For a supremely rich, moist chocolate cake, look no further than this Chocolate Olive Oil Cake recipe. Who knew the bottle of olive oil in your pantry was the secret all along?!
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Why You’ll Love This Dark Chocolate Olive Oil Cake Recipe
- Outrageously Moist. Forget the dry, sickly sweet-frosted excuses for chocolate cakes that appear at office anniversary parties. This chocolate olive oil cake is decadent and unbelievably moist, with a tender crumb that will take your breath away. (Dramatic? Yes. Accurate? Also yes.)
- Sinfully Chocolaty. Like these Brownie Bites and my Triple Chocolate Cake, the chocolate flavor in this cake is intense. Because if you’re going to go through the trouble to bake a chocolate cake, you should go to town with the chocolate.
- Light Yet Indulgent. In my opinion, these are the best kinds of desserts because they don’t leave you feeling like you need to lie down afterward.
- A Fabulous Flavor Pairing. If you haven’t tried chocolate and olive oil together before, you are in for a treat! The two pair very nicely.
- Easy to Make. Let’s not forget that this chocolate olive oil cake is simple to make—no layers, no piping on frosting, and ONE BOWL(!).
How to Make Chocolate Olive Oil Cake
The Ingredients
- Granulated Sugar. Sweetens and tenderizes the cake.
- Eggs. Let these come to room temperature for the best results. (Unless a recipe says otherwise, it’s always a good idea to use room temperature eggs when baking.)
- Full-Fat Plain Greek Yogurt. Adds moisture and a subtle tang. Full-fat is key here for the best results.
- Olive Oil. The (not-so) secret ingredient. Olive oil results in a far more moist, tender chocolate cake than any other butter-based chocolate cake I’ve baked.
- Pure Vanilla Extract. Imitation won’t cut it!
- Espresso Powder. An optional addition that intensifies the chocolate flavor.
- Ground Cinnamon. I love the subtle hit of warmth this brings to the cake.
- Dutch Process Cocoa Powder. Sift this first if it’s lumpy.
- Baking Powder and Soda. Leaveners to give the cake some lift.
- All-Purpose Flour. No need for fancy cake flour!
- Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips. To make this a double chocolate olive oil cake.
- Powdered Sugar. Because this cake is so moist, it really doesn’t need frosting. As with this Flourless Chocolate Torte, a dusting of powdered sugar is the perfect finishing touch.
The Directions
- Combine the Sugar and Eggs. Whisk until the eggs are pale and foamy. Put some elbow grease into it! Foamy eggs = airy cake texture.
- Finish the Wet Ingredients. Whisk in the yogurt, olive oil, vanilla, espresso powder, cinnamon, and salt.
- Add the Cocoa Powder. Whisk to combine.
- Add the Rest of the Dry Ingredients. Whisk those in too.
- Fold in the Chocolate Chips. Resist the temptation to eat the batter.
- Transfer to a Pan. Smooth the batter and then rap the pan on the counter to remove any air bubbles.
- Bake and Finish. Place the pan in the oven and bake at 325 degrees F for about 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then turn the chocolate olive oil cake directly onto the rack. Dust with powdered sugar before serving and ENJOY!
What to Serve with Chocolate Olive Oil Cake
- Fresh Fruit. Raspberries and strawberries make a lovely pairing with this simple cake.
- Whipped Cream. A dollop on top is absolute perfection.
- Ice Cream. You can’t go wrong! Especially if you warm the cake up juuuust a little bit.
Recipe Tips and Tricks
- Add More Baking Soda for Regular Cocoa Powder. You can use regular (AKA natural) cocoa powder for this recipe instead of Dutch process, but you’ll need to make a slight tweak for it to work. Add another 1/4 teaspoon baking soda to the recipe.
- Don’t Let the Cake Cool Completely in the Pan. It will be more difficult to remove if you do. 10 to 15 minutes is the sweet spot when it comes to turning out cakes—cool enough that they don’t fall apart, but still warm enough that they unmold easily.
- Frost It If You’d Like. If you do want to frost this cake, I recommend leaning into the chocolate and using the fudge frosting from my Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake or the ganache from this Chocolate Whiskey Cake.
Chocolate Olive Oil Cake
Prep: 15 minutes
Cook: 30 minutes
Total: 1 hour
Servings: 8 servings
A moist, tender crumb and deeply dark chocolate flavor make this easy chocolate olive oil cake recipe a standout. Simple and delicious!
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Ingredients
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs at room temperature
- 1 cup full fat plain Greek yogurt at room temperature (I also tested with nonfat and didn’t like it nearly as much)
- ⅔ cup extra-virgin olive oil
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ½ teaspoon espresso powder optional
- ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ teaspoon kosher salt
- ⅔ cup unsweetened Dutch process cocoa powder sifted if lumpy
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda*
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- ⅔ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Place a rack in the center of your oven and preheat it to 325ºF. Generously coat a 9-inch round baking dish with nonstick spray. Line the bottom with parchment paper and spray once more.
- In a large mixing bowl, briskly whisk together the sugar and the eggs until they are pale and foamy, about 1 minute.
- Whisk in the yogurt, olive oil, vanilla, espresso powder, cinnamon, and salt until smoothly combined.
- Whisk in the cocoa powder until smoothly combined. Sprinkle the baking powder and baking soda over the top, then sprinkle on the flour. Whisk until everything is evenly incorporated (stop stirring shortly after the dry ingredients disappear. There may be some small lumps which is fine).
- Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and with a spatula or the back of a spoon, smooth the top. Rap the pan on the counter a few times to remove any air bubbles.
- Bake the chocolate olive oil cake until the edges are beginning to pull away from the edges, the center is puffed, and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 30 minutes. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool for 15 minutes, then gently unmold and let cool completely on the rack. Transfer to a serving plate. Dust generously with powdered sugar, slice, and serve.
Notes
- *If using regular cocoa powder, use an additional 1/4 teaspoon baking soda (3/4 teaspoons total) to balance out the acidity.
- TO STORE: Store the cake wrapped (or in an airtight container) at room temperature for up to 3 days. You can refrigerate it for up to a week.
- TO FREEZE: Wrap the cake well, first in a layer of plastic and then in a layer of foil. Freeze for up to 3 months and thaw in the refrigerator before serving. You will likely need to dust it with powdered sugar again.
Nutrition
Serving: 1(of 8)Calories: 450kcalCarbohydrates: 50gProtein: 8gFat: 26gSaturated Fat: 7gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 16gTrans Fat: 0.02gCholesterol: 43mgPotassium: 316mgFiber: 4gSugar: 32gVitamin A: 68IUVitamin C: 0.003mgCalcium: 78mgIron: 3mg
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As a chocolate lover. I love this recipe! Delicious! Super moist and I love the pure vanilla extract and cinnamon added to it. Served it with some berries on top. The next time I make this I might try to add some nuts into the mixture. I think that would be nice. Anyway, thank you for the recipe.
Can I use white wheat flour instead of all purpose?
Thank you!
Hi Chai, I have only tested the recipe with all-purpose flour, but using white whole wheat flour should work. If you decide to experiment, I’d love to know how it goes.
I really appreciate this recipe. It gives me the ability to cave into my chocolate craving when it hits, without feeling so guilty. What is good is that I don’t need to use a mixer for this. So easy to pull together. I topped mine with some whipped cream.
What a lovely cake. Very chocolatey but not too heavy, in fact it was light and the cake was moist. My kids enjoyed this and requested vanilla ice cream to go with it. Indeed a perfect dessert for us.
So glad you enjoyed it, Gwyneth!
This has got to be the best chocolate cake ever in the history of time. This is better than sex. It should be called better than sex cake. Everyone loved it for the birthday party that I took it to. However, I have one question….it rose really well and then it deflated. I followed the recipe to a tee (except that I didn’t add the optional espresso coffee) so I’m just wondering what the heck I did wrong.
Glad you enjoyed it, Ruth. Which cocoa powder did you end up using, also I’d check that your baking soda and powder are fresh!
Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmy
Just in time for my sister’s birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Can I make it with Organic Cacoa Powder instead of dutch process?
I think it could work. Let us know how it goes!
Yummmmmmmmmmmmmmmmy
Just in time for my sister’s birthday!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
I can’t wait to do this chocolate cake with olive oil
I have Pompeian baking olive oil on hand and that is what I think I will use
Enjoy Rosalee!
I made this for Father’s Day and used white whole wheat flour and it turned out great. I also added raspberries.
Yay! Thank you Lisa!
Do you have a suggestion on how to make this dairy free/what to substitute for the greek yogurt? Would dairy-free yogurt alternative like coconut yogurt work?
Hi Daria, I haven’t tried these substitutions myself but dairy free yogurt might work. If you decide to experiment, I’d love to know how it goes!
Seriously one of the best chocolate cakes I’ve ever made. Rich, moist, chocolatey perfection.
Makes me so happy to hear, thank you Marie!