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.
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.
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.
Recipe FAQs
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.
You can place it in the refrigerator or freezer in an airtight container for up to two months.
Recipe Card
Chocolate Olive Oil Cake
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
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.
Kendra Frazier says
This cake was truly amazing!!!
Maryanne | the little epicurean says
This cake has all my favs: chocolate, olive oil, and cardamom! (Your photos are SO beautiful!)
Meg | Meg is Well says
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.
Phi @ The Sweetphi Blog says
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.