Chocolate Celebration Cake (Print Version)

Luscious chocolate olive oil cake with rich ganache and crunchy hazelnut praline—a true celebration showstopper.

# What to Use:

→ Cake

01 - 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
03 - 2 cups granulated sugar
04 - 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
05 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
06 - 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
07 - 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
08 - 1 cup whole milk, room temperature
09 - 3 large eggs, room temperature
10 - 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
11 - 1 cup hot brewed coffee

→ Ganache

12 - 12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
13 - 1 cup heavy cream
14 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

→ Hazelnut Praline

15 - 1 cup toasted hazelnuts, skins rubbed off
16 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
17 - Pinch of sea salt

# How to Prepare:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line two 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.
02 - In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt until evenly distributed.
03 - In another bowl, whisk olive oil, milk, eggs, and vanilla extract until smooth and fully incorporated.
04 - Pour wet ingredients into dry ingredients and mix until just combined, being careful not to overmix.
05 - Slowly add hot coffee while whisking until batter is smooth and thin in consistency.
06 - Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean.
07 - Cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely to room temperature.
08 - Place finely chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat cream in a small saucepan until just simmering, then pour over chocolate. Let sit 2 minutes. Add butter and stir until smooth and glossy. Let cool while stirring occasionally until thickened to spreading consistency.
09 - Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a small saucepan, heat sugar over medium heat, swirling gently until melted and amber in color. Remove from heat, stir in hazelnuts and salt, then quickly spread onto prepared sheet. Cool completely, then break into shards or chop coarsely.
10 - Place one cooled cake layer on a serving plate. Spread with one-third of the ganache. Top with the second cake layer and cover top and sides with remaining ganache. Decorate generously with hazelnut praline shards.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The olive oil creates an impossibly moist crumb that stays tender even on day three.
  • Hot coffee intensifies the chocolate without making it taste like coffee at all.
  • Hazelnut praline adds a dramatic, bakery-style finish that's easier than it looks.
  • It's a one-bowl cake that tastes like you spent all day in the kitchen.
02 -
  • Let the ganache cool to spreading consistency or it will slide right off the cake and pool on the plate.
  • Don't stir the sugar while it melts or it will crystallize into a grainy mess instead of smooth caramel.
  • Room temperature eggs and milk are essential, cold ingredients can cause the batter to curdle or separate.
  • The coffee doesn't make this taste like mocha, it just makes the chocolate taste more intensely like chocolate.
03 -
  • Sift the cocoa powder if it's lumpy, or you'll end up with bitter pockets in the finished cake.
  • Tap the filled pans on the counter a few times before baking to release any trapped air bubbles.
  • Make the praline first and let it cool while you bake, it's easier to handle when you're not rushing.
  • If the ganache seizes or looks grainy, whisk in a tablespoon of warm cream to bring it back together.
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