Everyone loves chocolate cake, but have you ever tried a slice with a salad dressing as it's key ingredient? I hadn't, or even thought olive oil would create the perfect chocolate cake. I was watching a bit of Nigellissima the other day and tuned in at the right time to see Nigella Lawson's chocolate cake with a twist. It's dairy free (if you don't add any chocolate, unless that's dairy free too) and wheat free if you follow her recipe using ground almonds. As I was about to go away for the weekend, I decided to bake my own Chocolate Olive Oil Cake to take with me. I was definitely curious to see how it would turn out! I used plain flour and decorated my cake with chocolate as luckily my family, boyfriend and I have no intolerances. 

You will need: 

150ml regular olive oil

50g cocoa powder

125ml boiling water

2 tsp vanilla extract

125g plain flour

1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda

1 pinch of salt

200g caster sugar

3 eggs
Icing sugar and chocolate to decorate

Pre-heat the oven to 170C/325F/gas 3 and grease a 20-23cm tin (you may need to line the base of the tin). Sift the cocoa powder into a bowl or jug, add the boiling water and whisk until you have a smooth and runny mixture. Then whisk in the vanilla extract.

Combine the flour, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a separate bowl. Whisk the olive oil, sugar and eggs together in another bowl.

Slowly beat in the cocoa mixture before tipping in the flour mixture. Pour the mixture into the tin and bake for 40-45 minutes, you want the very centre of your cake to still look slightly damp. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

Once your cake has cooled, decorate it however your heart desires. I dusted mine with icing sugar and grated dark chocolate on top as this was enough as it was lovely and moist. As your cake will hopefully be lovely and moist too, you might want to do the same or serve it with ice cream.

 And there you have it, chocolate cake with a health-boosting ingredient!

TOP: NEW LOOK | SHORTS: TOPSHOP

I spent last weekend visiting my boyfriend in Bournemouth and what a lovely relaxing weekend it was! Due to the miserable weather, our weekend consisted of being lazy piglets (weekends are definitely for treating yourself). My outfit above is what I wore out to dinner on Saturday night, my new floral printed wrap top was a little find in the New Look sale.

Gotta love a bargain!

I've heard it's National Chocolate Week and I haven't touched a single piece all week... So I baked these Soft 'n' Sticky Chocolate Whoopie Pies (mouthful) just in time. They consist of two cake like cookies sandwiched together with a fluffy marshmallow filling, yum! Here is a simple recipe adapted from here, I made fewer and fatter cookies than the recipe resulting in the indulgent treats you see above.

You will need:

150g chocolate (minimum 70% cocoa)

125g butter

225g sugar

3 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

250g flour

30g cocoa powder

1/2 tsp baking powder

6 marshmallows (or more if your cookies are smaller)

Pre-heat the oven to 180C/fan /gas 4 and grease or line two baking trays (for 6 pies). Melt the chocolate and butter together in a bowl over a saucepan with water on a medium heat.  

Whisk the sugar, eggs and vanilla together in a separate bowl before folding in the chocolate mixture.

Sift the flour, cocoa and baking powder together and fold into the chocolate and egg mixture.

Until it looks like this...

Place 6 big tablespoons of the gooey mixture onto each baking tray and bake for roughly 6-8 minutes (the time will vary if you want your cookies to be bigger or smaller).

Remove from the oven and set aside half of the cookies and turn over the remaining cookies. Place a marshmallow on each cookie bottom and bake for a further 2-3 minutes.

Remove from the oven and set aside to cool slightly before sandwiching your cookies together.

Press the top cookie slightly so that the sticky marshmallow oozes out.

And then you can tuck into your big cookie sandwiches!

It may seem boring to some, but I have porridge (or muesli) for breakfast nearly every morning. I enjoy baking as you can see and love sweet treats like chocolate, but I also have a healthy diet and I'm always interested in finding and eating nutritional foods. I thought I would share my recent porridge extras, and their health benefits, for a more exciting breakfast.

Porridge oats: There are so many benefits of eating porridge. Eating complex carbs such as porridge, will give you a steady flow of energy, keep your blood sugar stable and help to stop you munching on treats before lunch. Oats are high in dietary fibre, consisting of whole grains containing both soluble and insoluble fibre which may also improve digestion. It has been found that oats reduce blood cholesterol, and eating a bowl a day can prolong your life expectancy and reduce the risk of dying from cancer. 

Unsweetened almond milk and nuts: Unsweetened almond milk is packed with goodness. It's lactose free with no added sugar, naturally low in saturated fat and calories, a source of calcium and vitamins B2, B12, D and E. Almonds and other nuts are packed with fibre, essential fats and are an easy way to add a little protein to your breakfast. Protein is needed by the body for growth and maintenance, especially for those wanting to tone up and gain muscle. Foods high in protein take more work to digest burning more calories in the process, and they also take longer to leave your stomach which keeps you full for longer. While nuts and whole grains are a source of protein, they don't contain all nine of the amino acids your body needs to build lean muscle unfortunately, see this article for advice on how to add more protein to your diet.  

Cinnamon: A sprinkle of ground cinnamon is such an easy way to help to regulate blood sugar and reduce fatigue. 

Milled flaxseed: Flaxseed is a source of fibre, protein and iron. It's one of nature's richest sources of the essential fatty acid Omega 3 which contributes to the maintenance of normal blood cholesterol levels and may enhance your mood and reduce the risk of depression (and we do like to smile).

Pumpkin seeds (and sunflower seeds): These little seeds of happiness and beauty contain Omega 6, the powerful antioxidant vitamin E and zinc which all contribute to the maintenance of normal healthy hair, skin and nails. A handful of pumpkin seeds daily has also been found to reduce PMS. 

Banana: Bananas are one of the best sources of potassium, which is an essential mineral for maintaining normal blood pressure and heart function. They will give you an instant and sustained boost of energy and are also high in fibre which aids digestion.

Berries: Berries are packed with antioxidants and have the ability to prevent disease and promote health. Blueberries may help to reduce belly fat, help to improve learning and memory and help fight diseases such as cancer, heart disease and diabetes (powerful little things).

One of my favourite magazines is Women's Health, which has helped me to share some of these healthy eating tips. You can visit their website for more ways to 'pimp your porridge' and other healthy eating tips.

Now eat up Goldilocks!