Vegan Olive Oil Cake

This one-bowl vegan olive oil cake is a chocolate lover's dream. It is so moist, rich, and definitely a challenge to only have one slice. Decorate with fresh whipped cream, your favorite fruit, or serve it as is with a light dusting of cocoa powder!

I have a love-hate relationship with Instagram. There, I said it. I hate it because sometimes it's a total time suck (the puppy Reels get me every time) and because sometimes the stupid "algorithm" limits my posts' reach. UGH! But, I do love Instagram for connecting with other wonderfully talented women in the industry and for being a great source of inspiration. In my vegan oreo cake post, I mentioned that I gathered inspiration from David's favorite ice cream flavor. For this vegan olive oil cake, I drew inspiration from Cucina Melissa, an Italian-trained private chef in Los Angeles. My friend Emily shared one of Melissa's gorgeous olive oil cakes over Instagram and it inspired me to make one of my own!

This chocolate olive oil cake is really the perfect cake for hosting. It's a one-bowl recipe that takes less than 15 minutes to throw together and it's a total crowd pleaser. It's extra moist, chocolate-y, and the perfect chocolate cake if you ask me!

This chocolate olive oil cake is:

• Vegan
• A one-bowl recipe
• Super moist
• Extra chocolate-y
• A total crowd pleaser

How to make the olive oil cake

1. Pre-heat oven to 350F. Grease an 8" round cake pan and line with parchment paper.
2. Add dry ingredients to a medium sized bowl and whisk well.
3. In a separate bowl, add the wet ingredients and whisk together to combine.
4. Using a rubber spatula, add the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until incorporated.
5. Pour batter into the prepared cake pan and bake for about 40 minutes until an inserted toothpick comes out clean. Transfer cake to a cooling rack.
6. Once cake is cool, remove from pan and serve!

Ideas for serving the chocolate cake

• Dollop or pipe your favorite vegan whipped cream
• Add fresh or dehydrated fresh fruit (strawberries, raspberries, lemon, blood oranges, etc)
• Garnish with edible flowers and / or herbs
• Dust with sifted cocoa powder or powdered sugar
• Double the recipe and make a layered cake

Frequently Asked Questions

Do I have to use a quality olive oil for this cake?

For a traditional olive oil cake, I would recommend using a quality olive oil because it is the predominant flavor. For this chocolate cake, however, I think you can get away with a lower grade olive oil since the chocolate is the most forward flavor. I always use extra virgin olive oil because it is the healthiest but at the end of the day, use whatever olive oil makes the most sense for you and your budget.

If I'm not vegan, can I use eggs?

While I haven't tried this recipe with eggs, I am fairly confident that substitution will work just fine!

Can I use a gluten-free flour mix instead of all-purpose?

I haven't made this recipe with guten-free flour, but I imagine it should work well. As you probably know by now, I love Bob's Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Flour Mix.

Can I use hot cocoa mix instead of cocoa powder?

Unfortunately, no. While the names sound similar, they have very different properties. Unsweeted cocoa powder is pure cocoa whereas hot cocoa mix has ingredients like evaporated milk, sugar, chocolate, etc.

What is alkalized cocoa powder and do I really need it for this recipe?

This is where food science comes into play. For this recipe, you'll really need cocoa powder that is alkalized. You usually can tell if it's alkalized if it's Dutch Processed or if alkaline is listed in the ingredients. The alkaline is going to activate the baking soda, so if you use a cocoa powder without it, your cake may not rise as much. Should you want the full explanation, you can find an excellent article here.

More chocolate recipes to love:

Black Bean Brownies w/ Chocolate Ganache

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cupcakes

Chocolate Cookie Dough Bites

Vegan Oreo Cake

Banana Bread with Chocolate Chips