Red Rock Olives' Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

Funny how things just keep on popping up, isn't it?  New Zealand has been on my radar lately, and so have pistachios.  I mean, I love 'em, but I rarely eat them or cook with them.  Yet here we are, with another recipe flavoured with delicious green pistachios.  And I get to use some of the huge supply of almond meal I have in the fridge.  I bought some a while ago to make something (what was that?), and ended up with a huuuuuge bag in my online grocery shopping.

I like to buy my olive oil from small and boutique Aussie farmers, so I sometimes buy from Red Rock Olives.  I saw this cake on their blog recently, and decided it had to be made.  So here we have it - an incredibly moist, and nutty cake - not too sweet, perfect at any time.  And it was a perfect way to use up some of the many olive oils I have on my pantry shelf.  I just can't stop buying 'em.  I must be an EVOOholic.  Sorry if I pinched that line from one of you :-) 

moist, nutty and flavourful

Serves 6-8:

ingredients:

50g./1.8 oz cocoa powder - I used black cocoa

125 mL/7 fluid oz boiling water

2 tsp vanilla extract

75g./2.7 oz ground almonds aka almond meal

75g./2.7 oz pistachios

1/2 tsp bicarb soda (baking soda)

175g./6.2 oz caster sugar

150 mL/5 fluid oz of a fruity olive oil

3 large eggs

icing sugar, to serve  - maybe 2-3 tbs

AND 2 Flake chocolate bars, broken up, OR 2 tbs dark muscovado sugar + 1 tbs cacao nibs + 1 Flake bar mixed together and thrown on the top, to serve - my idea!

Method:

Turn on your oven to 170C/340F

Prepare a 20cm/8 inch springform tin or a regular cake tin by lightly greasing and flouring the bottom and sides, and placing a piece of baking paper on the base

Sift the cocoa powder into a small bowl, then whisk in the boiling water till you have a smooth but runny paste, and let it cool down

Grab another small bowl, and whisk together the almond meal, pistachios and bicarb soda

In a medium-size bowl, place the sugar, the olive oil, and the eggs; beat for 3 minutes with electric beaters - or with a hand beater and lots of energy! - till you have a thick, and palely creamy mixture 

Pour/spoon in the cocoa mixture, beating as you go, then add the nutty stuff and give it a quick whisk till incorporated

Into the prepared tin goes the batter, and bake for 40-45 minutes - (mine took 45 mins.)

It's ready when the cake is coming away slightly from the sides, and a skewer (yes, thrust into its dark heart) comes out clean - the cake will still look a teensy bit damp in the centre, which is a good thing

Cool it for 10 minutes on a wire rack (in the cake tin) then take it out of the tin and onto the rack till it cools completely

Dust liberally with icing sugar, and serve with cream or creme fraiche

I strongly suggest casting the chocolate Flakes, muscovado sugar and cacao nib mixture all over it too!

Pros of this cake:

so easy to make; so moist, and not too sweet; 'a nice surprise with the soft crunch of the pistachios' (thus spake Mr P.)

Cons: 

some people might find the olive oil a bit strong for them, and it has the slightest, slightest whiff of egginess, tho' we didn't mind at all, especially when paired with creme fraiche or ice cream

gather your ingredients

whisk the meal and nuts together

beat the cocoa mixture into the eggy mixture

batter ready for the oven at 170C/340F

out of the oven; baking paper ripped off its bottom

cooled and ready to eat

smother in cream or creme fraiche

yep, we dived in before the final photo :-)

© Sherry M.

(Joining up with Marg from Intrepid Reader for Weekend cooking.)