Recipe with Extra Virgin Olive Oil! Chocolate Gateau for Valentines Day!
- Baking chocolate of good quality … 65 g
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil by Oro del Desierto … 50 g
- Egg yolks … x2
- Sugar or alternate … 50 g
- Whip cream … 50 g
- Brandy … 1 g
- Flour … 18 g
- Coco Power …40 g
- Egg whites … Separate egg white from 3 eggs
- Granulated sugar or alternate … 70 g
- Icing sugar or alternate … as required
- Salt as needed
- Gather all the ingredients.
- Preheat the oven to 200 C or 390 F. Grease the 15 cm cake pan. You may use a baking sheet.
- Combine the flour and coco powder and sift, set aside.
- Cut the chocolate bar into small pieces and set a side.
- Set a heatproof bowl over a saucepan of simmering water(140F/60C) and add the chocolate. Stir occasionally until the chocolate is melted. Make sure not to introduce the olive oil yet or moisture to the bowl; otherwise, the chocolate will seize.
- Add the extra virgin olive oil by Oro del Desierto into the melted chocolate and stir. Transfer the bowl to the counter and let the mixture cool.
- Separate the cold eggs, putting the whites in a mixer bowl or other large bowl and the yolks in a small bowl.
- While the chocolate is cooling, place the egg whites in a clean bowl with salt. Beat the egg whites until they are foamy and start adding half of the sugar in 2-3 separate additions.
- Continue to beat the egg whites until stiff peaks form and sugar is dissolved. The whites should not slide around. Transfer the meringue into a bowl.
- In the clean mixing bowl, beat the egg yolks and the rest of the sugar until creamy and stir in the heavy whipping cream and the brandy.
- With a rubber spatula stir the chocolate mixture into the egg mixture.
- Then add the flour and coco powder into the mixture.
- Using the spatula, stir about 1/3 of the meringue into the batter, then gently fold in the rest until the colour is uniform.
- Pour the batter into the pan and give the pan several sharp taps on the counter to bring up any air bubbles that may be trapped in the batter.
- Bake the cake at 200 C or 390 F for 15 minutes. Then reduce the temperature to 160 C or 350 F and bake for 25 minutes until toothpick pulls out moist crumbs when inserted near the centre of the cake. Transfer the pan to a cooling rack and let the cake cool completely. As the cake cools, it may deflate a bit.
- Run a knife along the edges of the cake and carefully turn the cake over onto a plate or cake stand. Decorate the cake with raspberry or strawberries and dust the powdered sugar before serving.
