Chocolate Olive Oil Cake
Published November 23, 2021
Johnny Miller for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Simon Andrews.
- Total Time
- 50 minutes, plus cooling
- Rating
- Comments
- Read comments
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Ingredients
¾ cup/177 milliliters extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing the pan
½ cup/118 milliliters Earl Grey tea, or use coffee, dry red wine, orange juice or water
½ cup/50 grams Dutch-processed cocoa powder
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt
1 cup/200 grams granulated sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons/135 grams all-purpose flour
½ teaspoon baking soda
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)
54 grams carbs; 70 milligrams cholesterol; 438 calories; 16 grams monosaturated fat; 3 grams polyunsaturated fat; 4 grams saturated fat; 23 grams fat; 3 grams fiber; 181 milligrams sodium; 7 grams protein; 25 grams sugar
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
- Step 1
Heat the oven to 325 degrees. Grease a 9-inch round pan and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- 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.
- 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.
- 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.
Private Notes
Comments
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.
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!
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."
I've made this cake twice, once with coffee and once with orange juice. In both cases, when I tested the cake between 35 and 45 minutes, the center of the cake was really wet--not remotely done--while the outer parts of the cake were totally done. I had to bake the cake longer until the center had sticky crumbs on it, as the recipe said. The result: dry cake. I beat the batter for 5 minutes, as someone suggested. Any advice? Even at 50 minutes, the center of the cake was dripping wet.
This is the recipe people ask me to make most often. I use coffee for the liquid and don’t use a mixer. I add pecans, bittersweet chocolate chips and chopped frozen dark cherries. Works great as cake or cupcakes.
Another flavor that goes well with chocolate is nutmeg. Not sure if it would clash with the flavor of the olive oil but worth trying. Also cardamon.