Chocolate Olive Oil Cake (with pistachio whipped cream)

Name: Chocolate Olive Oil Cake (with pistachio whipped cream)
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 40 min
Ingredients: 240 g flour; 40 g corn flour; 80 g cocoa powder; 1 tsp baking powder; 1 tsp baking soda; 1/4 tsp salt; 100 g castor sugar; 90 g brown sugar; 240 ml buttermilk; 180 ml olive oil; 1 tbsp vanilla; 3 eggs; 240 ml hot water; 240 ml whipping cream; 120 ml pistachio cream; 30 g powdered sugar; Olive oil; Sea salt flakes

A moist and tender chocolate cake that is rich and delicious, it is a one bowl recipe and bakes up easily. With pantry friendly ingredients, this dessert is simple and a crowd pleaser to bake any time and for any occasion.

When I heard about the combination of chocolate and olive oil I was a bit unsure what to expect. In my mind it wouldn’t work as the olive oil would over power the chocolate and it would just taste wrong. Until I tried the chocolate olive oil shell for ice cream and I absolutely loved the flavor! Having said that, the cake itself is such a simple recipe to bring together – you literally mix the dry ingredients and then the wet ingredients and boom you’ve got a rich and intense chocolate batter. So let us get to it.

What ingredients do you need to make this chocolate olive oil cake?

For the dry ingredients we need all purpose flour (to keep this gluten free you can use gluten free all purpose flour), corn flour, cocoa powder (must be unsweetened and if you can use dutch processed even better), baking powder, baking soda, salt. For the wet ingredients we need brown sugar, white sugar, eggs, olive oil (use an olive oil you like the taste of or else it wont be as delicious as you would imagine), buttermilk, vanilla and hot water.

I have topped the cake with a simple pistachio cream that is a pastel green color, it is made with whipping cream, pistachio paste and powdered sugar. A little pinch of salt is also good. The cake is served with more olive oil and a sprinkle of sea salt flakes.

What equipment do you need to make this chocolate olive oil cake?

To make this cake we need a large mixing bowl and whisk. I have used a sifter to sift the dry ingredients – this ensures there are no lumps. The cake is baked in a 9/10 inch round cake tin which is lined with baking paper. I like to brush the tin with a little oil hence you would need a brush too. To make the pistachio whipped cream we need a mixing bowl and hand mixer.

How to make this chocolate olive oil cake?

Preheat the oven to 160℃ and line your baking tin by brushing it with olive oil and adding baking paper on the bottom, set aside. In a large mixing bowl add the dry ingredients (flour, corn flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, salt, brown sugar, castor sugar) through the sieve and sift to remove lumps. Whisk them together. Add the buttermilk, olive oil, vanilla, eggs and whisk the mixture together until partially mixed through. Add the hot water and whisk well until no lumps.

Pour into the prepared tin and bake for 30-40 minutes or until a tooth pick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow it to cool completely before serving.

How to make the pistachio whipped cream?

In another mixing bowl, beat the cream until soft peaks. Add the pistachio paste and powdered sugar, beat until combined and stiff peak forms.

Serving this chocolate olive oil cake?

Once the cake has cooled down, top it with the pistachio whipped cream and drizzle over more olive oil, sprinkle of sea salt. Slice and serve, enjoy with coffee. You could also serve the cake on its own with a dusting of powdered sugar. I love this cake with tea as well. Honestly it is such a winning recipe, serve it with a scoop of pistachio ice cream or vanilla ice cream with a drizzle olive oil on top.

Storing the leftovers of the chocolate olive oil cake?

I love making this cake the day ahead as the texture the next day is even better. It must be wrapped in cling wrap and placed in the fridge, also you can store it in air tight containers as well in the fridge for at least 4-5 days. I would not recommend freezing the frosted cake. If the cake is not frosted you can store it in the freezer for upto 2 weeks, when ready to eat, allow it to defrost, warm it for 10 seconds in the microwave and enjoy with whipped cream or ice cream.

Looking for more chocolate cake recipes?

Now that we have covered how to make this chocolate olive oil cake with pistachio whipped cream, you can have a look at the recipe video on my socials but let’s get to it. Don’t forget to follow along for more fun recipe inspiration.

If you try this recipe out, don’t forget to share it with me on pinterest & instagram so I can see how it turned out. I’d love nothing more than to chat with you on your cooking/baking.