Chocolate & Mandarin Olive Oil Cake
Lovers of chocolate and orange, this one is for you. A rich chocolate cake topped with Mandarin olive oil and chocolate icing. This cake is a great choice for groups as it is gluten and dairy free, made with almond flour and extra virgin olive oil instead of butter.
Ingredients
- 70g / 2oz cocoa - Cake
- 125ml / 4fl oz boiling water
- 2 tsp vanilla essence
- 150ml / 5fl oz Nudo extra virgin olive oil
- 200g / 7oz caster sugar
- 3 eggs
- 150g / 5½oz almond flour (or 125g / 4½oz plain flour)
- ½ tsp baking soda
- pinch of salt
- 3/4 cup icing sugar - Icing
- 2-3 tbs cocoa powder
- 1/3-1/2 cup of hot water
- 1/3 -1/2 cup Mandarin olive oil
Method
- Step 1
- Heat your oven to 170C / 325F / Gas 3. Grease a 23cm / 9in cake tin with oil. If you have one, a springform tin is best and line the base with parchment paper.
- Step 2
- Sift the cocoa powder into a bowl and whisk in the boiling water drop by drop until you have a smooth runny paste. Whisk in the vanilla then set aside.
- Step 3
- In a bowl or standing mixer, beat the sugar, olive oil and eggs until they are thickened, pale and creamy (this should take about 3 minutes).
- Step 4
- Continue beating on a slow speed as you slowly add the cocoa mixture. Once that is all mixed in, then slowly add the almond flour (or flour), baking soda and a pinch of salt.
- Step 5
- Pour into your prepared tin and bake for 40-45 minutes. The cake is ready when the sides are set and the top of the centre still looks a little damp – a skewer will come out clean.
- Step 6
- Cool for 10 minutes in the tin then ease out. It is a moist cake so be careful and don’t be afraid of under-cooking.
- Step 7
- To make the Mandarin olive oil icing, sift the icing sugar and cocoa into a bowl and add the hot water and olive oil to the icing consistency you like.
- Step 8
- Leave to cool completely before icing, or if you prefer to eat it hot then serve up slices and drizzle the icing over.
