nigella's chocolate cake

I have made this cake a few times now and it is always a hit.

It came about because I was having guests over to dinner and was considering what to make for dessert.

 A couple of days before I wasn't feeling well and was in my bedroom having a rest and was watching TV. Nigella Lawson came on and cooked this fabulous cake and also some coffee ice cream. 

I had a aha moment and knew this was my dessert.

It was a hit, and I have now made it a couple of other times when I have needed to take something.

It is great because it is gluten and grain free and dairy free.

It has however got nuts in it, but if you need to avoid nuts Nigella says you can substitute the almond meal for normal flour, though I haven't tried this.

Nigella's Chocolate Cake with Olive oil and Almond meal

Ingredients:

2/3 C light olive oil

6T good quality cocoa powder

1/2C boiling water

2t best vanilla extract (I have substituted instant expresso coffee here for a change)

1 1/2 C almond meal (or 125g plain flour)

1/2t bi-carb soda

pinch salt

1 C superfine sugar (I use coconut sugar)

3 large eggs

Method:

Preheat your oven to 170 C. Grease a 22cm springform pan with a little oil and line base with baking paper (you can use any pan really lined with baking paper)

Measure and sift the cocoa into a jug and whisk in the boiling water until smooth (should be just runny). Whisk in vanilla then set aside.

In another smallish bowl, combine the almond meal (or flour) with the baking soda and pinch of salt.

Put the sugar, olive oil and eggs into the bowl of a freestanding mixer with the paddle attachment (or other bowl and whisk arrangement of your choice) and beat together vigorously for about 3 minutes until you have a pale-primrose, aerated and thickened cream.

Turn the speed down a little and pour in the cocoa mixture, beating as you go, and when all is scraped in you can slowly tip in the ground almond (or flour) mixture.

Scrape down, and stir a little with a spatula, then pour this dark, liquid batter into the prepared tin. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the sides are set and the very centre, on top, still looks slightly damp. A cake tester should come up mainly clean but with a few sticky chocolate crumbs clinging to it.

Let it cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack, still in its tin, and then ease the sides of the cake with a small metal spatula and spring it out of the tin. 

Dust with icing sugar.

Serve as a dessert with ice cream or for morning tea with whipped cream.

Enjoy!

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