So for those who know me well, I am sure you are wondering – and maybe even angry – about the fact that this chocolate olive oil snacking cake has no frosting. I know, I know: all I ever talk about is how obsessed I am with frosting, and how a cake is not a cake unless its frosting is almost equal in height to the cake layer itself. But hear me out: this cake is naked because this cake is truly about SNACKING. Like you need a snack and you’re willing to wait 35 minutes for it and that is it. You can’t be bothered with making a frosting because you cannot wait even the 10 or so minutes it takes to assemble one, and you certainly cannot wait the hour or so it may take for the cake to cool down, so that it can be frosted without the frosting melting . . . But, if you insist, this cream cheese frosting would be yum, as would this straight up American buttercream.
Now back to this cake, essentially, you make a cake that takes 5 minutes to assemble and 30 minutes to bake and you don’t really let it cool at all – instead, you cover it in confectioners’s sugar, that probably gets slightly melt-y (due to your warm cake) and you eat it right away. And you don’t even miss the frosting, because you are so happy to be eating warm chocolate cake, you feel me? And if you do (feel me that is . . . ), let me tell you about this cake: first, it calls for olive oil – because yes, this recipe is part of my oil-based baking series with Colavita Olive Oil.
I like to use a full-bodied olive oil in this cake, but if that does not appeal, use a more neutral-flavored one. Also, because this recipe is part of my Colavita series, there is a video of me making this cake and you can watch it here! The cake is very fudgy – this is not a light and airy cake with a fragile crumb. This is a dense, very chocolate-y cake – and honestly, I highly recommend throwing in a handful of chocolate chips into the mix, as those molten chips are sure to amp up the deep chocolate flavor in the best way. And did I mention that you should serve this cake with scoops of vanilla ice cream – particularly if you are eating it warm – because you absolutely should. Now head into the kitchen and have at it with this recipe, okay?
Chocolate Olive Oil Snacking Cake Recipe
Chocolate Olive Oil Snacking Cake
Ingredients
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 6 Tbsp Dutch process cocoa powder
- 1 1/2 tsp espresso powder
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp kosher salt
- 1/4 cup olive oil
- 1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large yolk
- 3/4 cup whole milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease an 8x8x2-inch pan with non-stick cooking spray or olive oil. Line the bottom with parchment.
- In a medium sized bowl, whisk the flour, cocoa powder, espresso powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- In a large bowl, whisk the oil, sugars and vanilla. Add the egg and the yolk, one at a time, and whisk to combine. Add the milk and whisk a final time.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and gently fold with a flexible spatula. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan.
- Bake for 30 minutes, rotating at the halfway point, until a cake tester comes out with a moist crumb or two.
- Let the cake rest for 10 minutes and then invert it onto a cooling rack and cool to room temp (or don’t . . . ).
- Serve dusted with confectioners’ sugar.