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Home » Recipes » Dessert » Cakes

Olive Oil Chocolate Cake

By Trang Doan - Jul 30, 2021 (updated Jul 30, 2021) - This post may contain affiliate links.

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A slice a chocolate cake with chocolate ganache with a fork in front.

This Olive Oil Chocolate Cake is extremely easy to make, while yielding the smoothest, richest and most velvety chocolate snack cake you will ever meet!

A slice a chocolate cake with chocolate ganache with a fork in front.

Click here to Pin this recipe for later!

I have to admit chocolate cake is my absolute guilty pleasure. I love a fancy layer cake, but I know we all need an easy-to-make cake recipe that doesn’t compromise on taste or texture. And this chocolate olive oil cake delivers!

Ingredients and Substitution

Here are some notes on the ingredients used in this recipe along with substitution tips. A full list with quantities can be found in the recipe card at the end of this post.

  • Flour – all purpose flour is used in this recipe. If you want a gluten free version, try a gluten free all-purpose flour that can be substituted in the same ratio. 
  • Leavening agents – both baking powder and baking soda are used in this recipe. Baking soda neutralizes the acids (sour cream and coffee). Baking powder gives it another lift while in the oven.
  • Cocoa powder – I always prefer dutch-processed cocoa powder because it tends to yield a more chocolaty flavor, but natural cocoa powder will work in this recipe just as well since we’ll enhance it with coffee.
  • Sour cream – you can use yogurt or buttermilk instead.
  • Olive oil – I used extra virgin olive oil. You won’t be able to taste the olive oil in this cake because the chocolate flavor is much stronger, but it will give a very soft velvety mouthfeel to your cake.
  • Coffee – hot coffee added to chocolate cake batter can help improve the chocolate flavor 2 folds: one, it helps the cocoa powder bloom and two, coffee enhances the flavor of chocolate. If you don’t want to use coffee, you can use hot water, but you may not get as intensed a chocolate flavor.
  • Sugar, salt and vanilla extract – for flavor.
  • Just 1 egg to bind everything together.
  • Cream – heavy whipping cream or double cream with high fat content 36-40% for the ganache topping.
  • Chocolate – I prefer Ghirardelli dark chocolate wafers for the best flavor, sweetness and texture overall. This chocolate wafer has about 45-50% cocoa, so it is not too sweet and not too bitter. It yields a softer ganache as compared to one made with chocolate chips. You could use semi-sweet chocolate chips, but since chips have a stabilizer so they don’t melt as readily when baked, the ganache will set up harder.

Step by Step Instructions 

Make the olive oil chocolate cake batter

Collage of 3 photos showing mixing of dry ingredients.
  1. Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda and baking powder.
  2. Add sugar and kosher salt (sugar and salt have larger grains and will not pass through the sieve).
  3. Whisk to distribute evenly.
Collage of 3 photos showing wet ingredients being mixed together and dry ingredients added.
  1. Add olive oil, egg, sour cream and vanilla extract to a large mixing bowl.
  2. Beat with a whisk until combined and creamy.
  3. Add the dry ingredients mixture.
Collage of 3 photos showing chocolate cake batter is mixed with hot coffee.
  1. Fold until combined (use a spatula in this step because the batter will be quite thick).
  2. Add hot coffee (if you can stir while adding the coffee, it would be best. A stand mixer would be convenient in this step or just put your mixing bowl on a thick towel to keep it from moving while pouring coffee with one hand and whisking with the other.)
  3. Mix with a whisk until thoroughly combined.
Collage of 2 photos showing chocolate cake batter in a pan and after it's baked.
  1. Pour cake batter into an oiled and lined cake pan (the batter is quite thin at this point, it is normal).
  2. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean with just a few crumbs attached.

Make the chocolate ganache topping

Collage of 3 photos showing how to make chocolate ganache.
  1. Pour hot cream over chocolate and pats of butter in a medium mixing bowl.
  2. Let the mixture stand for a minute before stirring. Stir gently until all the chocolate has melted, avoid incorporating too much air into the ganache.
  3. Stir in a pinch of salt and a splash of vanilla extract.

When the cake is cool to the touch and the ganache has cooled and thickened slightly, spread the ganache on top of the cake. Refrigerate to allow the ganache to solidify before removing the entire cake from the pan and serve. You could also leave the cake in the pan and serve it from the pan. If you bake this cake in a glass pan with a lid, it would be perfect for storing leftovers.

Olive Oil Chocolate Cake with chocolate ganache spread on top sitting on a wooden board.

Baker’s Tips

Frosting substitution

Chocolate ganache is not only super easy to make, it’s also rich, chocolaty and delicious. I wouldn’t have this cake any other way. But you can also make it with other frosting, try these if you wish:  

  • Swiss Meringue Chocolate Buttercream
  • American Style Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
  • Or a coffee buttercream from this Mocha Cake recipe

Can I make a larger batch?

You can double the recipe and bake it in a 9”x13” cake pan. This would be perfect for a work potluck or to take to a family get together.

Storing olive oil chocolate cake

Leftover cake should be refrigerated since the ganache topping has cream and butter in it. This cake also freezes beautifully. I recommend dividing the cake into individual portions, wrapping them in plastic then freezing. You can defrost a single slice whenever you have a chocolate craving.

Click here to Pin this recipe for later!

A fork is cutting into a slice of chocolate olive oil cake.

More chocolate recipes

  • Mini Chocolate Cake
  • Peanut Butter Chocolate Cake
  • Chocolate Muffins
  • The Best Ever Brownies
  • Chocolate Mochi

HUNGRY FOR MORE? Join my newsletter to get notified when I publish a new recipe. Follow along on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest for more inspirations.

A slice a chocolate cake with chocolate ganache with a fork in front.

Olive Oil Chocolate Cake

This Olive Oil Chocolate Cake is extremely easy to make, while yielding the smoothest, richest and most velvety chocolate snack cake you will ever meet!
5 from 1 vote
Print Pin Rate
Course: Cake, Dessert
Cuisine: American
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 30 minutes
Cooling Time: 2 hours
Total Time: 50 minutes
Servings: 9
Calories: 539kcal
Author: Trang

Equipment

  • 8” Square Baking Pan

Ingredients

Cake

  • 1 cup all-purpose flour (135 g)
  • ½ cup cocoa powder (dutch-processed or natural, 46 g)
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 cup granulated sugar (200 g)
  • ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
  • 1 large egg
  • ½ cup sour cream (116 g)
  • ½ cup olive oil (105 g)
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • ½ cup hot coffee (111 g)
  • Olive oil for cake pan

Frosting

  • 1 ⅓ cup dark chocolate wafers (or semisweet chips, 227 g)
  • 1 cup heavy whipping cream (227 g)
  • 2 tablespoon unsalted butter (28 g)
  • A few pinches of fine sea salt
  • ¼ teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Instructions

Make the cake

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  • Brush olive oil on the bottom and sides of an 8” square baking pan. Line the pan with parchment paper and brush the parchment paper with olive oil as well. Set aside.
  • Sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder into a medium mixing bowl. Add sugar and salt to the flour mixture, and mix thoroughly with a whisk.
  • Add sour cream, olive oil, eggs, and vanilla extract to a large bowl. Beat with a whisk until combined.
  • Add the flour mixture to the liquid mixture, and mix with a spatula until a thick batter forms. Add the hot coffee and whisk until combined.
  • Pour the cake batter into the prepared cake pans and bake for 25-30 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cake comes out clean with just a few crumbs attached.
  • Allow the cake to cool on a wire rack completely before removing from the pan and adding frosting.

Prepare the frosting

  • Cut butter into small cubes and add to a small heatproof bowl with the chocolate.
  • Heat cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until simmering. Pour hot cream over the chocolate and butter and let stand for about a minute.
  • Stir the mixture with a spatula until the chocolate is completely melted, and the ganache is smooth.
  • Add a pinch of salt and a splash of vanilla, stir to incorporate. Allow the ganache to cool at room temperature until thickened.
  • When the cake is completely cool and the ganache has thickened, spread the ganache on top of the cake and serve.

Notes

  • I made this recipe with both chocolate wafers and chocolate chips. The ganache made with chocolate wafers will stay a bit softer while the one made with chocolate chips solidifies quicker and also harder. Both are good but I prefer the wafer version.
  • It takes about 1 ½ hours for the ganache made with chocolate chips to thicken but still spreadable, and longer for the one made with chocolate wafers.
  • If you don’t want to use coffee, you can substitute hot water, but this may weaken the chocolate flavor.

Nutrition

Serving: 141g | Calories: 539kcal
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?If you made this recipe and loved it, please leave a comment and give us a 5 STAR review. Mention @WildWildWhisk or tag #WildWildWhisk on Instagram.

This post may contain affiliate links. For more details on how we utilize affiliates, ads, and sponsored contents, see our full disclosure policy. Thank you for your continue support, which enables us to keep bringing you delicious recipes, at no extra cost to you.

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Comments

  1. Jib

    July 12, 2022 at 11:51 am

    5 stars
    I made this with labneh which is arabian yogurt with the liquids removed and added an extra half cup of coffee. It came out beautifully moist with a very deep choco flavor great recipe

    Reply
    • Trang Doan

      July 13, 2022 at 8:53 pm

      I love labneh! My friend introduced me to it last year, it’s soooo rich and creamy, amazing! Thanks for trying my recipe 🙂

      Reply
  2. Mary Jane

    August 14, 2021 at 2:31 pm

    Hi Trang,

    Will surely try your suggestion. It’s really is a good recipe. Thank you for sharing. Keep safe😊

    Reply
  3. Mary Jane

    August 11, 2021 at 7:13 am

    Hi Trang,

    I made this cake, it’s soft and delicious. I just find it a little crumbly when slicing it. Did I do something wrong? Can I add more olive oil ?

    Thank you
    Mary

    Reply
    • Trang Doan

      August 12, 2021 at 6:30 am

      Hi Mary Jane, thank you for trying the recipe and I’m glad you find it tasty. Is the cake really crumbly like falling apart crumbly or just has little crumbs when you cut into it? If you look at the pictures, you’ll see that there are some small crumbs that fall off. I don’t think you should add more oil, I’ve tested this recipe multiple times and I find it to be the perfect texture and taste as written. Adding more oil can make it too wet and a bit more greasy. You could try adding an extra egg but you’ll want to reduce the sour cream by 50 g, which would be just a smidge over 3 tbsp. Let me know if you try it again and what you end up changing.

      Reply

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Hi! I’m Trang and welcome to my blog. This is where I share recipes from my kitchen. From cookies to cupcakes, to pies and ice cream, to treats for your fur babies, I hope you’ll find something you like and stay a while. Read More…

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