Holidays
Chocolate Olive Oil Cake
Prep
15 minutes
Cook
30 minutes
Yield
8 -10
This easy Chocolate Olive Oil Cake is SO GOOD! Ultra-moist, rich, and ready in just 45 minutes – the olive oil creates a cake so tender you'll never go back to butter. Top with cream cheese frosting for an irresistible treat that tastes like you spent all day baking!
This fudgy, moist chocolate cake has a secret – instead of butter, it uses olive oil to create an incredibly tender crumb with a subtle fruity undertone that perfectly complements the rich chocolate flavor. Topped with a silky chocolate cream cheese frosting, this easy chocolate olive oil cake delivers gourmet results with minimal effort!
❤️🎂 Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Olive Oil Cake
- Sweet: Who doesn’t love a chocolate cake? This recipe is moist (with the help of olive oil) and so flavorful. The perfect cake for a birthday surprise, or just an easy dessert.
- Versatile: Top this cake with your favourite icing, fruit, nuts, coconut flakes, or whatever your little heart desires.
- Quick & Easy: This recipe takes only 15 minutes to prep and 45 minutes to be ready to eat.
🍲 Ingredients
Olive Oil – Olive oil is a key ingredient in this recipe. The key is to find the highest-quality, premium, 100% organic olive oil. It should be top-notch and full of flavor, which adds so much flavor to this chocolate olive oil cake. Unlike butter, olive oil contains heart-healthy monounsaturated fats and keeps the cake moist for days.
Cocoa Powder – This is the good stuff that makes the chocolate cake, well, chocolate! Many people don’t know that cocoa powder is rich in theobromine, which helps reduce inflammation and protects you from diseases. It’s also low in fat and sugar, so it’s not as bad as you think! Look for natural, unsweetened cocoa powder for the deepest chocolate flavor.
👩🍳 How to Make Chocolate Olive Oil Cake
1. Preheat the oven to 350F and line a 9X9 cake tin with parchment and gently grease.
2. In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the eggs, sugar, vanilla and olive oil. Using a whisk, whisk the mixture together, aggressively for 2-3 minutes. You can also use a hand beater, do this for 1 minute.
3. In a separate large mixing bowl, sift in the flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda.
4. Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until combined using a wooden spoon or spatula.
5. Once combined, add the boiling water and stir again just till combined.
6. Transfer the cake to the lined baking tin and cook for 30-32 minutes.
7. Once cooked, let cool for 5 minutes, then carefully use a sharp knife to cut around the edges of the tin and then remove from the tin to a cooling rack to fully cool.
8. Make the cream cheese icing once the cake is fully cooled.
9. Melt the chocolate in a water bath on the stovetop, stirring fairly constantly until melted OR in the microwave in 30-second intervals, stirring after each interval, until the chocolate is melted. Remove from the heat and add to a medium mixing bowl. Let sit for a few minutes until lukewarm.
10. To the bowl with the chocolate, add the room-temperature cream cheese, use a large whisk and whisk by hand OR hand mixer with a whisk attachment to whip on low speed for 1 minute to combine. Then, add the icing sugar and whisk again until fully combined.
Tips: If the icing doesn’t seem thick enough, place it in the fridge for 5-15 minutes and then check the texture. If you find the fridge doesn’t work, add 1 tbsp cocoa powder at a time and whip until the desired consistency is reached. If the icing is too thick, add 1 tbsp of milk at a time, whisking after each addition until the desired consistency is reached.
11. Frost just the top of the cake with the cream cheese icing and then top with the strawberries. Garnish with fresh basil if desired.
🪄 Tips and Tricks
- Boiling Water: Don’t skip this step – it helps “bloom” the cocoa powder, intensifying the chocolate flavor.
- Mixing: Be gentle once you combine wet and dry ingredients – overmixing can lead to a tough cake.
- Temperature: Ensure your cream cheese is at room temperature for a smooth frosting.
- Testing: Check for doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center – it should come out with a few moist crumbs, not wet batter.
🗒 Substitutions
- Frosting: This cake can also be made without the cream cheese icing and served as-is – it’s super delicious this way too.
- Toppings: You can top the Chocolate Olive Oil Cake with whatever you love, such as Chocolate Icing or vanilla Icing.
- Flour: Use a 1:1 gluten-free flour blend to make this cake gluten-free.
- Oil: While olive oil is recommended for its flavor, you can substitute another neutral oil, like avocado oil, in a pinch.
🗒 Best served with
- No Churn Vanilla Ice Cream
- Snacks for Kids 6: Raw Melon Skeweres
- No Churn Chocolate Ice Cream
- Easy Fresh Fruit Salad
👝 How to Store Leftovers
Leftover cake can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days. For the best texture, let slices come to room temperature for about 20 minutes before serving from the refrigerator. The cake can also be frozen (unfrosted) for up to 3 months – wrap tightly in plastic wrap and then aluminum foil.
🤔 Common Questions
Unlike butter, olive oil is considered a “healthy” fat, so it lowers the calories in your baking recipes and adds a great, unique flavor. Note that it is important you don’t use any substitutes here, or the recipe will not turn out.
I find olive oil to be the best in consistency and flavor. However, if you don’t have any on hand, you can swap for vegetable oil instead. Vegetable oil won’t add the same flavor, but it’ll still be a chocolatey, delicious cake.
The olive oil adds moisture and a subtle depth of flavor that complements the chocolate, but it doesn’t overpower. Use a mild olive oil if you’re concerned about a strong flavor.
Yes, you can double the recipe and bake in two separate pans to create a layered cake for special occasions.
Insert a toothpick into the center – it should come out with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter. The cake will also spring back slightly when gently pressed.
The cake itself is dairy-free! Simply swap the cream cheese frosting for a dairy-free alternative like chocolate ganache made with dark chocolate and coconut cream.
Chocolate Olive Oil Cake 🎂
Ingredients
For the strawberry topping
For the cake
- ¾ cup olive oil
- 1 cup white sugar
- 3 room temperature large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup + 2 tbsp. cocoa powder
- 1/2 tsp sea salt
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 cup boiling water
For the chocolate cream cheese icing
- 250 g full fat cream cheese, room temperature
- 225 g Greek ION chocolate (or milk chocolate)
- 1 1/2 cups icing sugar
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350F and line a 9X9 cake tin with parchment and gently grease.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, add the eggs, sugar, vanilla and olive oil. Using a whisk, whisk the mixture together, aggressively for 2-3 minutes. You can also use a hand beater, do this for 1 minute.
- In a separate large mixing bowl, sift in the flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda.
- Add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until combined using a wooden spoon or spatula.
- Once combined, add the boiling water and stir again just till combined.
- Transfer the cake to the lined baking tin and cook for 30-32 minutes.
- Once cooked, let cool for 5 minutes, then carefully use a sharp knife to cut around the edges of the tin and then remove from the tin to a cooling rack to fully cool.
- Once the cake is fully cooled, make the cream cheese icing.
- Melt the chocolate in a water bath on the stove top, stirring fairly constantly until melted OR in the microwave in 30 second intervals, stirring after each interval, until the chocolate is melted. Remove from the heat and add to a medium mixing bowl. Let sit for a few minutes until lukewarm.
- To the bowl with the chocolate, add the room temperature cream cheese and Use a large whisk and whisk by hand OR hand mixer with whisk attachment to whip on low speed for 1 minute to combine. Then, add the icing sugar and whisk again until fully combined.Tips – If the icing doesn’t seem thick enough, place in the fridge for 5-15 minutes and then check the texture. If you find the fridge doesn’t work, add 1 tbsp cocoa powder at a time and whip until the desired consistency is reached.If the icing is too thick, add 1 tbsp of milk at a time, whisking after each addition until the desired consistency is reached.
- Frost just the top of the cake with the cream cheese icing and then top with the strawberries. Garnish with fresh basil if desired.
Video
Notes
- Leftover cake can be stored in the fridge for 3-4 days.
- This cake can also be made without the cream cheese icing and serve as-is – it’s super delicious this way too!
Beautiful and light, a perfect balance between sweet and tart with the berries. A real crowd pleaser!
Beautiful and light, a perfect balance between sweet and tart with the berries. A real crowd pleaser!
thank you so much sweetie!! I love this cake so much!
If i’m trying to cut refined sugar, what would you suggest as a replacement for the sugar? I’m thinking maple syrup but then I would have to omit the water? Do I boil the maple syrup? Thanks
That is a great question, I would try maple syrup but honestly I can’t guarantee the cake will work! I have no tested it that way!
Where can I buy this oil?
the best way to know where you can access it is by going on to their website and using the store location by imputing your postal code! I hope that was helpful!
What if I eat the whole batch in one day hahahah
hahahah this would not be a problem, I promise you!
Could I add chocolate chips or any nut to this cake?
yes! I would do 1/4 cup of either of those!
Maria what kind of icing do you suggest??
I would use the icing from my cinnamon buns or my recent brownies! They are soo good! Brown butter, yum!
I made it and its so good everyone
thanks amanda!!!!!
As you said, your recipes are always so easy to follow and make!
so glad you loved this, nuri!
Thank you so much for sharing this recipe, and always keeping it real in your posts!
thank you, julie! That means alot!