This simple chocolate cake can be made with just eight ingredients - including a surprising addition that makes it extra moist. Our community members are treated to special offers, promotions and adverts from us and our partners. You can check out at any time.
More info Whipping up a delectable homemade cake is a sure-fire crowd-pleaser, and chocolate always ranks high on the list of coveted flavours. Nigella Lawson, queen of comfort cooking, opts for the simpler things in life with a straightforward recipe that promises great taste without the fuss. The celebrated British cook took to sharing one of her recipes from 'Nigellissima', highlighting a special ingredient that raises the bar for a "meltingly good" cake - the use of olive oil.
Instead of traditional flour, this recipe calls for ground almonds, making it a dairy and gluten-free delight, with the olive oil stepping in for butter, reports the Express . Nigella said: "Although I first came up with this recipe because I had someone coming for supper who - genuinely - couldn't eat wheat or dairy, it is so meltingly good, I now make it all the time for those whose life and diet are not so unfairly constrained, myself included." 150ml of olive oil, plus extra for greasing 50g of quality cocoa powder Two teaspoons worth of vanilla extract.
150g of ground almonds (or 125g of plain flour) Half a teaspoon of bicarbonate of soda A dash of salt 200g of caster sugar Three large free-range eggs Get your oven preheated to 170C/150C fan/gas mark 3 and prepare a nine-inch springform tin by lightly greasing it with a little olive. Place a round of baking parchment paper at its base. Next, take the cocoa powder into a bowl, and gradually whisk in 125ml of boiling water until a smooth yet runny paste forms.
Add the vanilla extract, then let the mixture cool. In a separate bowl, mix the almonds (or flour if you're using that) with the bicarbonate of soda and a pinch of salt. Sea salt flakes can add an extra kick to the final flavour.
Next, combine the sugar, olive oil and eggs in a mixing bowl and give it a good whisk for about three minutes (or slightly longer if you're doing it by hand), until you have a light, fluffy and thick cream. If you're using an electric mixer, turn down the speed, then gradually add in the cocoa mixture, continuing to beat as you do so. Now slowly add the ground almond (or flour) mixture and stir to combine.
Give the bowl a quick stir with a spatula, then pour the cake batter into your greased tin and pop it in the oven for 40-45 minutes. You'll know it's done when the edges are firm and the centre still looks a bit moist on top. When you stick a skewer into the cake, it should come out mostly clean but with a few sticky chocolate crumbs sticking to it.
Take the cake out of the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack, still in its tin. Use a small metal spatula to gently loosen the sides of the cake before removing it from the tin. You can either let it cool completely or serve it warm with a scoop of ice cream.
.
