Let Her Eat Cake: Olive Oil & Orange Chocolate Cake

Double take! Chocolate? And olive oil?! Sacrebleu!

I have been on a mission recently to create a cake which fulfills a holy trinity of qualities: wheat free, dairy free and chocolate SMOTHERED. After a bit of experimenting, this recipe - which is an adaptation of Nigella's Chocolate Olive Oil Cake - seems to hit those nails firmly on the head with its ridiculous chocolatey-ness. 

Yes, there are unusual elements to this cake, but we all know that Domestic Sluts aren't bashful about a bit of off-piste baking. Ground almonds rather than flour mean that this cake is naturally gluten free, and the olive oil removes the need for butter (sweet butter) which is good news if you can't go near lactose. It also stops the cake from being too rich, but honestly, even without it, this cake is more of a pudding, making it the Bill Gates of the dessert world. 

Look! Avocados and chocolate are back together again! If you're really put off by the idea (although we've already proved they work…) you can make a traditional ganache by heating 200ml of double cream and pouring over 140g of chocolate until melted.

Olive Oil Orange & Chocolate Cake (Makes 2 20cm cakes)
You will need:
For the cake

• 100g cocoa powder
• 250ml boiling water
• 2 tsp ground ginger
• 300ml olive oil
• 4 large free-range eggs
• 200g golden caster sugar
• 100g honey or maple syrup
• 300g ground almonds
• 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda

For the frosting

• 2 ripe avocados
• 250g good quality dark chocolate (70% cocoa - check the label for allergy advice)
• zest of one orange and a squeeze of juice

Make it!
For the cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 325C/170F/Gas Mark 3. Line and lightly grease two 20cm sandwich tins with olive oil.
2. Sift the cocoa powder into a bowl. Pour in the boiling water and whisk until it reaches a thin paste. Add the ground ginger and mix thoroughly. 
3. Place the sugar, honey or syrup, olive oil and eggs into a large bowl and beat well with an electric whisk or by hand until the mixture has formed a pale, frothy cream. 
4. Tip in the cocoa mixture and stir to combine.
5. Add in the ground almonds and bicarb, but don't overmix. 
6. Pour into the two tins and bake for 40-45 minutes, until a skewer comes out almost clean. 
7. Cool in the tin for a few minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely. 

For the frosting:

1. Scoop the avocado flesh into a large bowl and mash up a bit. 
2. With an electric whisk - or by hand - beat well until the avocado has formed a smooth, creamy paste. 
3. Push through a mesh sieve to ensure that no lumps remain. 
4. Stir in the orange zest and a good squeeze of juice, saving a little zest for decoration.
5. Melt the chocolate in a bain-marie or in 20 second blasts in the microwave. 
6. Pour the melted chocolate into the avocado (oh no, you dropped some down your face, how did that happen?) and mix or whisk well until completely combined. 
7. Spread a layer of of frosting on the top of one cake, and a sprinkling of orange zest. Sandwich the other cake on top. 
8. Use a pallet knife or a piping bag to spread the rest on top of your cake, adding orange zest or cocoa powder to decorate as you like.
9. Devour, feeling mighty virtuous.