Flourless Chocolate and Blood Orange Cake
If you’re just getting started with brain-healthy eating, you might be worried that eating for brain health means you have to give up cake (or cookies, pies, brownies, or other treats). Thankfully, there is still room for treats. I love creating dessert recipes that will satisfy a craving for something sweet yet still fit into our brain-healthy lifestyle.
A chocolate olive oil cake that’s also gluten-free
This Flourless Chocolate and Blood Orange Cake is a chocolatey riff on one of my favorite cakes of all time, the Rustic Marmalade Cake. Both are olive oil cakes made with almond flour and a whole orange (yes, with the rind and all). I reworked it with a cocoa twist because everyone I know loves a good flourless chocolate cake, and for the sake of brain health I wanted to make one with less sugar, all brain-friendly ingredients, and the bittersweet flavors of blood oranges and dark chocolate.
Baking with brain-healthy ingredients
Over time, and with much trial and error, I have figured out how to bake without white sugar, white flour, and unhealthy fats. Dates, maple syrup, honey and fruit purees work beautifully to sweeten baked goods while adding layers of flavor. In this flourless chocolate cake recipe, I use coconut palm sugar, a sugar made from coconut blossoms that has a lower glycemic index than white sugar.
The MIND diet guides us to limit sweets
But let’s face it, desserts are sweet, and that means added sugar, so limiting portion size is key. I also find it helpful to stick to the MIND diet guidelines of enjoying sweets no more than five times each week. (I spell out the guidelines in detail in this article.) Even though we are baking with healthier forms of added sugar, we want to limit all types of sugar in a brain-healthy diet. That’s why I always try to include a good dose of fiber in my sweet recipes. Sugar gets absorbed into the bloodstream more slowly when consumed along with fiber (think whole citrus, nuts, dates, fruit purees). The result? A mitigated insulin response, for one. And the fiber helps you feel full longer.
The neuroprotective properties of blood orange
Blood oranges can be found at most grocery stores in the U.S. between December and April, but that wasn’t always the case. My Italian friends tell me that long ago they were only accessible to royalty. Prized for their jewel-like appearance, ancient mosaics depict kings and princes feasting on blood oranges. They proliferate all over the south of Italy where there are many varieties with lyrical names like moro, tarocco, and sanguinello. In Sicily, where my family is from, you can get a glass of freshly squeezed blood orange juice, called spremuta, on just about every street corner. I’ll never forget the look of wonder on my son Nick’s face, when at the age of 7 he was served a glass of orange juice that glowed ruby red.
Given their bright red and orange colors, it’s easy to guess that blood oranges are teeming with phytonutrients, aka plant pigments that are especially brain healthy because they fight oxidative stress. Their ruby hue comes from anthocyanin, a compound that has been studied for its neuroprotective effects. You probably regularly eat anthocyanins, since they’re responsible for the deep hues in blueberries and cherries. These powerful antioxidants have been studied for their ability to mop up amyloid and keep it from getting deposited in the brain.
Blood orange peel may enhance nutrient absorption
There’s more to a blood orange peel than just fiber and layered flavor. The peel also contains phytonutrients that may help with the absorption of vitamins and minerals, such as the substantial dose of vitamin C contained in each orange. Much has been speculated about the synergistic effect of whole citrus as a conduit for the absorption of nutrients in the Mediterranean diet. Perhaps that’s why the countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea have a long history of cooking with whole citrus. There are the preserved lemons used as a condiment in Morocco. Packed in salt and lemon juice, over time the lemon peel takes on an even more lemony character while its tart bite is mellowed out. And in Sicily, they stuff oranges with a rice pudding filling studded with currants and chunks of dark chocolate, and then roast in a slow oven until the whole thing collapses.
If you don’t have almond flour, you could use hazelnut meal. Just be sure to use a natural (non-Dutched) cacao powder for this cake for more brain-healthy flavonols, phytonutrients that help maintain healthy blood vessels and lower blood pressure. “Dutched” cocoa powder is alkalized to be less bitter for American palates, a process that strips it of these brain-healthy compounds. Baking soda works best when baking with natural cacao powder; baking powder, which is less acidic, can also neutralize the flavonols.
Servings |
9-inch cake
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- ⅔ cup extra virgin olive oil plus more for the pan
- 2 medium-size organic blood oranges scrubbed clean
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1½ cups finely ground almond flour
- ¼ cup oat flour
- ⅓ cup natural cocoa powder not Dutched
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2/3 cup coconut palm sugar
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 blood orange sliced very thin
- 1 teaspoon coconut palm sugar
- 4 ounces chopped bittersweet chocolate
- 1 tablespoon extra virgin olive oil
- 1 tablespoon grated blood orange peel
Ingredients
For the blood orange garnish
For the chocolate glaze
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- Preheat your oven to 350ºF. Brush a 9-inch springform pan with oil, then line with a parchment paper round and brush the paper with oil; set aside.
- Bring a small pot of water to a boil over high heat. Add one of the oranges and boil until soft, about 30 minutes. Use a slotted spoon to remove the orange and place on a cutting board. Halve the orange and remove any seeds. Transfer the orange halves to the bowl of a food processor and process for 1 minute, or until the orange looks like a chunky marmalade. Scrape into a small bowl, measure out 1/3 cup, and set aside. (Store the rest of the marmalade in an airtight container in the fridge.)
- Coarsely grate the second orange over the small holes of a box grater to yield 1 tablespoon of zest. Set the grated peel aside for the garnish. Juice the orange to yield ½ cup. Stir in the vanilla and set aside.
- In a small bowl, whisk the almond flour, oat flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt until combined; set aside.
- Combine the sugar, oil, and eggs in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a whisk attachment. Beat on high until thick and creamy enough to coat the back of a spoon. Turn the speed down to low and add the flour mixture. Slowly add half the flour mixture, beat until combined. Add the orange juice, beat until combined, then fold in the remaining flour. Scrape down the sides with a rubber spatula occasionally to make sure everything is evenly incorporated. Fold in the orange “marmalade.” (You can also make the batter with a large mixing bowl and a whisk.)
- Pour the batter into the springform pan. Bake until the cake has started to pull away from the sides and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean, 38 to 42 minutes. Cool completely, then release the sides of the pan.
- For the candied orange garnish, place the orange slices on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with the sugar and bake at 350ºf or 10 minutes, or until starting to get crispy and caramelized.
- For the chocolate glaze, break the chocolate into small pieces and place in a glass or metal bowl that fits on top of a pot filled halfway with water. Bring the water to just below a boil, making sure the water level doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl. Allow the chocolate to melt, stirring occasionally. When melted, whisk in the olive oil and half the grated blood orange peel until smooth. Cool slightly and pour over the cake, using an offset spatula to smooth it over the top, letting it drip down the sides.
- Arrange the blood oranges slices on the surface of the cake. Scatter the rest of the grated peel over the top.
- Cut into 1-inch slices.
For best results, chill the cake for easier slicing.
Choose organic blood oranges, especially since you will eat the whole orange, rind and all.
Don’t use your best extra virgin olive oil for this cake; use a good everyday brand instead. (I like California Olive Ranch.)
To save time: instead of making a glaze, garnish with a dusting of cocoa powder and slices of blood orange on the side.
I use Ghiradelli 60% cacao bittersweet chocolate bars for the glaze; each bar is 6 ounces and is easy to break into pieces with your hands, no chopping required. You could also use 4 ounces (about 2/3 cup) dark chocolate chips. If you have a double boiler, use it to melt the chocolate for the glaze.
You can find oat flour at the grocery store or make your own by whizzing whole rolled oats (aka old-fashioned oats) in a blender or food processor until they are the consistency of flour, then measuring out ¼ cup.
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