Although I first came up with this recipe because I had someone coming for supper who-genuinely-couldn't eat wheat or dairy, it is so meltingly good, I now make it all the time for those whose life and diet are not so unfairly constrained, myself included. It is slightly heavier with the almonds-though not in a bad way-so if you want a lighter crumb, rather than a squidgy interior, and are not making the cake for the gluten-intolerant, then replace the 1 1/2 cups almond meal with 3/4 cup plus 1 tablespoon of all-purpose flour. This has the built-in bonus of making it perhaps more suitable for an everyday cake. Made with the almonds, it has more of dinner-party pudding feel about it and I love it still a bit warm, with some raspberries or some such on the side, as well as a dollop of mascarpone or ice cream.
Preheat your oven to 325 degrees F. Grease your springform pan with a little oil and line the base with parchment paper.
Measure and sift the cocoa powder into a bowl or pitcher and whisk in the boiling water until you have a smooth, chocolatey, still runny (but only just) paste. Whisk in the vanilla extract, then set aside to cool a little.
In another smallish bowl, combine the almond meal (or all-purpose flour) with the baking soda and pinch of salt.
Put the sugar, olive oil, and eggs into the bowl of a freestanding mixer with the paddle attachment (or other bowl and whisk arrangement of your choice) and beat together vigorously for about 3 minutes, until you have a pale-primrose, aerated, and thickened cream.
Turn the speed down a little and pour in the cocoa mixture, beating as you go, and when all is scraped in, you can slowly tip in the almond meal (or all-purpose flour) mixture.
Scrape down, and stir a little with a spatula, then pour this dark, liquid batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until the sides are set and the very center, on top, still looks slightly damp. A cake tester should come up mainly clean but with a few sticky chocolate crumbs clinging to it.
Let it cool for 10 minutes on a wire rack, still in its pan, and then ease the sides of the cake with a small metal spatula and spring it out of the pan. Leave to cool completely or eat while still warm with some ice cream, as a dessert.
Tools You May Need
Reprinted from the book Nigellissima by Nigella Lawson. Copyright (c) 2013 by Nigella Lawson. Photographs copyright (c) 2013 by Petrina Tinslay. Published by Clarkson Potter, a division of Random House, Inc.
Tools You May Need
Price and stock may change after publish date, and we may make money off
these links.
By entering your email address, you agree to our Terms of Use
and acknowledge the Privacy Policy.
Food Network and
its affiliates
may use your email address to provide updates, ads, and offers.
To withdraw your consent or learn more about your rights, see the
Privacy Policy.