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Home - Cake

Published: May 30, 2017 · Modified: Apr 27, 2023 by Amanda Powell · This post may contain affiliate links.

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.

  1. Lightly grease a springform pan with a bit of the oil and preheat the oven.
  2. Mix together the cocoa and water until it forms a thin paste and allow to cool to room temperature. Stir in the vanilla.
  3. Mix together the flour, baking soda, and salt together in a small bowl and set aside.
  4. Beat the sugar, eggs, and oil together until light in color. Stir in the chocolate mixture, then the flour mixture.
  5. Pour the batter into the pan and bake.
  6. 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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Recipe Card

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

Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

Amanda Powell
A fudgy and chocolaty chocolate olive oil cake that is packed with exotic flavor
Print Recipe Pin Recipe
Prep Time 15 minutes mins
Cook Time 35 minutes mins
Total Time 50 minutes mins
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 1 cake
Calories 397 kcal
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Ingredients
 
 

  • ¾ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • ½ cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder
  • ½ cup boiling water
  • 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
  • ⅓ cup all-purpose flour**
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup granulated sugar
  • 3 large eggs room temperature
  • ½ cup heavy cream
  • ½ teaspoon ground cardamom
  • 1 tablespoon powdered sugar
  • dried rose petals
  • pistachios chopped
  • flaky sea salt
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Instructions
 

  • Preheat the oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan with some oil and line the bottom with parchment paper.
  • In a bowl, whisk together the cocoa powder and water until it forms a thin paste. Stir in the vanilla extract and set aside to cool.
  • In another bowl mix together the flour, baking soda and salt.
  • In a mixer, beat together the sugar, eggs, and extra virgin olive oil until light in color.
  • Beat in the chocolate mixture into the oil mixture until well combined.
  • Fold in the flour until there are no white streak and pour into the springform pan.
  • Bake for 30 - 35 minutes. The edges should be set and a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
  • Cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before removing and allowing to cool completely.
  • While the cake is cooling, beat together the heavy cream, cardamom, and powdered sugar. until medium peaks form. Chill until ready to serve the cake.
  • Top slices of the cake with rose petals, pistachio, flaky salt, and whipped cream.

Notes

** I found out after making the cake that there was a typo in the cookbook. It should have read 1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour. However, I used only ⅓ cup and it came out just fine. Only thinner and more fudgy!

Nutrition

Calories: 397kcal
Tried this recipe?Tag me on Instagram! @acookienameddesire #acookienameddesire

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About Amanda Powell

Baker, photographer, and sometimes world traveler behind A Cookie Named Desire. Obsessed with helping people live life sweetly with delicious food to share with the special people in your life and creating lasting memories.

Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Kendra Frazier says

    July 22, 2017 at 12:17 pm

    This cake was truly amazing!!!

    Reply
  2. Maryanne | the little epicurean says

    June 09, 2017 at 6:35 pm

    This cake has all my favs: chocolate, olive oil, and cardamom! (Your photos are SO beautiful!)

    Reply
  3. Meg | Meg is Well says

    May 31, 2017 at 10:52 am

    I haven't made a cake with olive oil yet buy I've been meaning to! And I love coffee table sized cookbooks. Lol, I just need to get a decent coffee table.

    Reply
  4. Phi @ The Sweetphi Blog says

    May 30, 2017 at 4:12 pm

    This cake (and that cookbook) sound so incredible! I too am a huge fan of seasonal foods, and cake, so really, this recipe is just calling my name.

    Reply
5 from 2 votes (2 ratings without comment)

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Hey, I'm Amanda!

I am the baker and photographer behind A Cookie Named Desire. I'm a cookbook author, food science nerd, world traveler (sometimes) with a major weakness for cookies and cheese.

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