Flourless Olive Oil Chocolate Cake

This Flourless Chocolate Cake has a rich intense chocolate flavour spiked with grassy extra virgin olive oil. An irresistible and indulgent dessert.

Prep Time25

Cook Time1

Total Time1 25

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: British

Servings: people

Calories: 298kcal

Author: Georgina Hartley

Ingredients

400 g dark chocolate 70% cocoa, chopped
150 g caster sugar
5 eggs medium, separated
180 g double cream use dairy cream or plant based double cre&m
60 g double cream use dairy cream or plant based double cre&m
50 g cocoa powder
60 g extra virgin olive oil
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 teaspoon espresso powder
1 teaspoon kosher salt
2 teaspoons cocoa powder to serve

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Pre-heat Oven: Pre-heat your oven to 150°C / 130°C fan assisted / gas mark 2 / 300°F.
Prepare tin: Grease a 20cm (8-inch) round cake tin and line the base with baking parchment. Place the tin in a 25cm (10-inch) round cake tin (if you have one, a round ovenproof pan will do as well. Crucially the sides of the outside tin need to be as tall (or taller) than the 20cm tin.
Melt Chocolate: Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Melt over a saucepan of simmering water (or microwave in short bursts), stirring until smooth. Let cool slightly.
Whip Cream. In a medium sized mixing bowl whip the cream until it forms soft peaks.
Whip Egg Whites: In a separate, large clean bowl whip the egg whites until they form stiff peaks, then gradually add in 50g of the sugar until combined.
Beat Egg Yolks and Sugar: In another separate large mixing bowl, whisk the egg yolks with the rest of the sugar (100g) and vanilla extract until doubled in volume, pale and creamy. Then stir in the olive oil until just combined.
Stir in the Warm Cream: Pour the extra 60g of cream in a small saucepan and warm it up to a lukewarm temperature (37°C - 40°C /98–104°F ). Then stir it into the eggs and sugar mixture.
Stir in the Melted Chocolate and Whipped Cream: Pour the melted chocolate into the eggs and sugar and stir until completely combined. Follow by folding in the whipped cream, again, stirring until combined.
Add Cocoa Powder, Espresso Powder and Salt: Sift in the cocoa powder, espresso powder and salt and fold into the rest of the ingredients until smooth.
Fold in the Egg Whites: Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the chocolate mixture to lighten it, being careful not to deflate the mixture. Use gentle, sweeping motions to maintain the airiness.
Transfer to the Tin: Pour the batter into the 20cm (8-inch) cake tin, smoothing the top with a spatula. Pour water into the larger 25cm (10-inch) tin so it comes up the sides of the smaller tin, making sure not to spill any into the chocolate batter.
Bake: Bake in the pre-heated oven for 1 hour, the edges should be set and the centre should have a slight wobble.
Cool: Remove the smaller tin from the larger tin and place on a cooling rack. Allow the cake to cool in the tin completely, the cake will start to pull away from the sides as it cools. Once cool, run a knife around the edge to loosen it. To remove from the tin place baking parchment on a wooden board and carefully insert the cake onto the parchment lined wooden board. Then you can flip back over to a cake board or serving plate. Dust with cocoa powder just before serving.

Video

Notes

Eggs. The eggs used in this recipe are medium size, 60g each with shell and 50g without shell. If you can't get hold of medium eggs I suggest you weigh the amount.

Dairy-Free: I have made this cake with both dairy and non-dairy ingredients and it works equally well with either. If you want it to be dairy-free, make sure the dark chocolate is made without milk and you use a plant-based whipable double cream rather than dairy cream. My favourite brand is from The Coconut Collaborative. And make sure the dark chocolate you use is dairy-free.

Temperature. Adding lukewarm cream just before you add the chocolate means the melted chocolate won’t immediately start solidifying when you are adding it in to the other ingredients. Keep all your ingredients at room temperature to help this too.

Make Ahead: You can make the whole cake ahead of time and store in the fridge as below. Although wait to dust it with cocoa powder until you are serving.

Store: Store the cake in an airtight container in the fridge. It will keep well for up to 5 days.

Freeze: This cake freezes very well. You can freeze the cake as a whole or freeze leftover slices. Whole cake. Allow the cake to cool completely. Place it uncovered on a tray and freeze for 6-8 hours to firm it up which will mean you can wrap it up tightly without spoiling. Once solid, wrap tightly in cling film (plastic wrap) and then in foil or an airtight container. Store in the freezer for up to 3 months. Slices. Cool the cake and cut it into slices. Lay the slices on a tray, ensuring they don’t touch, and freeze for 1–2 hours. Once firm, wrap each slice in plastic wrap and place them in a freezer-safe bag. Store for up to 3 months.

Thawing. Remove the cake from the freezer, unwrap then allow to thaw on a serving plate overnight in the fridge.

Microwave. My preferred way to eat this cake is to remove individual slices from the freezer and place in the microwave for 30-45 seconds. This gets the cake to exactly the right creamy consistency. Serve warm with cold cream.

Ingredient measurements: Please note when you see ‘grams’ listed as opposed to ‘millilitres,’ or any other term of measurement, that is not incorrect. I weigh all of my ingredients, including liquids, for accuracy.

US customary measurements: These US measurements for the ingredients provided are based on a conversion calculator. This recipe was tested with metric measurements and I recommend using a digital scale to weigh ingredients for the most accurate results. READ MORE >>> Why you should always weigh vs measuring with cups.

Nutrition information: Please note that the nutrition information provided below is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. It will vary based on the specific ingredients you use. Please seek a professional nutritionist’s advice for further clarification. The nutrition serving is for 1 slice of cake, assuming the cake is cut into 16 servings.

Nutrition