Gluten-Free Chocolate, Olive Oil, and Citrus Cake
This gorgeous gluten free chocolate cake is one of the many lip-smacking recipes in Aran Goyaga’s fall 2019 cookbook, Canelle et Vanille: Nourishing Gluten-Free Recipes for Every Meal and Mood. Long ago, we fell in love with Aran’s cooking and photography on her blog Cannelle et Vanille, and have been lucky enough to call her a GFF contributor for years. How lucky are we all? One taste of this cake will give you an idea. Don’t forget to buy her book and also find more of her recipes here on gffmag.com.
Want to know more about her book? We reviewed it here.
*(c)2019 By Aran Goyoaga. All rights reserved. Excerpted from Cannelle et Vanille by permission of Sasquatch Books.
MAKES ONE 9-INCH CAKE
Gluten-Free Chocolate, Olive Oil, and Citrus Cake
Beautiful, crusty, creamy, and rich, this gluten-free chocolate cake gets a kiss of orange flavor from the addition of zest and juice to the batter. Expect a delicious orange essence along with the classic flavors and textures adored by flourless chocolate cake lovers.
MAKES ONE 9-INCH CAKE
Servings 12
Calories 287 kcal
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (115 g) extra-virgin olive oil plus more greasing
- 5 large eggs at room temperature
- 8 ounces (225 g) 85 percent bittersweet chocolate coarsely chopped
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar divided
- 1 lemon zested and juiced
- 1 orange zested and juiced
- 1 teaspoon flaky sea salt
- Powdered sugar for dusting
- Whipped cream for serving (optional)
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Position a rack in the center of the oven. Brush the bottom and sides of a 3-inch-deep and 9-inch-diameter cake pan with olive oil. Cut a large piece of parchment and fit it into the bottom of the pan and all the way up the sides.
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Separate the eggs by cracking the egg whites into the squeaky-clean bowl of a stand mixer and the egg yolks into a small bowl. Room-temperature egg whites whip better and hold more air than cold ones, so the cake will turn out best if you let them sit on the counter while you prep everything else.
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Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl, and find a medium pot the bowl will fit in nicely. Fill the pot halfway with water, and bring it to a simmer over medium-low heat. Place the bowl on top and gently melt the chocolate. Once all the chocolate is nearly melted, remove the pot from the heat and allow the residual heat to melt the remaining pieces. If your chocolate is too hot, let it cool for 5 minutes before adding the rest of the ingredients. Whisk in the olive oil, 1/2 cup of the granulated sugar, 2 teaspoons lemon zest and 1 tablespoon juice, 2 teaspoons orange zest and 1 tablespoon juice, salt, and finally, the egg yolks. Set aside. The texture might feel a bit gritty, but that’s OK.
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Whip the egg whites in the stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment on high speed. You could also do this by hand or with an electric beater. When the whites are fully foamed and turn an opaque white, 1 to 2 minutes, slowly sprinkle in the remaining 1/2 cup sugar, with the mixer running, until they become glossy and firm, 4 to 5 minutes.
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Fold a third of the whipped whites into the chocolate base until fully incorporated. You can be as aggressive as needed at this stage because you are just lightening the base. Gently fold in the remaining whites, this time being careful not to deflate them too much as this air from the meringue is what will help the cake rise. If you have a few streaks of white left through the batter, it’s OK. Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for 40 minutes. The top will crack and deflate as it cools. Let the cake cool for 15 minutes in the pan.
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Lift the cake out with the parchment and place on a serving plate. Dust with powdered sugar and serve with whipped cream.
Nutrition Facts
Gluten-Free Chocolate, Olive Oil, and Citrus Cake
Amount Per Serving
Calories 287
Calories from Fat 162
% Daily Value*
Fat 18g28%
Saturated Fat 6g38%
Cholesterol 69mg23%
Sodium 222mg10%
Potassium 165mg5%
Carbohydrates 29g10%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 25g28%
Protein 4g8%
Vitamin A 133IU3%
Vitamin C 11mg13%
Calcium 29mg3%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
Photography Aran Goyoaga
21 Comments on “Gluten-Free Chocolate, Olive Oil, and Citrus Cake”
Absolutely amazing! The texture was light and the taste was intensely chocolate with a perfect hint of citrus. This is my new “go to” cake. I couldn’t find the 85% bittersweet chocolate bar at my store, so I substituted 1 cup of 62% bittersweet chocolate morsels. I baked it exactly 40 minutes in a 9 inch springform pan and that worked great (oiled and parchment lined as stated). Definitely recommend the whipped cream for serving.
I’m SO GLAD you enjoyed it! Thanks for letting me know and for sharing your experience and adaptations.
Super cake. I serve as a pudding, it so light and whipped cream is a marriage made in heaven. To serve just warm I pop a portion in the microwave for 10 – 15 seconds.
Yay! I’m so glad you love it. Thanks for sharing!
Absolutely delicious! Have made this twice so far and both times the intensity of the chocolate flavors make you feel so utterly satisfied! Arans recipes hit the mark for textures and flavors that speak to your soul so beautifully! Love both her books ! They rotate between my kitchen & bedroom for divine inspiration! I highly recommend Cannelle et Vanille and Small plates & sweet treats – you will love them both!!
This cake was so good! The citrus flavor added a nice complexity to the taste. Leftover cake was still moist the next day. I used a big piece of parchment as shown in the picture, and baked it in a 9″ springform pan. A smaller piece is probably “enough”, but I’d say this serves 10, not 12.
Thank you for the wonderful feedback! I love this cake too. And at my house, it could serve 4 😉
Hi, 350 degrees oven temperature ? Fan or no fan. Can’t wait to try this. Love the addition of citrus to a chocolate cake.
No fan need! You’re gonna love this cake! I promise!
Saved by flour so mine was a non gluten free version .I used 70 % organic dark extra virgin olive oil and I used clementine since we didn’t have orange. I failed my egg whites as I dropped some of the yokes in it. The peaks were not there. I did not want to throw away the egg whites so I added a bit of flour to the chocolate mix and some baking powder and folded in the egg whites fail and it worked beautifully! The taste is divine perfection ! I will definitely make it again without any mishaps. Thank you so much for this wonderful cake recipe.
I’m so happy it worked out, creativity and all! Go you! And thank you for sharing your experience!
Can this be made with a lower percentage chocolate? Would I need to reduce the amount of sugar?
This recipe looks and sounds delicious! Can coconut sugar be substituted for the granulated sugar?
Sure!
Unfortunately did not have luck with this recipe. Used coconut sugar in first batch of meringue and it would not whip up. Used white sugar in second batch which came out good, but by then the chocolate mixture was hardening so I tried to whip it up before adding the meringue. The cake only came out about 1 1/2” high and had an awful texture. Tasted like the lemon was fighting with the orange, which were both fighting with the chocolate.
Hello,
I would like to use frosting/icing on this cake. Do you think it would work?
Thank you,
Maria
Unfortunately, no. It’s a crackly crust. But you could drizzle onto it if you really want to gild the lily!
Hello,
Is there any possibility to use ripe banana or flax eggs/ egg substitute to make this vegan?
Many thanks,
Beth
Hi Beth! You can try it. We haven’t, but I bet it will be delicious.
How sad. I’m so sorry. I make this cake all the time with great results.
I’ve been making this cake for years for special occasions, ever since I bought Aran’s book. It is exceptional. Buy some high quality whipping cream and beat it yourself for the topping. And buy the book! My other favorite recipes in it are the Buckwheat Sweet Yeast bread and the pie dough – best GF pie dough I’ve ever found.