Simple Gluten Free Kitchen

Chocolate Walnut Snacking Cake

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I don’t know about you but I don’t like when my cake cracks on top. Well may be because 90% of the time I don’t frost them or sprinkle with sugar. Basically, all my cakes end up as a snacking cake because of no frosting. 

A few Sunday’s ago my daughter and I were craving some real good chocolate cake and I decided to make the one which a google friend  had shared with me. I followed the recipe as closely as I could, and got a delicious cake but with a cracked top.

 

 

We did however enjoyed the warm slice of cake with ice cream and toasted walnuts on top. When I made the cake again, I made some adjustments. I did not only get a non cracked cake, I got a flat cake.

I like to add little grain based flour to all my nut flours because cakes made with nut flour tend to be dense and moist  which is good, but they get super moist if kept for few days on room temperature. This cake  has olive oil and together with almond meal, it makes the cake more tender, grain flour help stiffen the batter and thus firm up the cake. It still retains the lovely soft texture with  lots of character and keep moist for days.

 

 

The cake was finished with a layer of walnuts on top, which makes this chocolate cake taste and look more like a brownie.

 

 

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Chocolate Walnut Snacking Cake

Prep Time: 15 minutes

Cook Time: 40 minutes

Total Time: 55 minutes

Yield: 16 squares

Satisfy your chocolate craving with these decadent chocolate walnut snacking cake.

Ingredients

  • 1 cup walnuts, chopped and toasted
  • 165 g (1.5 cups) almond meal
  • 65 g(1/2 cup)brown rice flour mix
  • 3 eggs
  • 200 g (1 cup) sugar
  • 2/3 cup pure olive oil
  • 125 ml (1/2 cup) boiling water
  • 6 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp baking soda
  • a pinch of salt

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 325° F. Line a 9" baking pan with foil, allowing the extra foil to hang over the edges of the pan. Lightly spray with olive oil, set aside.
  2. Whisk cocoa powder in boiling water until you have a smooth paste.
  3. Whisk in the vanilla extract, then set aside to cool a little.
  4. Combine almond meal, brown rice flour mix with baking powder, baking soda and salt in a small bowl.
  5. Put the sugar, olive oil and eggs into the bowl of a free standing mixer with the paddle attachment (or other bowl and whisk arrangement of your choice) and beat together vigorously until you have a pale thickened cream.
  6. Turn the speed down and pour in the cocoa mixture, beating as you go, and when all is scraped in, slowly tip in the flour mixture.
  7. Scrape down, and stir a little with a spatula, then pour into prepared pan.
  8. Scatter chopped toasted walnuts on top and gently press with a toothpick or your clean finger into the batter.
  9. Gently tap the filled cake pan on the counter 2-3 times to release any air bubbles in the batter. Bake for 35-40 minutes or until toothpick inserted into center comes out mainly clean but with a few sticky chocolate crumbs clinging to it.
  10. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.
  11. Remove cake from pan using foil.
  12. Cut into 16 squares.

Notes

Recipe adapted from Nigella's Chocolate Olive oil Cake.

https://www.simpleglutenfreekitchen.com/2013/09/chocolate-walnut-snacking-cake.html

Shared at Allergy Free Wednesdays, Slightly Indulgent Tuesdays, Gluten free Fridays

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Sheer Inulgence! Walnuts are a perfect match for cocoa and spiced cakes. I haven’t used almond meal in cakes but I have seen recipes all over the web and on your blog and olive oil in a cake is totally a new thing for me. If you say it tastes good and like brownie, i better try it.

    Reply

  2. I (very) often get a craving for a good chocolate cake too, and I usually enjoy “snacking cakes” (i.e., without frosting) just like you. Lately, I’ve been making a simple chocolate muffin that has mini chips in it that isn’t all that rich but totally hits the spot.
    You really transformed Nigella’s olive oil cake. I personally don’t mind a crack all that much as long as it tastes good but I like how you added some rice flour and the walnuts. The texture – moist yet a bit firmer – sounds really good. Plus, it does look like a brownie, which is all the better!

    Reply

  4. Mmmm, I get cravings so much it is actually insanity!
    This chocolate snacking cake is absolutely delicious, thanks for the recipe!

    Cheers
    Choc Chip Uru

    Reply

  6. See the problem is when one person starts to cut into it then you have to even out that row in the pan. Well that would be my excuse anyways as it is hard not to sneak a slice or two when it looks this good. Have a super weekend. BAM

    Reply

  7. To be honest, my cakes also cracks up on the top. Some of my friends say its normal, so I just accept it because I think its about taste more than the appearance. Beautiful outcome though I am not a big fan of sweet stuffs. Will bake for my friends and family and they sure will love the chocolaty and walnut crunch.

    Reply

  8. Ah many of my cakes crack and I take it as a good sign. The same goes with bread, cracked baguettes are the best in France. But I have to say it looks more neat for the eye if its all even. Your cake wouldn’t survive a day in my house!

    Reply

  13. I always enjoy reading your recipes. I know so many people that eat Gluten Free and when they come over now I have tried and true tested recipes that I can count on to be good. Beautiful cake. Thanks for sharing.

    Reply

  15. A cracked top! I can relate to your struggle because I also prefer not to put too much sugar on top, and the top must look pretty (enough) to serve… As I’m a newbie in baking, I really want to know how it can get cracked… rise too high and drop too quickly? Baking is really hard to “fix” compared to cooking and maybe that’s why I stayed away for many years. 🙂 Love your chocolate & walnut cake! It’s a good snack for tea time. 🙂

    Reply

    • Well Nami, I am a newbie to baking with gluten free flours, which is like an experiment every time I change an ingredients. I do love to have my cake uncracked because I prefer it that way, without any frosting.

      Reply

  17. Wow, looks great! I am with you…I am cake crazy too and love this snacking cake. Chocolate (my favourite) topped with nuts…why should we bother about frosting! I am making this today for my son.

    Reply

  18. Cracks or no cracks as long as it’s cake , I’m willing to scarf it ! And I really hate to make frosting ugh 😛 This cake certainly looks pretty good with nary a crack 😀 It’s beautifully-baked snacking cake , Bal !

    Reply

  24. This looks just like brownies! I would love to try it, but what is a brown rice flour mix? I have plain brown rice flour; do I have to add something to it to approximate the mix in the recipe? Thanks!

    Reply

    • Hi Millie,
      Brown rice flour mix is the gluten free all purpose flour using brown rice flour. If you check my pantry pantry page you will know what it is.You can not make the cake just with brown rice flour. It will be crumbly and might fall apart. A gluten free cake needs some type of starch to give it structure and stability. I would suggest always test the recipe first as written before altering it but you can try this recipe with a store bought gluten free all purpose flour of the same metric weight.
      Hope this helps.

      Reply

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