.

Country Boy says:

This cake should still look a bit moist when it is finished, and it does have a bit of a funky texture even when cool. When removing from the oven, slide a sharp knife into the centre and it should come out clean.

Serving suggestions:

This cake is so versatile you can either serve it warm with a spoonful of Greek yoghurt or crème fraiche, or cold with a cup of tea. I also found that this cake was at its best 24 hours after cooking as its had time to settle properly, so try and resist the temptation for that long, but if not, enjoy it when it’s warm and seductive.

I’ve also debated changing this up a bit with the addition of some crystallised ginger, finely chopped, when you mix in the three main ingredients. Have a go and let me know what you think.