Chocolate Olive Oil Cake (Gluten-Free, Dairy Free)

I will start this post simply with this:

This is my favorite chocolate cake of all time.

When it comes to a celebratory, layered and frosted chocolate cake I have turned to the Horseradish Grill’s chocolate cake ever since learning the recipe in culinary school.  It is excellent, impossibly fudgy and decadent.

But there is another place in my life for an everyday chocolate cake that is easier to make and a bit more virtuous.  You know by now that I am very much an “everyday baker” type of person and don’t need a reason to eat a slice of cake any night of the week.

This Chocolate Olive Oil Cake is perfect, truly.  Whether you want to eat a piece with your hands, in your pajamas (the most common way for me, admittedly) or serve to a room full of guests for Christmas or a dinner party, you simply won’t be disappointed.

Watch Me Make My Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

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How To Make My Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

Step 1. Preheat oven to 350 Degrees F. Spray a 9 or 10 inch cake pan with nonstick spray and line the bottom with parchment paper.

Step 2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, sugar, and salt.

Step 3. In a separate medium bowl, whisk together olive oil, eggs, vanilla, milk, and coffee until blended.

Step 4. Add liquid to the flour mixture and mix together until no traces of flour remain.

Step 5. Pour cake batter into the prepared pan and bake for 60-75 minutes, until the a cake tester comes out just clean.

Step 6. Allow cake to cool in the pan for 20 minutes before inverting onto a cooling rack to cool for at least two hours.

Step 7. Serve dusted simply with powdered sugar, or with a cherry compote and whipped cream if desired.

Step 8. Enjoy!

What Else Can I Use?

• Use a 9 inch round cake pan or 10 inch round cake pan for this cake, it is a lot of batter and rises quite a bit.   It will overflow in an 8 inch cake pan, I know from experience.
• Both unsweetened almond milk and reduced fat cow’s milk can be used in this cake.
• If you’d like to cut back further on the oil, replace half of it with unsweetened apple sauce.
• Use any good quality olive oil that you like in this cake, I like this one.  However, you can also use another type of oil such as safflower or vegetable oil if you prefer.
• I use Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour in this cake, but you can certainly swap in regular all purpose flour.  I wouldn’t advise using almond or oat flour in this cake as it will make it either too moist or too dense.  You want a just slightly dense and fluffy crumb.

“My favorite chocolate cake” is a big claim, and not one I take lightly.  Here’s why I stand by that:

1. This chocolate cake is SO moist, with a perfect texture and fluffy interior. I have had too many dry chocolate cakes in my day.  What a disappointment.
2. Unlike many chocolate cakes, this one is not too sweet.  It is just sweet enough to let the chocolate flavor come through and prevent you from a sugar crash two hours later.
3. It’s EASY to make, taking only ten minutes to get it in the oven.  No butter = no creaming.
4. Because of the oil in this case, it keeps extremely well and some say it’s even better the next day.  It also freezes beautifully, making it a no-brainer make ahead dessert.

I tend to serve this one of two ways:

With a simple dusting of powdered sugar

With a dollop of whipped cream and a cherry compote.  For this, I simply simmer frozen cherries with a squeeze of lemon and a pinch of sugar, salt, and nutmeg.

If you make my Chocolate Olive Oil Cake, and I hope you do, please leave me a comment here and rate the recipe. Your feedback means a lot to me! You can also post to Instagram and tag me so I can share your creations!

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