This sophisticated but humble cake is there for you on days when you’re craving an indulgent olive oil chocolate cake (vegan). The olive oil brings out the flavor of the dark cocoa powder and has a moist and tender crumb.
🖊 Recipe note
I love the simplicity of this easy chocolate cake with ingredients that most people have in their kitchen. Sometimes life is just better with perfectly moist chocolate cake. We’ve somehow accumulated way too many bottles of olive oil as gifts and this was the perfect opportunity to make a dessert using what we already have! This cake doesn’t have a ton of rise as it lacks eggs but it has a deeply rich flavor from the coffee and olive oil. Sprinkling on a touch of snowy white confectionary sugar gives it a stunning look.
😋 Taste and features
- Moist with a tender crumb
- Rich and decadent cake
- Dairy free and vegan
- Easy chocolate cake recipe
🛒 Ingredient notes
Coffee: While you can make this cake with water, coffee adds depth, intensity and enhances the chocolate flavor.
Baking Soda & Vinegar: This cake does not have any eggs so these two ingredients are key to helping the cake rise.
Olive Oil: Olive oil adds a unique flavor but if you’re not a fan of the flavor you can swap it with vegetable oil.
Granulated Sugar: White sugar is not vegan so feel free to use date sugar or coconut sugar.
🗒️ Instructions
Before you start: Heat the oven to 350 degrees F and generously grease a 8″ round pan.
Step 1. Brew a hot cup of coffee or use instant coffee + water. (Key is hot liquid)
Step 2. Sift flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda in a large mixing bowl.
Step 3. Take out another bowl and mix vanilla, vinegar and oil until combined.
Step 4. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until completely combined and no lumps remain. Add in cup of hot coffee and stir for a minute.
Step 5. Pour batter into 8 inch spring form pan and bake for 25-30 minutes until done.
Step 6. Wait for cake to cool before putting on confectionary sugar on top!
👩🍳 Top tips
- Sift your dry ingredients to prevent any clumps.
- Use hot coffee as it “blooms” the cocoa powder and enhances the flavor. If you’re interested in learning more about why this is important you can read this article.
- Check to make sure your baking soda is still active. You can do this by placing a tablespoon of baking soda in a bowl and adding in lemon juice – if it fizzes you should be good to go!
💡 Variations
If you’re interested in something more than powdered sugar you can easily make a vegan chocolate glaze or vegan buttercream frosting.
🤔 Substitutions
- Swap olive oil with vegetable oil if you’re not a fan of the flavor.
- Swap hot coffee with hot water if you don’t have it on hand.
🙋 Frequently asked questions
What are the benefits of baking with olive oil?
- You don’t have to wait for butter to come to room temperature
- Most people usually have a bottle of olive oil in their cabinets rather than a stick of butter
- Doesn’t require a electric mixer to incorporate all ingredients
Is olive oil good in cakes?
Olive oil is extremely healthy and is full of vitamin E and powerful antioxidants. Olive oil gets a bad rap for oxidizing under high heat, however, it holds up well during baking due to the high amount of antioxidants and low amount of polyunsaturated fat. The temperature for this cake stays at 350F which is well below its smoke point. Olive oil is also a liquid fat at room temperature so it helps keep your cake extra moist!
What type of olive oil should I use for this cake?
I like using extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) but you can also use regular olive oil. Just note that EVOO has a stronger, more pronounced flavor in the cake so it’s up to you!
🧺 Storage tips
- Room Temperature: Store at room temperature in an an airtight container for up to 3 days.
- Fridge: Cool cake completely and store it in an airtight container for up to 1 week.
- Freezer: While I doubt that this cake will last longer than a day on your kitchen counter you can place it in an airtight container or freezer safe bag and put in the freezer for up to 3 months. It will be good for up to 2-3 months but note the date of when it was baked on the container! Thaw cake at room temperature before eating.
🔎 Related recipes
Here are a few more cake recipes you can check out!
📖 Recipe
Chocolate Olive Oil Cake (Vegan)
Equipment
- Oven
- Fine Mesh Sieve
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour (180 Grams)
- 1/2 Cup Cocoa Powder (50 Grams)
- 3/4 Cup Coffee (177 Grams)
- 3/4 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil (164 Grams)
- 2/3 Cup Granulated Sugar (134 Grams)
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- t tsp Baking Soda
- 1 tbsp Vinegar (14 Grams)
Instructions
- Heat oven to 350F and grease a 8 inch round pan.
- Sift flour, sugar, cocoa powder, salt and baking soda in a large mixing bowl.
- Take out another bowl and mix vanilla, vinegar, oil and coffee.
- Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until completely combined and no lumps remain.
- Pour batter into 8 inch spring form pan and bake for 25-30 minutes until done.
- Wait for cake to cool before putting on confectionary sugar on top.
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