Mediterranean Chocolate Cake

April 4, 2009 · Filed Under Friday Foodie Fix, dairy free, dessert, easy, gluten free, recipe 

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I didn’t plan on sharing another sweet treat for a while, but when I mentioned this gluten-free, dairy-free chocolate cake at my presentation at the Women’s Forum last Saturday, suddenly everyone was rapt with attention. Yeah, I know … mentioning chocolate has a way of doing that! I promised one particularly eager attendee, Deborah, that I should have the recipe on my site in about a week, so I am honoring my promise. :-)

What makes this particular chocolate cake Mediterranean? Think about that for a moment. What’s everyone’s favorite Mediterranean product that also happens to be so good for you? Olive oil, of course. As, I’ve recently alluded, I’m trying to eat more dairy free. I’ve also mentioned that we have several members of our support group who are both gluten free and dairy free. In offering more dairy-free options, I am taking the same approach to dairy free as I’ve always taken towards gluten free. I’m looking for recipes that are naturally dairy free or can easily be made dairy free and, most importantly, taste just as good as their dairy counterparts. Not all recipes shared here at GFE will be dairy free, but many will be. But, I don’t think you’ll ever have any complaints about the recipes you find here. Case in point, today’s Mediterranean Chocolate Cake.

When I was looking for guidance on how to substitute olive oil for butter the other day, I came across the Filippo Berio site.  I found a handy substitution chart, which I’ve already printed out and put on the inside of the cabinet next to my stove. But, there’s so much more helpful data on Filippo Berio’s site, including a discussion on good fats versus bad fats and the Mediterranean Diet Food Pyramid. Remove the gluten factor (i.e., only use non-gluten grains, pasta, and breads) in the pyramid and you have advice that’s terrific for all of us. Really. Check it out here. But, I know, I know … you want to hear more about the cake.

This site also offers recipes and as you would expect, they all call for olive oil. That’s when the Mediterranean Chocolate Cake caught my eye.  I appreciated that the recipe only called for a small amount of flour (which always allows one to get a bit closer to tasting the core ingredients of a recipe). It also required unsweetened cocoa powder, which can be a nice non-dairy way to get one’s chocolate fix. Cocoa also provides a simpler chocolate flavor than that offered by other ingredients like chocolate chips or baking chocolate. The recipe called for grated lemon peel. I had a lemon, but in the interest of time, I used some dehydrated orange peel I had on hand. It was supposed to rehydrate from the liquid in the recipe. Unfortunately, it didn’t occur to me to test it before I added it to the batter. Apparently it was too old and dried up to regenerate. (Hmmm, there might be a lesson there, but it’s not one I want to acknowledge!) So the orange peel that didn’t come to life provided a little extra fiber, but no orange flavor. Therefore, I think the lemon peel can be optional. Last, per usual, I adapted the recipe slightly by using gluten-free flour and adding a small amount of xanthan gum. The result is a beautiful and delicious cake that looks a lot like my flourless chocolate cake, but is more of a classic chocolate cake without the “death by chocolate” intensity.  Still, everyone loved it … I think you will, too!

Shirley
Not Just GF, but GFE!

 

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Mediterranean Chocolate Cake

3/4 cup gluten-free flour mix*
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 xanthan gum
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
4 large eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons finely grated lemon peel (optional)
2/3 cup olive oil

Glaze:

2 tablespoons water
1 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tablespoon olive oil
Pinch salt

Cake Directions:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease 9-inch round cake pan or 9-inch springform pan with olive oil. Line bottom of pan with parchment paper or waxed paper.

In a small bowl, combine flour, cocoa, baking soda, xanthan gum, and cinnamon.

In a large bowl, whisk together eggs and salt until blended. Slowly whisk in granulated sugar and lemon peel until combined. Sift flour mixture over egg mixture; fold in with rubber spatula until blended. Fold in olive oil, 2 tablespoons at a time, until well blended. Pour into prepared pan.

Bake 30 minutes or until cake springs back when pressed lightly in the center. Cool on a wire rack 10 minutes.

Loosen cake from pan with knife or spatula. Invert onto wire rack; remove paper. Invert again; cool completely. Place cake on a serving plate.

Glaze Directions:

In small saucepan, combine water and powdered sugar until smooth. Sift cocoa over sugar mixture; blend well. Stir in olive oil and salt. Warm glaze over low heat, stirring constantly, until just warm to the touch. Drizzle glaze over top of cake. Allow to set 10 minutes before serving.

*I used my usual GF flour mix, but any GF flour mix of your liking should work just fine. I make my GF flour mix ahead of time in 5-lb batches and then measure out per recipe. I mix the following in a huge bowl and then divide into canisters or airtight containers: 3 lbs Asian white rice flour (Asian white rice flour is very finely ground) and 2 lbs cornstarch (Argo is gluten free).

Shirley’s Notes: If you get sidetracked after making the glaze and it hardens, just add a little water and warm slowly. Filippo Berio states that this cake may be prepared in advance and refrigerated or frozen. Then thaw cake, loosely covered, at room temperature before adding glaze.

Adapted from Filippo Berio

This post is linked to Friday Foodie Fix–Chocolate.

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Comments

38 Responses to “Mediterranean Chocolate Cake”

  1. Lauren on April 5th, 2009 12:40 am

    Mmm, this looks really good. This twist on chocolate cake looks awesome, especially the lemon and the glaze on top =D.

    Reply
  2. glutenfreeforgood on April 5th, 2009 8:15 am

    YIKES! My mouth is watering and it’s only 6AM. I want a piece of that cake! NOW!

    But alas (big sigh), I’m not eating this kind of thing right now. I’ll definitely save this recipe for later though.

    I love grated lemon peel in anything, but now that I think of it, I’ve never tried it in chocolate cake. Good idea. And thanks for the link to Filipo’s site. I’ll go check it out.

    Melissa

    Reply
  3. Shirley on April 5th, 2009 8:35 am

    Hi, Lauren! Good to see you. :-) Thanks. It is a very lovely cake.

    I just caught up with your blog a bit. OMG on that completely homemade lasagna–pasta and all. You rock!

    Shirley

    Reply
  4. Shirley on April 5th, 2009 8:44 am

    Good morning, Melissa–That cake is pretty darn good! Make it when you are indulging again AND you have friends over … just sayin’. I am on a baking binge of sorts, but giving almost all away. Yesterday, our son showed up with two buddies and they devoured a ton of food, including my famous brown sugar chocolate chip cookies. Love feeding the ever-hungry young males. ;-) On today’s agenda is Katharine Hepburn brownies adapted from Noble Pig’s blog, more brown sugar chocolate chip cookies, and easy apple pie … plus meat loaf and pan-baked potatoes. I’m repaying one BIL for kindness, making a BD present for another, taking some cookies to mom and dad, and making a meal for some other relatives. It will be nice because I enjoy cooking/baking and it will all warm up the house, which is quite chilly at the moment. ;-)

    Reply
  5. H.Peter on April 5th, 2009 9:01 am

    We find lemon peel or any citrus fruit peel so pungent that we use them a lot.
    But yes, never tried in a chocolate cake. Good concept.
    My plan coincidentally was to make Chocolate Mousse today (Scharffen Berger) and use orange zest to make it taste a bit different. Not sure if it will work though.

    Your cake looks amazing, Europe has some good tricks up her sleeves…..

    Reply
    • Shirley on April 5th, 2009 9:34 am

      H.Peter–Yes, pungent. I think just that little bit of lemon will add a nice pungent contrast to the chocolate. That’s what I was going for with the orange peel. I am quite fond of a little orange flavor in baked goods/desserts. Chocolate mousse using Scharffen Berger and orange zest! OMG, this is where the Star Trek age and being transported via computer would come in so handy!! I know you wouldn’t mind an extra taster. ;-) Europe indeed has some good tricks … lovely rich desserts with real ingredients that you don’t need a lot of to be satisfied. Your chocolate mousse fits that bill, too!

      Shirley

      Reply
  6. Diane-thewholegang on April 5th, 2009 10:15 am

    This looks devilishly good. It could make me do naughty things. I’m thinking I could drive an hour and come snatch it off your table, or you could start sending them in the mail. OK, now that I’m starting to breath again, can you give me some hints so I can change it up for a rice free cake? Also, sugar and I are not friends but agave can be nice to me. Have you ever switched out agave for the sugar? The rest should work for me. I’d love to have my son, our baker, get cracking on this. Oh, he’ll want to eat it too so he’ll have to use egg replacer. I think I’m going to have to print that photo and put it up on my refrigerator. Thank you Women’s Forum!

    Reply
    • Shirley on April 5th, 2009 10:44 am

      LOL, Diane … I know. First, it’s easy to change it to rice free. You can just use another GF flour mix of your liking. (I’ll make a note of that to reassure folks that they don’t have to use a rice flour mix.) I’d use one that’s more of a basic flour mix for baking though. Some folks use a GF buckwheat (make sure it’s GF, not all are) and others use a bean flour mix. Neither of those agree with me, but if they work for you, I’d try them. A finely ground almond flour should work well, also … like Honeyville Blanched Almond Flour.

      As far as the agave, I’ve not yet done any baking with agave (although lots of my good friends do successfully … my dear friend, Jennifer, just made a delicious pumpkin bread with agave). Baking with agave is on my agenda, but I’d like to do more GF baking with honey first since we keep bees. Do you eat honey? I think this cake might work well with honey or perhaps a honey/demara sugar combo. I think egg replacers work well in most recipes, so I hope that won’t be a problem. Let us know about your experimenting and I promise to report back when I try this recipe again with variations.

      Thanks so much!
      Shirley

      Reply
  7. Cindi on April 5th, 2009 7:08 pm

    I’m the only one in my family who isn’t a chocolate fan, but even I get cravings sometimes. (Dennis always knew when it was “that time of the month” because he’d catch me at the candy machine at work getting something chocolate!! I miss him!!) Anyway, this cake sounds delicious, so I think Olivia and I will have to tackle it sometime soon. She and Don are the biggest chocolate lovers here, so I’m sure they’d both flip over this. I have a recipe for taco soup I need to share with you. It’s actually a weight watchers-approved dish so it’s relatively good for you, although I always end up adding corn chips to the bottom of the bowl, and then a big glop of sour cream on the top . . . I’m not knowledgeable about GF foods, but I’m pretty sure this one already is or could easily be adapted. I meant to send it in a comment back on the mushroom chili post (OMG that sounds good!!), because it’s actually sort of a chili more than a soup. I love keeping up with your blog, Shirley – I keep adding to my recipe collection! And one of your readers has since discovered Don’s website and sent him a message, which is just awesome. He loves getting messages from my friends and my friends-of-friends. Hugs to you! We’ll be back up that way soon – we’ve had some delays, but will likely be there before the end of June.

    Reply
  8. Shirley on April 5th, 2009 9:52 pm

    Cindi–I seem to remember you liking my chocolate chip cookies pretty well. ;-) I think your biggest chocolate fans would love this cake. Pouring the glaze over at the end is so much more fun than frosting, too, but just as delicious. I know Olivia would like that part!

    Taco soup sounds good. Please send the recipe on. Adding corn chips to the bottom of the bowl sounds like a fab idea! I add homemade tortilla chips/strips on top of my tortilla soup (hence, the name), so the opposite of what you do, but still very tasty. Be sure to try the “mushroom chili.”

    Thank you, thank you for the kind words on GFE! And, how cool that one of my readers made it over to Don’s site. Life is all about connections … and, that’s a wonderful thing!

    I am sure you’ll be back up here before you know it. Yes, I miss Dennis, too. I can hear his laugh and remember our lunches and conversations. Good times.

    xo,
    Shirley

    Reply
  9. Carol, Simply...Gluten-free on April 6th, 2009 10:12 am

    Yum, this looks so moist! I am craving some chocolate right now. Thanks for all your support on my travels through China! I look forward the comments on my blog, it keeps me in touch!

    Reply
    • Shirley on April 6th, 2009 8:41 pm

      Thanks, Carol. It is wonderfully moist. Another bennie of olive oil. :-) Hmmm, I guess chocolate is not something China is known for. I am vicariously enjoying Shanghai through your words and pics!

      Shirley

      Reply
  10. Kay on April 6th, 2009 10:36 am

    This looks like a great addition to my Easter or Mother’s Day menu. None for me. Rats! But the rest of the family LOVES chocolate. I keep hoping I’ll get some of my forbidden foods back one day. Chocolate tops my wish list.

    I am loving my latest sorgum/millet/potato starch gf flour mix. Had trouble finding millet flour around here. So I went to Bob’s Red Mill website. Not only did I find cheap millet flour, but also millet meal. I’ve never seen it in any store. I hope to try it in place of corn meal in some recipes soon. (No corn for me.) It can also be cooked up like grits. This is MAJOR for me!

    Too busy working on the chicken coop and gardens to blog. Winter weather is back today, so maybe I’ll get to do some indoor projects.

    Reply
    • Shirley on April 6th, 2009 8:52 pm

      Kay–You are a really good sport to make desserts you can’t yet enjoy yourself! (Notice that “yet” … I’m hopeful, too, you’ll get some of your favorites back.) But, offering this cake will make you VERY popular! ;-) Yippee on finding a new flour mix that works for you. I’ve never heard of millet meal either. It sounds like it’s a great solution for you though. I’ll keep it in mind to share with my group members who have corn issues as well.

      Your loyal readers forgive you for going AWOL from your blog to tend to such important matters. ;-) I was listening to an audiobook today on cooking that extolled the merits of eggs from free-range chickens. Of course, we all know that, but it was interesting to hear descriptions of the bad and the good–well, the good anyway. Your chickens will have good eggs, Kay!

      Thanks for taking time away from your chickens, worms, and gardens to comment!
      Shirley

      Reply
  11. noble pig on April 6th, 2009 12:20 pm

    This looks like the kind of sinful deliciousness I love to eat…Wow, very, very, very nice!

    Reply
    • Shirley on April 6th, 2009 8:55 pm

      Noble Pig–”Sinful deliciousness” … love that term! I hope you make this cake and it lives up to that description. I think it will. ;-)

      Thanks, Cathy!
      Shirley

      Reply
  12. Nance on April 6th, 2009 4:19 pm

    Looks lovely, Shirley. Just wanted to pass on a tip: when making chocolate cake, I usually “flour” the pan with cocoa powder when the recipe calls for flouring the pan. GF people will find this helpful, and other bakers will appreciate not having the whitish coating on the cakes. (I know this recipe doesn’t call for it, however.) Also, I’m glad you subbed in orange for the lemon, even though your orange peel didn’t really seem to “work.” Orange and chocolate are such a nice flavor combination, that I would use a zester and add the zest of an orange to the glaze. I bet it would be terrific.

    Your recipes are always so nice to use as they are, plus play around with!

    Reply
    • Shirley on April 6th, 2009 9:02 pm

      Nance–That is a great tip. :-) You’re right it’s very helpful for those of us who are GF, and I don’t mind a little more chocolate either. The olive oil is what makes “flouring” unnecessary in this recipe. I prefer orange over lemon with chocolate, so next time I will follow your suggestion and add some orange zest. Can’t wait! Last, I do love flexible recipes, so thanks!

      Shirley

      Reply
  13. V-Grrrl on April 6th, 2009 7:46 pm

    Looks delicious. I love that it has olive oil in it–my cardiologist would approve!

    Reply
    • Shirley on April 6th, 2009 9:03 pm

      Thanks, V! I try my best to work with the medical community. ;-)

      Shirley

      Reply
  14. therese on April 6th, 2009 11:41 pm

    Shirley, that looks like my favorite kind of icing. Love it when it just barely crackles under your fork and gives way to soft, creamy chocolate.

    Will add it to the must-try list.

    Reply
    • Shirley on April 7th, 2009 6:43 am

      Therese—You’ve described that icing perfectly! I am glad you could discern that from the photo. :-) Thank you!

      Shirley

      Reply
  15. Ali (Whole Life Nutrition) on April 7th, 2009 2:03 am

    Shirley –

    I like the little Easter figures in the photo. I am not at all prepared for another Holiday, not yet anyways. I am back to the blogging world after a 2 week break – we have the chicken pox running through our house now and I have been trying to finish my next cookbook!

    The cake looks great! I have not tried putting chocolate and lemon together. I will have to give it a whirl!

    Thanks! -Ali :)

    Reply
    • Shirley on April 7th, 2009 6:49 am

      Ali–Although I am not into figurines much, I have a lifelong fondness for bunnies so I do have a few bunny ones. Maybe they’ll make their way into another photo this week. ;-)

      Oh, boy, chicken pox … I thought something might be up since I had seen that you had not posted recently. I am sure you need a major break after dealing with CP and the little ones. And, finishing your next cookbook! Wow, all your fans will be thrilled to hear about that.

      I think either lemon or orange enhances the chocolate flavor just a bit. As far as grapeseed oil, I have not tried it yet. I didn’t know it was relatively inexpensive. Definitely a plus. I really like coconut oil, but right now it doesn’t like me. I might reintroduce it later.

      Thanks and hugs “mom nightingale”! :-)
      Shirley

      Reply
  16. Ali (Whole Life Nutrition) on April 7th, 2009 2:07 am

    Oh – I forgot to mention that grapeseed oil makes a great baking oil. It has a mild, buttery flavor. I use it a lot in baking. I also use melted virgin coconut oil but sometimes I don’t want a strong coconut flavor. Grapeseed oil is also relatively inexpensive!

    -Ali :)

    Reply
  17. Alisa - Frugal Foodie on April 7th, 2009 10:38 pm

    Oh wow, that looks soooo good! I love using olive oil with chocolate, the two flavors go together so well.

    Reply
    • Shirley on April 8th, 2009 6:14 am

      Hi, Alisa! Welcome to GFE! Thanks. :-) I have to agree about olive oil and chocolate. Even years before going gluten free, I had read a tip that one person’s secret to rich fudgy brownies was using olive oil. And, that makes them so much better for you than brownies made with corn oil or the like.

      I like your nickname and concept. Eating the GFE way is naturally more frugal! ;-) Off to check out your blog some …
      Shirley

      Reply
  18. Ali (Whole Life Nutrition) on April 7th, 2009 11:31 pm

    OK – I just checked. The grapeseed oil is from Napa Valley Naturals and it was $4.69 for 12.7 ounces. So a little less than what we pay for olive oil. I bet it would be good in this cake!

    -Ali :)

    Reply
    • Shirley on April 8th, 2009 6:18 am

      Ali–Thanks so much for looking up that info! I really do want to try it. I know some other GF bloggers also use grapeseed oil. I need to check on its health benefits vs olive oil. Thanks for giving me the push! I know it won’t be carried at our local grocery, which is “bare bones,” but it might be available at the much better grocery store I occasionally stop at. :-)

      Shirley

      Reply
  19. RobinSue on April 9th, 2009 8:47 am

    Hurray for sweet treats! I have seen that gluten free baking mix but wow is it ever pricy. Any ideas where I can get it cheaper than 5 bucks for a tiny little bag?

    Reply
  20. Shirley on April 9th, 2009 9:00 am

    Robin Sue– :-) on the hurray! we all love our treats, don’t we? The cost is one reason I don’t typically buy the pre-made GF flour mixes (that and most of them I don’t care for or they bother me because of the starches used). I make my own using Asian white rice flour, which is very finally ground (more so than what I’ve seen labeled as GF flours), and cornstarch. It’s 3 parts Asian white rice flour and 2 parts cornstarch. So, for example, I usually use 3 lbs of the rice flour mixed with 2 lbs of the cornstarch to make 5 lbs. That costs me about $5, because I get the rice flour for $1 a bag and the cornstarch for about $1 a box. If you have an Asian/ethnic market nearby, check it out for the white rice flour. Most recipes require adding some xanthan gum, too, but a small jar, although expensive, can last for years even for a heavy-duty baker like me.

    Other pre-made flour options are Authentic Foods finely ground brown rice flour, about 3 lbs for $10, I understand. Still too pricy for me, but some folks like it. I have not tried it.

    And, I have just tried Jules Gluten-Free Flour Mix. She has pretty good deals on it always. The latest deal is two bags with her e-cookbook. I just tried this flour mix this weekend and it is pretty terrific for that all-purpose flour taste. I will probably use this for my more “finicky” recipes. You can check it out at julesglutenfree.com.

    Hope that helps, but email or comment again if you have more questions. :-)

    Shirley

    Reply
  21. RobinSue on April 22nd, 2009 7:33 am

    Shirley thanks for answering my question! I do have an Indian store near me that sells the rice flour so now I can play too! I have to be careful with some of the gluten free recipes as many call for almond flour which would be deadly in my home. I have a little one with tree nut allergies.

    Reply
    • Shirley on April 22nd, 2009 7:59 am

      Hi, Robin Sue–You’re welcome! :-) Hope you are successful at the Indian store. The rice flour should have the consistency of cornstarch–very finely ground. And, remember to follow my directions for mixing it with cornstarch and using some xanthan gum (that acts as a binder).

      Yes, please stay away from the nut flours. Those types of allergies are so terribly scary. Therefore, I am sure you are already well versed in knowing what’s actually in the foods you are eating, which is one of the key factors for cooking gluten free, plus you make so much from scratch. So, you’re a natural (pun intended)! ;-)

      Thanks for checking back in!
      Shirley

      Reply
  22. Jenna on May 14th, 2009 1:44 pm

    Delicious cake! Glad I found this site. Never thought to try olive oil in a baked good! That combined with the lemon made an excellant combo! Thanks!!! :)

    Reply
    • Shirley on May 14th, 2009 7:47 pm

      Hi, Jenna! You’re very welcome and welcome also to gfe! Thanks so much for the positive feedback!! :-) I love hearing how readers actually end up making a recipe and how it turns out for them. I’ve really enjoyed the results of baking with olive oil vs dairy so far. Hope you’ll visit gfe often!

      Shirley

      Reply
  23. Diane-The WHOLE Gang on December 22nd, 2009 11:34 am

    I’m beginning to think you like chocolate as much as I do. Thank you for sharing this on Friday Foodie Fix.

    Reply
    • Shirley on December 23rd, 2009 8:36 pm

      Diane–I’m certain that I love chocolate as much as you do! LOL

      Shirley

      Reply

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