Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

By Melissa Clark

Published Nov. 24, 2021

Chocolate Olive Oil Cake
Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
Total Time
50 minutes, plus cooling
Rating
4(2,667)
Comments
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This tender chocolate cake has a deep cocoa flavor that’s intensified by the slight bitterness of olive oil. Cinnamon adds a touch of spice here, and the Earl Grey tea, a mellow citrus perfume. Feel free to play around with the hot liquid used to dissolve the cocoa powder: Coffee, red wine, orange juice or any other flavorful tea will add their own notes to the cake, while water will let the chocolate shine on its own. Serve this as is, or with a dollop of whipped cream or some ice cream on top.

Featured in: Three Hanukkah Desserts That Skip the Fryer

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Ingredients

Yield:8 servings
  • ¾cup/177 milliliters extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing the pan
  • ½cup/118 milliliters Earl Grey tea, or use coffee, dry red wine, orange juice or water
  • ½cup/50 grams Dutch-processed cocoa powder
  • ½teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¼teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1cup/200 grams granulated sugar
  • 3large eggs, at room temperature
  • 2teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1cup plus 2 tablespoons/135 grams all-purpose flour
  • ½teaspoon baking soda
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

438 calories; 23 grams fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 16 grams monounsaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 54 grams carbohydrates; 3 grams dietary fiber; 25 grams sugars; 7 grams protein; 181 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9-inch round pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.

  2. Step 2

    In a medium saucepan over high heat, bring tea or other liquid to a simmer, then turn off heat. Whisk in cocoa, cinnamon and salt until smooth, then set aside to cool.

  3. Step 3

    In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, combine sugar, olive oil, eggs and vanilla. Beat for about 3 minutes. Reduce speed and pour in cocoa mixture, scraping down the sides of the bowl. Gradually beat in flour and baking soda until just incorporated.

  4. Step 4

    Scrape batter into prepared pan and bake until the sides are set but it’s still slightly damp in the center, 35 to 45 minutes. A cake tester should come up clean but with a few sticky chocolate crumbs clinging to it. Transfer cake pan to a wire rack and let cake cool completely in pan.

Ratings

4 out of 5
2,667 user ratings
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Comments

Sue M

I made this with 1 1/2 cups almond flour. Cooked for 45 mins, checked it and it was like soup. Put it back in for another 25 mins and it was perfect. Everyone loved it and there wasn't a crumb left after Thanksgiving dinner. I used 1/4 c red wine and 1/4 c orange juice for the liquid.

Alan

I made this yesterday - last day of Hanukkah - and followed recipe to the letter, using good quality ingredients. I cut a slice before going to bed and thought, well, it’s good but not “great”. I wrapped it with Saran and left it til this morning. Had another slice with my tea and OMG!! It took overnight for the flavors to develop! And they were present in all their complexity: EVOO, cocoa, cinnamon and Earl Grey! Let it age overnight. Superb!

amyp78

I looked up the guidelines for substituting regular cocoa powder (more acidic) baking soda for the Dutch powder (less acidic) - it says "knock back the acidity of by adding 1/8 teaspoon of baking soda for every 3 tablespoons of regular cocoa powder used."

Agnes

Make it with coffee, not water. Coffee adds depth of flavor. Excellent chocolate cake that isn’t too sweet or rich. I always reduce my sugar quantity by 25% when baking. Guests always comment that they like my baking and note that the sweetness is just right.

pub

I thought this was delicious and easy, and I agree with the reviewer who said that it was ok on the first day and even better on the second. (It did not last to the third day, alas.) (I used strong coffee as the liquid and otherwise followed the recipe as written.)

Andy S

Too weird not to share: only had 10g of cocoa powder, so subbed the difference with bittersweet chocolate chips. For the liquid, I used one of those canned vodka iced tea beverages. The result was astoundingly delicious.

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