Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

by Annalise Sandberg Published on Oct 28, 2025

An incredibly rich and indulgent chocolate olive oil cake that’s also easy to make— no mixer required! It’s moist and chocolaty, with hints of cinnamon and cardamom, and topped with chocolate ganache and chopped pistachios.

Years ago I supplied chocolate cakes to a local restaurant owned by a friend, and it was so fun. It’s the closest I’ve gotten (so far) to having my own bakery, but I ultimately had to give it up to focus more here. Still, I often think about and miss that chocolate cake. And so I’ve created this delicious version to share with all of you.

This chocolate olive oil cake recipe is scaled down and simplified, and dare I say, I love it even more? It’s a riff on my famous chocolate sour cream cake, but made with olive oil, and scented with both cinnamon and cardamom, with a simple chocolate cardamom ganache topping. It’s so lovely, not at all complicated to make, and incredibly flavorful and delicious.

sliced chocolate olive oil cake; bite taken out of a slice with a fork

Why this is the ultimate chocolate olive oil cake
Ingredients you'll need
How to make chocolate olive oil cake
Recipe tips and FAQs
Get the recipe
More chocolate cakes

Why this is the ultimate chocolate olive oil cake

The texture is soft, but also incredibly moist and fudgy.
You’ll love the complex chocolate flavor, with floral notes from the olive oil, coffee in the cake batter, and spices like cinnamon and cardamom.
This cake looks so beautiful! It’s perfect for dinner guests and special occasions.
It’s actually super easy to make. It’s just one single layer, so there’s not much assembly. And both the cake and topping require only a few bowls + a whisk to make.

chocolate olive oil cake ingredients measured out

Ingredients you’ll need

Extra-virgin olive oil: It doesn’t have to be a fancy bottle, just whatever you have.
Sour cream: Adds fat which boosts flavor and moisture. Full fat plain greek yogurt should work too.
Cocoa powder: Either natural unsweetened cocoa powder or Dutch-process cocoa powder.
Coffee: It doesn’t give this cake a coffee flavor at all, but instead enhances the chocolate flavor. (Instant coffee or instant espresso work great too.)
Cinnamon: Also helps enhance the chocolatiness.
Cardamom: In both the cake and the ganache, and helps make this cake feel special.
All purpose flour, granulated sugar, baking soda, salt and eggs: Classic ingredients you’ll also find in this cake.
Heavy cream and dark chocolate: The main ingredients for the rich chocolate ganache topping.
Light corn syrup: Just a bit of it makes the ganache silky smooth and shiny (leave it out if you prefer).
Pistachios: An optional garnish, but it adds color and crunch, and pairs well with the cake.

How to make chocolate olive oil cake

Combine dry ingredients. We’ll first mix together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
Whisk wet ingredients and combine. Then in a separate bowl, whisk together the sour cream, olive oil, eggs, and coffee. Dump into the dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. (Don’t overmix, a few lumps are okay).
Bake. Pour batter into a greased 8 or 9-inch round cake pan and bake in a 350°F oven for about 25-30 minutes.
Make ganache. While the cake cools on a wire rack, let’s make the ganache. Add hot heavy cream to a bowl filled with the chocolate and let it sit for 5 minutes, then stir until smooth.
Frost the cake. Stir the ganache occasionally, it will slowly thicken to a spreadable consistency in about 20 minutes, and by then the cake should be cooled completely. Transfer the cake to a cake stand or plate and spread the ganache on top with a spatula. If you want, add chopped pistachios.
Enjoy. No need to wait, this cake can be sliced an enjoyed immediately! And it will keep for several days too, stored at room temperature.

spreading ganache on top of chocolate olive oil cake

baking tip:How to prevent cake from sticking to the pan

There are few baking failures as frustrating as a cake that sticks to the pan! Here’s how you make sure your cakes come out clean every time:

Line the bottoms of cake pans with parchment paper. You can trace and cut circles from sheets of parchment, or use pre-cut rounds.
Grease with a baking-specific nonstick spray that contains flour (such as Baker’s Joy) OR grease pan completely with butter, then dust with flour.
While I don’t like non-stick pans for traditional cakes (they tend to over-brown the edges), non-stick pans are great for other recipes like bundt cakes, cupcakes, loaf cakes, etc.

More Baking Tips »

slice of chocolate olive oil cake on a plate

Recipe tips and FAQs

Sour cream and eggs should be at room temperature. This allows them to incorporate more easily into the batter, so you don’t have to mix as much. Cold ingredients also prolong bake time and hinder rise.
You can use either 8-inch or 9-inch cake pans. (These are the pans I have and love.) Since this cake is a single layer, I prefer to bake it in a 9-inch pan so slices are wider instead of taller, but you can do either.
There’s no requirement for high quality or expensive ingredients! Use whatever olive oil you have, I made this cake with Kirkland olive oil. I like dark chocolate for the ganache (either a chopped baking bar or chocolate chips), but the quality doesn’t matter much, unless it’s important to you!
How to store this cake: I prefer to store this cake at room temperature so the ganache doesn’t get too hard. Cover or store in an airtight container so it doesn’t dry out, and enjoy within a few days.
Can you freeze this cake? I don’t recommend freezing it with the ganache topping, the ganache should be applied fresh for the best silky texture. But you can make and freeze the unfrosted cake, more info on freezing cakes here!