I’ve been checking out chocolate cakes for this month’s easter recipe and it’s led me down an interesting path. Our chocolate and hazelnut cake, which used to be so popular in our shop, first came to mind. However when my brain scanned the ingredients, I realised that the 300 grams of chocolate required to make one cake was a huge investment at today’s chocolate prices. We are all horrified at the rising price of fuel but the rising price of chocolate would be even more shocking if it was an essential, as the price has stealthily risen by 100 per cent a kilo in the past five years. I talked to Niamh from Hungry Crow, the classy fairtrade chocolate shop in Clonakilty, and she said that the world of the cocoa bean is faced with a combination of climate chaos and human rights issues, which has led to crop failure and driven the prices sky high. Even the big suppliers find this problematic but hedge around the issue by reducing chocolate bar size and pumping up the packaging.
I started sifting through my files – there are many ways to make a chocolate cake – and came upon an ancient French recipe, one of the first chocolate cakes that I ever made. It only needs 120g chocolate, so it’s a little more budget-friendly. The recipe has been tweaked many times over the years as we had so many requests for gluten- and dairy-free cakes and it’s quite a flexible recipe. Olive oil is delicious in this cake – it complements the chocolate and makes a light, moist sponge. The flour can be regular or gluten-free, it doesn’t make any discernible difference to the end cake – both versions are below.
I played around with the chocolate content, swapping out the chocolate for cocoa, which works well, but I have to say that when I made both cakes side by side. even though both were delicious and got scoffed, my testers opted for the chocolate version, when asked to choose their favourite.
The first time I ate chocolate with olive oil was in Spain where we were served a small chocolate cup, which contained a little puddle of olive oil and a few seasalt flakes. I thought I’d gone to heaven, what a combination! I think I have been chasing that taste profile ever since.
Chocolate is far from vital in our lives but recent studies at the University of Pisa have brought to light that a combination of chocolate and olive oil can bring health benefits. Twenty-six volunteers, who were all susceptible to some kind of cardiac risk, took part in a 28-day trail eating a combination of 70 per cent chocolate and extra virgin olive oil. The results showed a positive effect on blood pressure and cholesterol readings.
Dark chocolate, at least 70 per cent, and extra virgin olive oil are both high in polyphenols and beneficial antioxidants, which reduce inflammation, improve blood pressure, circulation and help reduce cholesterol. It’s proven that when consumed together they can have a powerful effect, making us energised, focused and healthy. Check out the internet for more information if you’re interested. It sounds like we’re okay to eat sensible amounts of 70 per cent chocolate and olive oil – it could even have us skipping down the street.
So here you go, a cake with health benefits!
Chocolate and
Olive Oil Cake
Ingredients:
• 120 mls extra virgin olive oil
• 120g caster sugar
• 120g chocolate
• 60g white flour, sieved OR 40g rice flour+20g potato flour
• 60g ground almonds
• 3 large eggs, separated
Method: Prepare a 20cm cake tin. Line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper and rub the side with olive oil
Pre heat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius.
Put a pan with a small amount of water onto heat. Put the chocolate into a bowl and sit the bowl onto the saucepan. The bowl should sit above the water. Gently melt the chocolate.
In a large bowl whisk the olive oil and sugar together until creamy, then add the egg yolks one by one. Add the melted chocolate and then the ground almonds. Put aside while you whisk the whites.
Put the egg whites into a large clean bowl (or the bowl of an electric mixer), be sure the bowl is clean and there are no traces of yolk otherwise the whites won’t whip. Begin whisking, quite slowly if you’re using a machine, then increase the speed, whisk until they begin to hold their form but are still quite loose, add 1tbs sugar, then whisk until the egg whites are stiff. The bowl should hold glossy white peaks. When you get to this point stop as it’s possible to over whisk which will make the whites grainy and more difficult to fold in.
Using a large metal spoon or a spatula gently fold in one-third of the whites into the chocolate mix, then one-third of the flour. Do this twice more.
Pour the mix into the prepared tin and bake for about 25 mins. Test with a clean knife. Insert the knife into the centre of the cake and if it comes out clean the cake is ready.
Leave to cool and then turn out onto a wire rack. The cake must be completely cool before topping.
Chocolate Topping
Ingredients:
• 75g chocolate
• 1.5 tbs olive oil
Method: Melt the chocolate and olive oil together over a pot of boiling water. Allow to cool a little before spreading over the top and sides of the cake. Do this slowly and if it’s too runny wait a while then try again. Leave to set before eating.
Happy Easter!
