This recipe for chocolate cake is from The Happy Hormone Cookbook by Emma Ellice-Flint with Jill Keyte (New Holland, $35).
It’s gluten free and has reduced amounts of sugar.
The Happy Hormone Cookbook features recipes that aid in balancing hormones and promoting good health.
The Happy Hormone Cookbook retails for $35
Serves 10
Ingredients
40 g (2 oz) cacao or 60 g (2 1⁄2 oz) cocoa powder
140 ml (31⁄2 oz) extra virgin olive oil, plus some for
the cake tin
50 g (2 oz) unbleached castor sugar or 60 g (21⁄2 oz) coconut sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract or scraped seeds from half a vanilla pod
125 ml (4 oz) boiling water
150 g (5 oz) finely ground hazelnuts or finely ground almonds
1 teaspoon baking powder (aluminium-free)
1 pinch salt (helps to bring out the chocolate flavour)
3 large eggs
Steps 1.
Preheat your oven to 160°C (325oF) fan forced or 180oC (350oF) regular.
Step 2.
Grease a 20 cm (8 inch) round cake tin with a little oil and line the base and sides with baking/ parchment paper. You can use a small brownie tin.
Step 3.
In a bowl add the cacao, vanilla and sugar, whisking in the boiling water until you have a smooth paste. Set aside to cool a little.
Step 4.
Then add the ground nuts, the baking powder and pinch of salt. Don’t bother to mix these just yet.
Step 5.
In a separate bowl, whisk the egg whites until soft peaks form.
Step 6.
Add the olive oil and egg yolks to the cacao and nut mixture. Mix together thoroughly. Then gently fold in the whisked egg whites until only just combined, trying to keep as many air bubbles as possible.
Step 7.
Pour all the cake mixture into the prepared tin, scraping down the sides of the bowl.
Step 8.
Bake for 25 minutes or until the sides are set. A cake tester should come up with a little soft cake mixture on it. Take care not to over bake this cake. Under cooked is better than over cooked.
Step 9.
Let it cool for 15 minutes out of the oven, still in its tin.
Step 10.
Consider topping with chocolate mousse
Step 11.
Serve with mashed berries or mango slices and coconut cream or thick natural unsweetened Greek-style organic yogurt.
Note: An alternative quick method is to put all the ingredients into a food processor and mix until combined. Pour into the lined cake tin and bake as per the recipe. The cake will not be as high as the previous method, but it’s still great.