Paleo Chocolate Cake Recipe

Lately I've changed the way I eat. Not a big deal, but I was feeling very tired and relying very heavily on pasta, rice, bread and sweet treats. I was tired all the time and felt like my body was telling me to try something new.

I did some reading, observed a few friends have great success and I decided to adopt many of the principles of the paleo diet. I won't regale you with all the facts - I find talking about diets intensely boring - but basically the paleo food movement involves a gluten free, sugar free and mostly dairy free diet. If you want to know more, there is some good info here and here. I'm not super strict about it, but I've definitely noticed a positive difference in my energy levels and in my general physical health (and a little bit of weight loss - nice bonus!)

The thing with this type of eating is that many traditional treats are off the menu as they all contain copious amounts of sugar and flour. But a bit of creativity in the kitchen can go a long way!

For this cake, I used the recipe for Nigella Lawson's Chocolate and Olive Oil Cake as a base. I've made it heaps of times and it's always a crowd pleaser. That recipe is already made that recipe gluten and dairy free, so all that was left to get rid of the sugar. I adjusted a few measurements as well.

Paleo Chocolate Cake:

1/2 cup good quality unsweetened cocoa powder
1/2 cup boiling water
3 large eggs
1/2 cup organic honey* (I am super lucky here - my father in law is a hobby bee keeper so I have organic honey on tap!)
1 1/2 cups of almond meal
1 teaspoon vanilla essence
2/3 cup good quality olive oil
1/2 tsp bicarbonate soda (baking soda)

1. Turn on your oven to 170C / 340F
2. Mix cocoa with boiling water and stir well to create a runny paste.
3. Mix olive oil, honey and eggs together in an electric mixer or with hand held electric beaters for 3-4 minutes.
3. Mix almond meal and bicarb soda
4. With beaters going slowly, add cocoa and water mix to the egg, honey and oil.
5. Add almond meal mix. Combine well.
6. Line the bottom of a 22-24cm spring form cake tin with baking paper. Lightly grease sides with olive oil. Pour in cake batter (it will be quite runny).
7. Bake for 40-45 minute until it springs back in the centre when lightly touched.
8. Cool on a wire rack for 5 minutes, then remove from the cake tin to cool further.

Lovely served warm or cold. The cake itself is quite fudgy. If you are after an some additional sweetness, drizzle with some warm honey.

*You could also substitute good quality maple syrup.

Enjoy! This cake is also excellent for people who have conditions like lactose intolerance and coeliac disease and require gluten or dairy free, or people who have allergies.