Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

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A decadent single layer chocolate olive oil cake paired with cardamom whipped cream, pistachios, and dried rose petals. It's a medley of flavors that make a perfect end to a meal. This is one dessert that will surely impress.

A rich and decadent chocolate olive oil cake with cardamom whipped cream, rose, and pistachio

Why you'll love it

This is a simple cake that comes together in minutes. It uses simple ingredients to create a treat that takes you on a trip with every bite. The cake isn't overly sweet, and the whipped cream adds a delightful balance to the richness of the chocolate.

I love making cakes using olive oil. The natural fruity flavors in olive oil complements certain cakes so well. I've made a few cakes using olive oil like my lemon lavender semolina cake and my chocolate orange cake and they happen to be some of my favorite cakes on the blog. This chocolate olive oil cake is definitely added to that list as well.

Key ingredients

There are only a few ingredients needed to make this delicious cake, many of which are optional.

Olive oil - You need to use a good extra virgin olive oil. Not all olive oils are created equally. Taste your oil on its own and take note of the flavors. If it spicy? floral? fruity? Use one that leans more toward fruity and/or floral.
Cocoa powder - You need to use natural cocoa powder for this recipe, you cannot substitute it with Dutch-processed cocoa powder.
Boiling water - This is a surprisingly important part of the cake to help bring moisture and bring the ingredients together. If you want to add more depth of flavor, you can bring coffee or cold brew to a boil for this recipe. The coffee helps the chocolate taste more chocolaty.
Sugar - To let the chocolate flavors shine, granulated sugar is recommended, but light brown sugar would be a good substitute, too.
Toppings - Toppings like the pistachio and rose are completely optional. So is the cardamom. You can substitute the whipped cream with ice cream or even a creamy yogurt. Other toppings like fresh fruits would be delicious.

A rich chocolate olive oil cake with cardamom whip, pistachios, and rose for a truly decadent dessert

How to make

It is pretty simple to make this cake and takes only a few minutes to prepare.

Lightly grease a springform pan with a bit of the oil and preheat the oven.
Mix together the cocoa and water until it forms a thin paste and allow to cool to room temperature. Stir in the vanilla.
Mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a small bowl and set aside.
Beat the sugar, eggs, and oil together until light in color. Stir in the chocolate mixture, then the flour mixture.
Pour the batter into the pan and bake.
Top with whipped cream and your favorite toppings.

Expert tips

It is important to make sure the chocolate olive oil cake cools in the pan for a while before removing, and when you do, be very gentle. The cake is on the thin side, and therefore delicate.

Benefits of baking with olive oil

Olive oil adds a delicious added dimension to the flavor profile. It can enhance the other flavors in your baked good beautifully.

It also have the benefit of giving your a delightfully moist cake. This is because the oil stays liquid at room temperature whereas butter solidifies which can give you a firmer cake.

When baking something with chocolate, it can dry more easily. The added moisture from the oil helps ensure you get the perfect texture.

Since there is no dairy in olive oil, it can help the cake stay fresher longer.

A simple sweet chocolate olive oil cake with pistachios, rose, and a light cardamom whipped cream

Recipe FAQs

I ran out of olive oil, what else can I use?

A neutral oil like vegetable oil or avocado oil would work well in this cake, just keep in mind that you won't get the same flavor notes you would get from the olive oil.

Does this cake refrigerate or freeze well?

You can place it in the refrigerator or freezer in an airtight container for up to two months.

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