Hey all! I’m on holiday at the moment, are you following on Instagram to see all the San Fransisco bakeries I visited and all the pastries I’ve been eating?
I’m in Jamaica right now, lazing my days away on a beach, dreaming about this flourless chocolate olive oil cake.
This Nigella cake recipe was an open tab on my Mac for months, reminding me every time I opened my laptop that it wanted to be baked. Are you a weirdo like me, that always has a million tabs open on their phone/computer? It drives my boyfriend nuts, but it’s like a little to-do list for me!
Anyway. You’re probably not a weirdo. And I have no to-do lists in Jamaica. Just beaches. And cake dreams.
When I finally got around to baking this Nigella recipe, I was absolutely not disappointed. It is super moist in the way that only a flourless cake can be, yet it is soft, fluffy and light, with a strong chocolate flavour and lovely crunch from all the roasted hazelnuts scattered over the top.
I’m loving Nigella’s flourless cake recipes at the moment! Did you see the lemon polenta cake I posted last week with the baking video? Also hers, and also a stunner.
This is such an easy cake to put together too, you just need a whisk, a bowl and a cake tin. You don’t even need any dairy. You could make it in 10 minutes. You could even make it while you’re on holiday (just maybe not in Jamaica).
Hope you’re all having a lovely week. Please do try this if you’re having a dinner party. Or a lazy afternoon. Or a spare few minutes. I’m off to lie my pale self on some beach. X
- 50g cocoa
- 60g boiling water
- 2 tsp vanilla paste or extract
- 200g caster (superfine) sugar
- 150g olive oil
- 3 eggs
- 150g almond meal
- ½ tsp baking soda
- Pinch sea salt
- ½ cup hazelnuts, roasted and chopped
- Preheat the oven to 170 C (340 F) and grease and line the sides of a 9 inch cake tin with baking paper.
- In a small bowl, combine the cocoa and boiling water and vanilla to make a smooth paste.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the sugar, olive oil and eggs until pale and slightly thickened.
- Whisk in the cocoa paste till combined.
- Whisk in the almond meal, baking soda and salt until incorporated.
- Pour the batter into the prepared cake tin and scatter the hazelnuts over the top.
- Bake for 40 - 45 minutes, until the sides are set and the centre no longer jiggles.
- Serves 10 - 12.
- Happy baking!
Recipe adapted from Nigella.