I made this recipe from Cannelle et Vanille and fell in love. As delicious as it was, it was a bit too sweet for me, so I reduced the sugar but kept everything else the same. It’s naturally gluten-free and only lightly sweetened with a rich, bittersweet chocolate flavor. It’s dense and fudgy from the olive oil and chocolate, yet super light thanks to fluffy whipped egg whites
Servings 8
Prep Time 20 minutes 
Cook Time 30 minutes Ingredients
- 170 g bittersweet chocolate chips/chunks*
- 125 ml extra virgin olive oil
- Zest from 1 lemon (optional)
- 4 large eggs, yolks and whites separated
- 25 g almond flour
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- 100 g cane sugar
- *Or use your favorite dark chocolate bar, chopped up. Bittersweet chocolate should be around 70% dark.
Non-metric measurement estimates:
- 1 cup bittersweet chocolate chips/chunks
- ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
- Zest from 1 lemon (optional)
- 4 large eggs, yolks and whites separated
- ¼ cup almond flour
- ½ tsp kosher salt
- ½ cup cane sugar
- Note: ~ I’ve tested this recipe both as a round cake and as brownies and both were delicious. I think I might have liked the brownie version better because I love the corner pieces!
- Note: ~ if you don’t have a digital scale, get one! They are super useful for baking, weighing veggies, pasta, etc…This one is my favorite!
- Topping ideas: ~ whipped cream, shaved chocolate, toasted hazelnuts, fresh berries…
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan with olive oil and line with parchment. Alternatively you can bake this brownie style in a greased 8×8 or 9×9-inch baking dish (olive oil brownies!).
- Fill a medium pot with an inch or so of water. Bring to a simmer then reduce the heat to low and place a medium-large heat-safe bowl over top (it should be sitting above the water. Add your chocolate and let it slowly melt, stirring every minute, until melted. Remove the bowl from the pot and whisk in the olive oil and lemon zest (if using). Whisk in the yolks one at a time. Whisk in the almond flour and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate medium bowl, add the egg whites and beat them until they firm up but haven’t formed stiff peaks, about 1-2 minutes
- Slowly sprinkle in the sugar while continuing to beat the eggs. Keep beating until egg whites form stiff peaks, about 2-3 minutes.
- Carefully fold ⅓ of meringue into the chocolate base, being careful not to deflate the egg whites (see video). Then carefully fold in the rest, making sure to mix in all of the chocolate at the bottom of the bowl until it’s a uniform batter.
- Pour into the prepared pan and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the center is set and a toothpick in the middle is clean.
- Let it cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then release the springform pan and transfer to a cooling rack to cool for at least 2 hours (if using a baking dish, just leave it in the dish). I find this cake is best served at room temperature.
- Serve with whipped cream and your desired toppings.
Items you can prep ahead (optional)
- Separate 4 egg whites and yolks.
Substitutions:
- This cake cannot be made vegan.
- No subs!
Storage:
- Store leftovers wrapped or in an airtight container in the fridge for up to 10 days.
Leftovers + Repurposing:
- This cake tastes best at room temperature. If eating out of the fridge, pop it in the microwave on low power in 10 second intervals.
- Top with whipped cream, ice cream, and any other desired toppings.
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