Last Updated on May 19, 2020 by Chef Mireille
It’s potluck week for the I Heart Cooking Club. This week we can cook any dish from our current celebrity chef, Yotam Otollenghi or any previous chef explored by the club. I am really glad the hosts started doing this so I can experiment with the recipes of the chefs explored prior to my joining the club. What better day to present this luscious cake than on my birthday. I’m heading out to dinner to celebrate my day with my family and a friend, but I wanted to present you this delicious cake before I head out.
Although I have been a fan of Nigella Lawson for many years, I’ve never before tried any of her recipes. Then one night I was craving cake, but not a stick of butter was to be found in the house. This gluten free treat was perfect to satisfy my sugar craving, without needing any butter.
Here is my slightly adapted version of her cake!
Serves 8
Ingredients:
1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon + 2 teaspoons olive oil
5 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
1/2 cup boiling water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups almond flour/ almond meal
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
a pinch of salt
3/4 cup + 1 tablespoon sugar
3 eggs
Preheat oven to 325 F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan with non stick spray. ( I used a 10-inch because that is the only size I own.) Line the bottom with parchment paper.
Mix the cocoa powder and the espresso powder in a small bowl. Add boiling water. Whisk until you have a smooth paste. Add vanilla extract and mix. Let cool.
In a bowl, mix the almond flour, baking soda and salt.
Using an electric mixer, beat the olive oil, eggs and sugar together until aerated and creamy, about 10 minutes on high speed.
Add cocoa and mix another 3 minutes on high spped.
Using a rubber spatula, fold in the almond flour until thoroughly incorporated.
Transfer to cake pan and bake for 45 minutes until set.
Let cool for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and let completely cool.
Light, moist and spongy. The volume in this cake comes from the air whipped into the eggs, so it is fragile. Any kind of pressure on top will deflate it, so it’s not a cake to be frosted.
It’s perfect with a cup of coffee or a glass of milk.
…linking to Bake Fest hosted by Tangy Minds
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Omg, love that super moist texture, fantastic cake.
Delicious chocolate cake Love that you made it fat free with olive oil.
Looks sooooooooo moisty and spongy !
Very delicious look n moist…
Belated birthday wishes to you Mireille. Hope you had a good one. Yesterday was my cousin's bday too 🙂
Cake looks moist and delicious. I've all the ingredients, I'll try this one soon.
Looks yummy n tempting:)n nice clicks.
My goodness. The texture of your cake looks incredible. I love what coffee does for chocolate.
Happy belated birthday!
that's actually my addition – she didn't have coffee in the original version but I always think it makes chocolate cake taste better.
thx 4 the birthday wishes~!
Happy Belated Birthday!
That is one lovely cake! Looks so chocolaty good! You can never go wrong with Nigella's! I love her recipes!
A very happy belated birthday to you! Chocolate cake is ALWAYS a great way to celebrate any event. I love that you shared a Nigella recipe with us this week (Nigella is one of my personal favorites). This cake looks like it has an airy texture. I bet it is delicious!
yes the texture is so light and airy. It's a great light cake for the summer and thx 4 the birthday wishes!
Belated Happy Birthday!
That looks so deliciously moist and chocolate-y. I've yet to bake with Nigella – this cake looks so easy I may give it a try.
Hope you had a wonderful birthday, Mirelle. I'm a big Nigella fan too, and I'm not sure how I haven't stumbled across this cake before. I love everything about it. I love the use of the olive oil instead of butter. I love how quick and easy this looks to put together. And I'm always looking for a gluten-free recipe to share with my friends who are gluten intolerant. I also love that this looks as gorgeously moist and gooey in the middle as a good fudgey brownie. This one's definitely on my list.
I just saw this Nigella cake recipe in a magazine article and marked it to try–it looks so good! I love that you added the espresso powder to it too. Yum!
And Happy Birthday too! 😉
Oh my! I want chocolate cake right now! It just looks so wonderful chocolatey & decadent!
Lovely,wonderful and very moist 🙂 Thanks for linking this entry in event Bake Fest