Chocolate Olive Oil Cake
My Thermomix reimagining of Nigella Lawson's chocolate olive oil cake.
My Thermomix reimagining of Nigella's chocolate olive oil cake — dark, damp and dairy-free.
Nigella's olive oil cake is gloriously dark and grown-up, and there's no butter in sight. The Thermomix makes the batter in one bowl in minutes — then your oven does the rest.
Ingredients
- 🫒150 g olive oil, plus extra for the tin
- 🍫50 g cocoa powder, sifted
- 🫒125 g boiling water
- 🌼2 tsp vanilla extract
- 🥜150 g almond meal
- 🥄0.5 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 🧂1 pinch salt
- 🍬200 g caster sugar
- 🥚3 eggs
Thermomix method
- Place the cocoa and boiling water in the mixing bowl with the vanilla. Mix 10 sec / speed 4 to a smooth paste, then tip into a small bowl and set aside.
- Without washing the bowl, add the sugar, olive oil and eggs. Mix 30 sec / speed 4.
- Add the almond meal, bicarbonate of soda, salt and the cocoa paste. Mix 20 sec / speed 4, scrape down, then 10 sec / speed 3.
- Pour into a greased and lined 22 cm tin. Bake in a preheated oven at 170°C for 38–40 minutes, until the top is set and a skewer comes out with a few moist crumbs. (The Thermomix makes the batter; baking is done in your oven.)
- Cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out.
Aly's tips
- Almond meal keeps it damp and gluten-free; swap for 125 g plain flour if you prefer.
- Don't overbake — a few moist crumbs on the skewer is perfect.
- Beautiful with a spoon of coconut yoghurt and berries.
Questions
Is this chocolate cake dairy-free?
Yes — it uses olive oil instead of butter, so it's naturally dairy-free. Serve with coconut yoghurt to keep it that way.
Can I make it gluten-free?
It already is if you use almond meal. Just check your cocoa and baking ingredients are gluten-free too.
Want to cook this in minutes?
Every recipe here is made for the Thermomix. Get yours through me, or message me and I'll help you choose.
An independent Thermomix reinterpretation inspired by Nigella Lawson's chocolate olive oil cake. Not affiliated with, authorised by or endorsed by Nigella Lawson or any publisher; the method here is Chef Aly's own. Speeds, times and temperatures are a guide — always check your own Thermomix model's manual and use your judgement, especially around hot liquids and food safety. This is independent content and is not official Thermomix content.
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