I started making this chocolate olive oil cake on a night when I’d run out of butter and didn’t feel like a grocery run, and it’s the only version of the cake I bake now. The olive oil keeps the crumb tender for days, and it brings a faint peppery warmth that plain butter never gives you — you taste it most in that last bite, right where the flaky salt sits.
This isn’t a fussy layer cake. It’s one bowl, a whisk, and about thirty-five minutes in the oven, and what comes out is dense enough to eat with your fingers but soft enough to fall apart on a fork. Serve it slightly warm with the salt still crackling on top, or let it sit overnight — either way it holds its moisture better than any butter cake I’ve made.
Ingredients
- 4 oz dark chocolate (70%), chopped
- 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil, plus more for the pan
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp fine sea salt
- 1/2 cup whole milk, room temperature
- Flaky sea salt, for topping
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9-inch round cake pan with olive oil and line the bottom with parchment paper.
- Combine the chopped chocolate and 1/4 cup of the olive oil in a heatproof bowl. Set over a pot of barely simmering water and stir until melted and smooth, then set aside to cool slightly.
- In a large bowl, whisk together sugar, eggs, and vanilla extract until pale and slightly thickened, about 2 minutes. Whisk in the remaining 1/2 cup olive oil in a slow, steady stream.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and fine sea salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the egg mixture in two additions, alternating with the milk, whisking just until combined after each addition — don’t overwork it.
- Fold in the melted chocolate mixture until the batter is smooth and glossy with no streaks left.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake for 32-38 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs clinging to it.
- Cool the cake in the pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the edge and turn it out onto the rack to cool completely.
- Scatter flaky sea salt generously over the top just before slicing and serving.
Tips
- Use a real bar of dark chocolate rather than chips — bar chocolate melts smoother and gives a richer flavor to the crumb.
- Check doneness early. This cake is meant to be dense and a little fudgy in the center, so pull it as soon as the toothpick shows moist crumbs, not wet batter.
- Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or in the fridge for up to a week; let refrigerated slices sit out 20 minutes before eating.
- The cake freezes well unsalted and unwrapped for up to 2 months — thaw, then add the flaky salt fresh so it stays crisp.
- No whole milk on hand? Buttermilk or oat milk both work fine and keep the crumb just as tender.
Nutrition (per serving, estimated)
- Calories: 310 kcal
- Protein: 4 g
- Carbs: 32 g
- Fat: 19 g
Prep: 20 min · Cook: 35 min · Serves: 10