Chocolate olive oil cake

• Serves 10
• 10 mins to prepare and 45 mins to cook, plus cooling
• 449 calories/serving
• Vegetarian
• Gluten-free
• Dairy-free

Ingredients

• 165ml light color olive oil, plus extra for greasing
• 300g ground almonds
• 60g cocoa powder, plus extra for dusting
• 200g dark muscovado sugar
• 2 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
• ½ tsp sea salt flakes
• 2 tsp mixed spice
• 2 tsp ground cinnamon
• 3 medium free-range eggs

Directions

1. Preheat the oven to 180°C (gas 4) and 160°C (fan). Line a 23cm round spring form tin with nonstick baking paper and grease it.
2. In a large mixing basin, whisk together all of the ingredients except the eggs and 125ml boiling water.
3. One at a time, crack in the eggs and whisk thoroughly until smooth.
4. Fill the tin halfway with batter and bake for 45 minutes, or until a skewer inserted in the center comes out clean.
5. Allow cooling for 10 minutes in the tin before removing and transferring to a wire rack to cool completely.
6. Serve as a pudding while still warm or set aside to cool fully.
7. To serve, top with more cocoa powder.
8. Refrigerate the cooked and cooled cake (or any leftovers) for up to 4 days in an airtight container.

Tip: Serve with a dollop of dairy-free yogurt or crème fraîche (if not required to be dairy-free) on the side to make it more of a pudding.