A delicious recipe for moist, rich Chocolate OIive Oil Cake that will change your life! With subtle hints of olive oil flavor, layered with whipped cream and topped with a decadent mocha glaze. It’s a chocolate cake like you’ve never had before!
Moist Chocolate Olive Oil Cake
Are you ready for the moistest and most delicious cake you’ll ever have? Brace yourself, because this glazed chocolate cake made with olive oil will change your life!
This decadent olive oil chocolate cake is the crowd-pleaser of all crowd-pleasing desserts. Layers of supremely fluffy yet moist chocolate cake and whipped cream, with delicious hints of olive oil and espresso. I’m drooling as I type!
I serve this cake at get-togethers and dinners, always to rave reviews. It’s super impressive, crazy delish, and easy to make at the same time. Basically, it’s the ultimate triple threat!
What is Olive Oil Cake?
Olive oil cake is like a regular chocolate cake (only WAY better, IMO) where the key difference is the taste and texture. Olive oil brings incredible moisture to this chocolate cake; it also intensifies the rich chocolate flavor thanks to the subtle bitterness.
Is Olive Oil Cake Healthier Than Regular Cake?
Extra virgin olive oil has many heart-healthy benefits compared to vegetable oils or butter. Olive oil is high in antioxidants and monounsaturated fats, plus it’s anti-inflammatory!
Because of this, not only is this chocolate olive oil cake just as moist and delicious, but it’s also healthier than more traditional chocolate cakes!
Recipe Ingredients
There are three elements to this chocolate olive oil cake: the cake itself, the filing layer, and the chocolate glaze! Here’s what you’ll need:
- Cocoa: Dark cocoa powder (Dutch-process) is great for this chocolate cake. You can also use regular cocoa powder.
- Extra Virgin Olive Oil: The star of the show! So choose wisely, and get a good quality extra virgin olive oil. Some are stronger or milder than others, so use one that suits your tastes.
- White Vinegar: A little bit of white vinegar in the batter reacts with baking soda to make the cake fluffier. Science!
- Whipping Cream: For the perfectly airy and delicious whipped cream filling that’s seriously to die for!
- Vanilla Extract: For the cake, as well as the whipped cream.
- Espresso: I use instant espresso for the chocolate glaze, however you can also use regular espresso prepared ahead and set aside.
- Chocolate: Good quality chopped chocolate, and not chocolate chips!
- Heavy Cream
- Flour
- Sugar
- Baking Soda
- Salt
How to Make Chocolate Olive Oil Cake
This chocolate cake comes together SO quickly. Layer cakes may sound ambitious, but I promise you, you’ll be having your cake (and eating it, too) in no time!
Make the Cakes: Combine the dry ingredients in a mixing bowl. Set the mixer to low speed while you slowly add in the olive oil and other wet ingredients. Once smooth, pour the batter into two prepared pans, and bake until a toothpick inserted into the centers comes out clean.
Make the Whipped Cream: While the cake layers are cooling, combine the ingredients for the whipped cream layer. Pop the mixture into the fridge to chill, before beating the mixture until you have lovely, stiff peaks.
Assemble the Cake: Spread a thick layer of whipped cream over one cake, and then place the other cake on top.
Make the Chocolate Glaze: Combine the heavy cream and chopped chocolate in a double boiler, stirring until fully melted. Stir in your prepared espresso, and voila!
Glaze: Keep the chocolate glaze warm until you’re ready to use it, and then pour it over the cake to finish.
Tips for Success
- Use Quality Ingredients: The flavor of your olive oil cake will be unique to the oil you choose. So invest in a good quality EVOO (it’s worth it for so many recipes!). The same applies to the chocolate for the glaze; invest in the good stuff and be rewarded with the best results.
- Substitute the Mocha Glaze: I won’t lie, the mocha chocolate glaze is a non-negotiable in my books! However, if you’d like to skip it or switch it, you can easily top this cake with other options, like this Mascarpone Frosting or even a regular ol’ Chocolate Frosting. You can also see below for more topping ideas!
Topping Ideas
This chocolate cake is delicious all on its own, but it’s also the perfect blank slate for all sorts of toppings and decorations. Here are some easy topping ideas:
- Powdered Sugar
- Extra Whipped Cream
- Chocolate Shavings
- Cocoa Powder
- Crushed Pecans, Walnuts, or Hazelnuts
- Pistachios
- Lemon or Orange Zest
- Fresh Berries
How to Store Extras
Store your chocolate olive oil cake airtight at room temperature for up to 4 days, or up to one week in the fridge.
Can I Freeze This?
Yes, ma’am! Once the cake is completely cool, wrap it tightly or store it in a freezer-safe container. You can freeze the whole cake or individual slices!
Thaw the cake in the fridge whenever you’re craving something chocolatey and delicious!
More Irresistible Chocolate Cakes to Try
- Kahlua Chocolate Cake
- Black Magic Chocolate Cake
- Cookies and Cream Flourless Chocolate Cake
- Quick Cherry Chocolate Cake
- Keto Chocolate Fudge Cake Recipe
Chocolate Olive Oil Cake
Ingredients
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 6 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- ½ teaspoon table salt
- 3/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 2 tablespoons white vinegar
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 cups cold water
- 2 cups heavy cream
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1/4 cup prepared espresso
- 1 1/2 cups heavy cream
- 2 3/4 cups chocolate chips, chopped
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350˚F.
- In a large mixing bowl sift together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda and salt.
- Set the bowl to the mixer and with your mixer on low speed, pour in the oil, vinegar, vanilla, and water; beat until smooth.
- Pour the mixture into two 9″ cake pans coated with butter and dusted with flour. Bake for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Put the cake pans on cooling racks and cool for 15 to 20 minutes before removing the cakes from the pans to cool completely.
- Combine the whipping cream, vanilla, and sugar. Cover and chill in the refrigerator for 30 minutes. When chilled, beat the mixture until stiff peaks form.
- Spread the whipped cream over one of the cakes, then set the other cake on top.
- Stir together the instant espresso and boiling water until smooth. Set aside.
- Combine the heavy cream and chopped chocolate in a double broiler. Stir until the chocolate is completely melted and the sauce is very smooth. Stir in the espresso.
- Keep the glaze warm until ready to use, then pour it over the cake.
Nutrition
Nutritional info is an estimate and provided as courtesy. Values may vary according to the ingredients and tools used. Please use your preferred nutritional calculator for more detailed info.
Categories:
Super decadent. I love the contrast of the whipped cream and mocha glaze.
Thank YOU! I am very glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Everyone at my house was impressed with this cake! Really delicious!
That’s great! I’m very glad everyone enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
I had never tried this type of cake before and OMG it’s so good!!!
Thank you so much! I’m very happy you loved it! 🙂
I need to try this Chocolate Olive Oil Cake immediately, it looks so good!
I love how it look so moist. I cannot wait to try this recipe and I’ve been craving for some chocolate cake lately.
This looks so moist and satisfying! Love the healthy fat used to make it.
I just made this cake this past weekend, and I have to say it’s one of the best chocolate cakes I’ve ever had in my life! It’s my new favorite.
My mouth was watering when I saw the pictures, and the taste and texture DO NOT DISAPPOINT. I loved every morsel!
That’s great!! I’m very glad you enjoyed it! Thank YOU! 🙂
This cake is to die for!! It’s so soft & moist & that frosting on top & creamy middle is delicious!!
Thank YOU! I hope you’ll enjoy it! 🙂
Oh my gosh, this cake was SO moist and decadent and delectable. It was my first time to bake with olive oil, but it certainly won’t be my last! Thank you for a great recipe.
That’s wonderful! Thank you so much! I’m very glad you enjoyed it! 🙂
Made this last night—it was super easy and delicious. Definitely a keeper! I skipped the glaze and put sliced strawberries between the layers, then dusted icing sugar on top. It was great.
Isn’t it such a great cake? And it sounds soooo good with those sliced strawberries….yummmm! I’m so glad you enjoyed it!!
Happy birthday to your hubby! Mine would be amazed if I made him a cake this beautiful!
I love olive oil based cakes and this one looks like it would have gone down a treat! Well done!
I bookmarked Chef Dennis’ recipe too and yours looks just as good! With chocolate and whipped cream, you can’t go wrong :).
Looks divine. Thanks for sharing. Must file this away for my daughter – her name is Olive!
What a lucky guy, and a delicious looking cake!! I definitely want to try this one!
I am so happy this made Top 9! That pic is so life like I could just dig my fork in. The cake looks supermoist and the cream so thick. I love this! You placed that big strawberry perfectly too. Your husband is a lucky man 🙂
What a beautiful cake for a birthday. That filling looks so creamy and wonderful. Hope he had a great day!!
Happy Birthday to your husband…the cake looks beautiful, and no eggs…I heard of olive oil cake but have not the chance to make it…now seeing yours make me wanted to bake one. Hope you are having a great week Kate 🙂
Stoppin by again to rejoice with you today! Congrats on Top 9!! Woot woot!
I have been intrigued with the use of olive oil in cake for a long time. This looks positively delectable! I think I am in love! The whipped cream filling is perfect. My Dad’s b-day is next week – this is going on the list of possibilities.
Woo-hoo you’re in the Top 9!!!!
What a gorgeous cake!! Not being a big olive oil fan I’ve shied away from Olive Oil Cakes, however, I’ve seen a couple in the last few weeks and I’m sorely tempted to give one a try. Chocolate would be my choice as well.
Happy Birthday to the young guy!!! Hope it was a wonderful day!
Congrats on that Top 9 to you as well!!
I’ve yet to make an olive oil cake, and this one looks like a real winner. Lucky man, your husband… Happy Birthday, Dude!
Happy Belated Birthday to your husband…lucky guy, what a delicious cake 🙂
A belated happy birthday to your husband, and congrats to you on Top 9, and on whipping up a delicious cake. I love using olive oil for fat in baking – it gives such a cool flavor and texture. Lovely!
Congrats on the Top 9, Kate, you so deserve it!
Thank you!! xoxo
Congrats on Top 9!! this cake looks delicious. I will have to try this one:)
Gorgeous! Wow! Happy birthday to your husband… 🙂
Haha, well, I am 7 years older than my husband, so don’t you worry about it! I am the original cougar ; ) Happy birthday to hubs, I hope he enjoyed the beautiful cake you made for him!
Wow, that is one gorgeous cake! You did right by Dennis’s recipe!
eh no butter!? i gotta try this. thanks for the recipe. and happy birthday to you hubby 🙂
Congratz on top 9 and your hubby is real lucky to be having this divine looking cake , it has baked really beautifully
Congrats on Top 9! Your delicious cake made your hubby happy, and now made you happy as well. 🙂 Happy belated Birthday to your husband!
Looks divine! But isn’t corn syrup a rather unhealthy ingrediant to use?
What can on replace this with?
The chocolate cake looks gorgeous!
Happy Birthday to your husband!
Congrats on top 9!!!
Kate, We both had Birthdays this week and we both chose Chocolate!! Great minds think alike. Your looks absolutely divine! I ave to try it!
Happy Birthday to your (younger) hubby!;)I agree w/the younger and have one too:)
This cake looks FABULOUS, Kate! I need to try it out. I love baking w/olive oil:)
That cakes looks delish! Happy birthday to your husband. And I know how you feel: I’m two years and two days older than my husband, and those two days in which he’s actually three years younger than me really stink, ha!
Happy Birthday to the husband! With this cake you didn’t have to get him anything else! Gorgeous!
What a lucky hubby you have, Kate. Look at that chocolate cake! Looks so decandent but light, too. Just like you: we’ve got toy boys 😉 Just keep giving them the chocolate…
Happy Birthday to your husband! I love the strawberry on top 🙂
That cake looks great. I’d love to try making an olive oil cake. Mmm!
Your hubby is one lucky man! This cake looks so good, I bet he enjoyed it immensely!
Happy birthday to you Hubby 😀
I love the chocolate olive oil cake!!! Yours looks so good and I wish a piece was in front of me now 🙂
I need to try that recipe soon, maybe for my birthday in 2 weeks 😉
Happy Birthday to your husband! 🙂 Your cake is absolutely gorgeous. It looks sooo good.
Mmm, chocolate cake … this looks beyond yummy. Actually I just made a chocolate cake this morning. My husband is coming back from a trip and I wanted to suprise him. But I went the flourless route. Have not tried it yet, wish I had this recipe though ! Your creations are always tried and tested !
The cake looks absolutely Perfect Kate! Yummy good looking :p Wish all the best for your huby
gorgeous! happy birthday to your husband. what a wonderful cake!
I’ve been wanting to experiment with an olive oil cake, and what better to pair it with than chocolate! Looks great…will have to give it a try. And as for the younger husband thing? Mine is also three months younger, but my birthday is in December so we were born in different years 😉
This cake looks and sounds amazing! My hubby is a huge chocolate fan too… he would love this!!
Happy Birthday to your hubby! Great minds think alike on the chocolate olive oil cake! I made one last weekend as well ;)! Yours looks delish!
What a darling wife to make such a loving birthday cake.. its a work of art!
What a divine looking cake!! The whipped cream filling looks absolutely fabulous and I bet it tasted just as good! Well done, happy birthday to hubby.
This cake looks fantastic! I’m 8 days older than my hubby. I’ve also liked younger men too 🙂
The cake looks great – I’ve been wanting to try an olive oil cake recipe lately, and love how this one has chocolate. I also have a younger significant other, and look forward to the few days in the year that he’s only 3 years younger than me instead of 4!
Oh, yeah…my hubby would always pick chocolate, too…and my boys! 33??? You two make me feel ancient 😉
Happy B- day to your hubby..mine would say the same thing Chocolate please!!! :)) Looks amazing, delicious and beautiful!!!! I can only drool now:)
Such a gorgeous cake, it sounds absolutely delicious! Happy birthday to your husband!
You did a wonderful job with this Kate. I found this cake also through Chef Dennis and really want to make it. I hope the Mr. had an awesome birthday. He sure had an awesome cake. I could sleep in that filling!!!
Beautiful cake. This one has been on my list to try out as well. 🙂
I’ve never tried an olive oil cake yet, but this one looks so moist and delicious, I know I’ll have to try it!
Happy birthday to hubby! I have seen a lot of recipes for chocolate olive oil cake and this looks really fantastic!
This really looks fantastic! From the photo’s, it actually looks like you used a 3 inch deep pan, and then cut the cake in half horizontally. Am I hallucinating?
No, you are not hallucinating! 🙂 But it is much easier to use two 9-inch pans instead of doing what I did, and that is why I left it that way in the directions… cutting it in half is just a pain. 🙂
Hi Kate
Happy Birthday to your hubby, I hope he enjoyed that beautiful cake, and thank you so much for using my recipe and for the mention! It is surprising how good that cake turns out without any eggs in it!
I think the whipped cream was definitely a better choice to showcase this wonderful cake!
Cheers
Dennis
Another great creation. I’ll have to book mark it as well and give it a try for a neighborhood BBQ in a couple weeks.
Happy B-Day to your hub, indeed! Check out that cake of yum! I saw this over on Chef Dennis’ site too and drooled all over my keyboard. Rest assured, your cake did the EXACT same thing to me again. So lovely! Well done 🙂
Kate this looks amazing! I’m sure your hubby was super excited for such a great cake on his bday. =)
Happy B-day to your husband. You two are still so young. I have this cake on my must make list too. Hope you have a great week.
-Gina-
A very happy birthday to your husband! How nice it must be to have a husband who likes chocolate cake for his birthday, my life would be so much easier… Adam loves chocolate cake but absolutely refuses to have it for his birthday so every year he challenges me to come up with a new cake recipe! The things we do for those we love! Well, it won’t be on his birthday, but I know he’s going to love this cake when I make it for him.
Olive oil desserts are so popular, did the olive oil come through and become a flavor you tasted? I do a similar one except flourless and salty
There’s a bit of an olive oil taste to it, but it’s a good taste…like a sweet, chocolatey, evoo taste. 🙂
Happy Birthday to your hubby. This such a gorgeous b-day cake. I love the glaze, too. My husband’s birthday isn’t until Sept., but our Anniversary is at the end of the month. I’m bookmarking this now!
This looks delicious!! Too bad the birthdays have passed for the year in our family. I will have to find another excuse to make it – and definitely with the cream filling!
Happy bday to hubby!! You did great with Dennis’ recipe! Yum! Look at that middle!!
Aww, happy birthday to your husband, Kate. I hope he had a great day! The cake looks marvelous! Now, I wish they had springform pans in the shape of sheet cakes. I can’t ever turn mine out so some is always stuck to it. I do butter and flour it like I’m told. Is there a timing thing? Like, should I let it cool for 15 minutes or something before trying to get it out? I would think that makes it even more stuck to the pan. My mother makes jelly rolls and I don’t know if it’s because it’s a sponge she’s making or her method of pan preparation but, they always come out! She margarines the baking sheet and then places wax paper on top of it. Then, she margarines the wax paper! Comes out every time. Oy… me and cakes have a bad track record–round, rectangular, what have you… never just right 🙁
Hi Hester! I have one thing to say, Thank God for springform pans!! 🙂
I’ve been in a few of those sticky situations and with time I learned that you have to let the cake cool completely before removing it from the pan. And you have to bang on the pan for the cake to come out! 🙂
Happy birthday to your husband! That cake is absolutely perfect. I love the thought of the whipped cream icing as well. It looks like I’ll have to do likewise.
My husband is 7 years younger than me and oh yeah, it’s a good thing.
Happy Birthday to your lucky husband!!! The cake looks absolutely delicious 🙂 the perfect birthday one!!!
happy birthday to your husband!
i made chef dennis’s cake for my cousin’s birthday too and it was fantastic! my cousin loved it … this recipe is definitely a keeper 😀
happy birthday to your hubby 🙂 and the cake looks perfect and it’s without egg !!
PS: my hubby is younger than me too and yes, I like that 😉
Happy birthday to your husband. I bet this cake was quite a treat for him. It looks delicious!