Winter / No. 21 / Blooming cocoa
Chocolate Olive Oil Cake
A moist, deeply chocolatey single-layer cake made with fruity olive oil and cocoa bloomed in hot coffee. One bowl, no mixer, keeps for days.
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 35 min
- Total
- 50 min
- Yield
- 10 servings
Photo via Wikimedia Commons (CC0).
This is the chocolate cake we make most often: dark, tender, a little fudgy, and so simple it comes together in one bowl with a whisk. Olive oil keeps it moist for days and adds a faint fruity note that makes the chocolate taste deeper. A dusting of powdered sugar or a spoon of whipped cream is all it needs.
The trick is blooming the cocoa. Mixing cocoa powder with hot coffee before it goes into the batter dissolves it fully and releases flavor compounds that otherwise stay locked inside the cocoa particles. You will not taste coffee, just more chocolate.
Method
- 1
Heat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Oil a 9-inch round cake pan and line the bottom with parchment.
- 2
In a large bowl, whisk the cocoa and hot coffee until smooth. Add the chopped chocolate and let stand 1 minute, then whisk until melted and glossy. Cool for 5 minutes.
- 3
Whisk in the granulated sugar, brown sugar and olive oil until combined. Add the eggs one at a time, whisking well after each, then whisk in the vanilla and yogurt.
- 4
In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add to the wet ingredients and whisk gently just until no streaks of flour remain.
- 5
Pour the batter into the pan and smooth the top. Bake for 32 to 38 minutes, until the center springs back when pressed lightly and a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- 6
Cool in the pan on a rack for 15 minutes, then run a knife around the edge and turn out onto the rack. Cool completely.
- 7
Dust with powdered sugar and a few flakes of sea salt, or serve with whipped cream.
Cook's notes
- Use an olive oil you would happily eat on bread, but avoid very peppery, bitter oils.
- Natural cocoa works, but the cake will be slightly lighter in color and taste a little more acidic.
- The cake is even better the next day, as the crumb settles and the flavor deepens.
Keeping
Wrap well and store at room temperature for up to 4 days. Freeze wrapped slices for up to 2 months.
Cooking times and temperatures are guides; ovens, stoves and ingredients vary. This recipe is for home cooking and is not dietary or medical advice. Check labels for allergens.
