Chocolate and fennel olive oil cake

Qingster Photography

Anise was commonly used by the Spanish in the 16^th century to flavour chocolate – it's not so common now but is a lovely combination, especially when you use Olivo's Fennel Infused Olive Oil in a lovely rich, chocolaty cake, as I have here.

Recipe created by Alice Arndell href="http://www.aliceinbakingland.com">www.aliceinbakingland.com for Olivo www.olivo.co.nz as part of the 2014 Martinborough Olive Harvest Festival. Makes one 23 x 23 cm cake.

Image is courtesy of Qingster Photography.

Ingredients

1 ¼ cups	Plain flour
⅔ cup	Cocoa powder, sifted, plus extra for dusting
¾ cup	Ground almonds
2 tsp	Baking powder
½ tsp	Baking soda
1 tsp	Salt
½ cup	Milk
1 ½ tsp	Lemon juice
5	Eggs, large
1 ½ cups	Brown sugar
2 tsp	Vanilla extract
200 g	Dark chocolate, melted, I used Pams 60% dark cooking chocolate (Main)
200 ml	Olive oil, use Olivo Fennel Infused Olive Oil (Main)

Directions

1. Preheat oven to 170C and grease and line a 23 x 23 cm tin.
2. Put flour, cocoa, almonds, baking powder, baking soda and salt in a small bowl and whisk to combine.
3. Combine milk and lemon juice, stir well and set aside.
4. Put the eggs and sugar in the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk until thick and creamy – at least 5 minutes. With the mixer on low, drizzle in the vanilla and melted chocolate until combined.
5. Increase the mixer to medium and slowly drizzle in the olive oil. Once all oil had been added, increase the mixer to high and whisk for 2 minutes.
6. Remove the bowl form the mixer and carefully fold in half the dry ingredients, then the milk and finally the remaining dry ingredients.
7. Spoon the batter into prepared tin.
8. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in 2 cm from the edge comes out with just a few crumbs. It will still be slightly undercooked in the middle. Cool completely in the tin. Dust with cocoa before serving. Store in an airtight container for up to one week.