Chocolate Olive Oil Cake
Dense, fudgy, and made with olive oil instead of butter. This is the chocolate cake for people who think they do not like baking.
Desserts · Prep 15 min · Cook 35 min · Serves 8 · Easy · By Tina · Published
Ingredients
- 100 g dark chocolate, 70% cocoa, chopped
- 120 ml olive oil, mild, fruity
- 150 g sugar
- 3 eggs, large
- 40 g cocoa powder, Dutch-process preferred
- 130 g all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 0.5 tsp salt
- 1 tsp espresso powder, optional
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
I do not bake often. When I do, it has to be worth it — and this cake is always worth it.
Olive oil might sound weird in a chocolate cake, but it makes it incredibly moist and adds this subtle, almost fruity richness that butter just cannot match. Plus, no creaming butter, no separating eggs, no folding anything. You literally dump everything in a bowl, whisk, pour, bake. That is it.
The texture is dense and fudgy — more like a really good brownie than a fluffy layer cake. It stays moist for days (if it lasts that long) and actually tastes better the day after you make it.
Pro Tips
- Use the best cocoa powder you can find. Dutch-process gives a deeper, smoother chocolate flavor.
- Use a fruity, mild olive oil — not your peppery finishing oil. You want background richness, not olive flavor.
- Do not overbake. Pull it when a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. It firms up as it cools.
- A pinch of espresso powder amplifies the chocolate flavor without making it taste like coffee.
Serving
Dust with powdered sugar and serve with a dollop of whipped cream or creme fraiche. A scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of good olive oil on top is the power move.
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