Flour Free Gooey Goodness

Spying a metro over someones shoulder one december evening on my way home from work i saw Nigella was doing a signing of her new book at Selfridges the next evening. I thought: 

Ah an excellent christmas present for my mum, she'll love this!

The next evening i had about 5 minutes between finishing work in covent garden and getting there to get a good spot in the queue so legging it down a packed oxford street at the peak of christmas time i thought: 

She better actually be there. I better get a good spot in the queue. Man i wish i worked at Selfridges, this would be so much easier (guess where i ironically work now. Dreaming for another book signing of interest that i can be at the front of the queue for. ho ho ho)

Standing in an extremely packed lower ground floor in the middle of a very long queue, clutching my newly purchased Nigellissima book, the front pages bare and ready for a sharpie pen blessing i thought: 

This better be worth it, if all the recipe's are for salad i will be most annoyed.....

Et voila it was all worth it as the chocolate olive oil cake that i successfully baked last weekend was divine and there was a very happy momma Sax on christmas day when she opened her present and saw the message in the front pages. 

I am an awesome christmas present buyer and world renowned attempted cake baker daughter extraordinaire. Aren't my family lucky to have me living with them still.

Baking with olive oil may seem daunting or slightly weird- you may think the cake will be greasy or have a strange taste or that nutty smell that comes with (good quality) olive oil but this wasn't the case at all. It meant the cake retained just the right amount of soft gooeyness you need whilst its in a hot oven without been raw or undercooked in the middle.

You can substitute the ground almonds with flour. However even with no allergy sufferers in the house i still went with the almonds- and the complete lack of butter, milk and flour in this cake makes it seem just a teeny bit healthier doesn't it? (I asked my parents if almonds had dairy in them before writing this. I've said before Rachel is the brains behind this operation.) meaning its also the perfect tea time treat if you have guests who suffer from those allergies. 

Finally standing in front of the beautiful and talented Nigella herself i thought:
Er, nothing. I thought nothing. My mind went completely blank in a way i thought i was far too cool for it to go when around people from the tele. When she said hello and i er'd and ummm'd like a complete and utter loon until she finished signing the book in silence and handed it back to me where i then proceeded to walk away impersonating the blue one from finding nemo. A kind looking Selfridges employee then looked at me and asked if i needed any assistance. Great.

Holly x

Recipe link below to reduce blog post waffling length-

Chocolate Olvie Oil Cake

22 or 23cm springform cake tin- i used a 24cm and it made for a thinner larger but still gooey and very rich cake- more to go around!

150ml regular olive oil

50g good quality cocoa powder- sifted

125ml boiling water

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

150g ground almonds

1/2 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

pinch of salt

200g caster sugar

3 eggs

preheat oven to 170'c/gas mark 3. 

Sift the cocoa poweder into a jug with the boiling water and whisk until you have a smooth but still runny paste.

Whisk in the vanilla extract and allow to cool.

In another bowl combine the ground almonds, bicarbonate of soda and pinch of salt.

Put the sugar, olive oil, and eggs into the bowl of a freestanding mixer or big enough bowl for a hand mixer.

Beat together for 3 minutes until you have a pale thickened creamy mixture.

Turn the speed down and pour in the cocoa and vanilla extract mixture mixing well as you go.

When this is mixed slowly tip in the ground almond mixture.

Pour the dark liquid batter into the greased tin.

Bake for 40-45 minutes until the sides are set and the middle still looks slightly soft and damp.

Dont panic if it does its supposed to be a gooey moist sponge!

I left mine in for about 50 minutes in the end as it was a large cake.

Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack still in its tin for 10 minutes.

Remove from tin and let cool completly or eat warm straight away (with raspberries and cream like we did!)

Kept in a tin for about 5 days and remained very moist and tasty throughout. (If i hadn't been on a pulled pork mission to bodeans and stuffed my face there then that week it would have been gone even quicker!)