Dark Chocolate & Red Wine Olive Oil Cake

This tender chocolate cake has a deep cocoa flavor that’s intensified by the slight bitterness of olive oil and enriched with red wine notes.

Ingredients (serves 8)
Cake:
¾ cup vomFASS San Gimignano Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus more to grease the pan
½ cup Capo Zafferono Rosso Appassimento (or other dry red wine) or orange juice
½ cup Dutch-processed cocoa powder
½ tsp ground cinnamon
¼ tsp fine sea salt
1 cup granulated sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
½ tsp baking soda
Cardamom cream:
½ cup heavy cream or whipped coconut cream
1 Tbsp powdered sugar
½ tsp ground cardamom
Garnish
½ cup lightly salted, chopped roasted pistachios
½ tsp flaky sea salt

Directions
Heat the oven to 325ºF. 
Grease a 9-inch round pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
In a medium saucepan over high heat, bring wine or orange juice to a simmer, then turn off heat. Whisk in cocoa, cinnamon, and salt until smooth, then set aside to cool.
In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine sugar, olive oil, eggs, and vanilla. 
Beat for about 3 minutes then reduce speed and pour in cocoa mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl. 
Gradually beat in flour and baking soda until just incorporated.
Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake until the sides are set but it’s still slightly damp in the center, 35 to 45 minutes. (A cake tester should come up clean but with a few sticky chocolate crumbs clinging to it.) 
Transfer cake pan to a wire rack and let cake cool completely in pan.
While the cake is baking, in a chilled metal or glass bowl using a hand mixer, beat the cream on medium speed until soft peaks form, about 4 minutes. Add the cardamom and beat until stiff peaks form, about 1 to 2 minutes more. Cover and refrigerate until ready to serve.
Serve each slice with a dollop of the cardamom cream and a sprinkling of pistachios, and pinch of flaky sea salt.

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