Nigella’s Olive Oil Chocolate Cake Recipe
Nigella’s Olive Oil Chocolate Cake, A Go-To for Many Dietary Needs, Parev (Dairy Free) Low Sugar, Low Cholesterol and Gluten Free.
This has become my go-to chocolate cake for those with dietary needs, and just as importantly, those without. The cake is naturally dairy-free (Parev) and gluten-free when made with ground almonds. But what makes it a true winner is that everyone loves it, even people who claim they don’t like chocolate cake (yes, they exist).
Why Olive Oil?
While olive oil might seem like an unusual choice for baking, it gives the cake a wonderfully moist texture, keeps it fresh for up to three days, and freezes beautifully. The olive oil flavour is undetectable if you use a mild, everyday oil without strong peppery notes.
A Few Notes on Tin Sizes
Nigella recommends a 23 cm springform tin, and this works perfectly for serving a group, you will get 8-10 slices of cake from this sized cake. However, I often split the mixture between two 15 cm tins. This works well for smaller gatherings such as coffee mornings, lunches, or book clubs. One 15 cm cake serves 4-6 dainty slices with leftovers.
Chocolate and Cocoa Tips
The cake relies on rehydrated cocoa powder for its deep chocolate flavour. I’ve used both Green & Black’s Organic and Bourneville cocoa with great results. It’s important that the cocoa is mixed with boiling water and allowed to sit until it thickens slightly, so plan ahead as this step can’t be skipped.
Flour Options: Almond or Plain
You can use either ground almonds or plain flour:
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Ground almonds yield a moist, almost brownie-like texture, perfect for a richer, more distinctive cake.
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Plain flour creates a more traditional crumb, ideal for a classic chocolate cake experience.
If no dietary restrictions apply, I tend to choose plain flour. For a more unique result, or when catering to gluten-free needs, ground almonds work beautifully.
Sugar Content
At just 25 g of sugar per cake, this is a much lighter option compared to a typical chocolate cake (for example, my Easy Chocolate Cake contains 82.5 g). Even with the pistachio yogurt topping, the sugar content remains low, adding only about 3 g per serving (when serving four).
A Lighter Accompaniment: Pistachio Yogurt
To serve alongside, I wanted something indulgent, yet lower in sugar. A heaped tablespoon of Aldi’s Pistachio Crème stirred into ¼ cup of Greek yogurt was the perfect complement, nutty, creamy, and just sweet enough. If you can’t find the Aldi version, try blending a small batch of homemade pistachio butter (like the one in my pistachio ice cream recipe) into yogurt.
In my local Aldi store today it was on the bottom shelf where they stock the maple syrup and a steal at just £1.79. In the queue a few people told me that they enjoy this on toast or with their croissants as a treat.
For Nigella’s original recipe and method Nigella’s Chocolate Olive Oil Cake Recipe
- Yields: 8–10 slices
- 50g good-quality cocoa powder
- 125ml boiling water
- 3 eggs
- 150ml olive oil
- 200g caster sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 150g ground almonds or 125g plain flour
- ½ teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
- A pinch of salt
- In a glass jug, mix the cocoa powder and boiling water together. Stir well, ensuring there are no lumps. Set aside to cool and thicken, it will go from runny to glossy and pourable with some body.
- Grease and line the base and sides of a 23 cm springform tin, or two 15 cm tins.
- The cakes freeze well, so if you're serving a small crowd, make two small cakes and freeze one.
- Mix the ground almonds or flour, bicarbonate of soda, and a pinch of salt in a bowl and set aside.
- Once the cocoa has thickened, preheat your oven to 170°C.
- In a stand mixer, or using an electric hand beater (paddle attachment if you have one, but don’t worry if not), beat the sugar, olive oil, eggs, and vanilla extract until the mixture doubles in volume and becomes pale and lemony in colour. This will take about 5 minutes, depending on your mixer.
- With the mixer running, slowly pour in the cocoa mixture. Scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed to ensure everything is incorporated.
- Add the almond/flour mixture in three batches, mixing on a low speed until just combined.
- Use a spatula to give the batter a final stir, making sure there are no pockets of dry ingredients.
- Note: The mixture will be very runny — don’t worry.
- Pour into your prepared tin(s).
- Bake for 40–45 minutes, or 30-35 minutes for the smaller cakes. When tested, a skewer should come out clean, with just a few chocolatey crumbs.
- Remove the cake(s) from the oven and place on a wire rack. Set a timer for 10 minutes. Once the time is up, remove the springform ring. You may need to run a palette knife or regular knife around the edge to help release it. Leave the cake to cool completely, or serve warm with a scoop of ice cream.
