Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

 

I spent the latter part of July and all of August in Europe for some summer holidays and work.  While I absolutely loved my time abroad and getting the chance to (re)connect with dear friends and work colleagues the one thing I really missed was being able to bake.  Since I was going to be away for such a long period of time I had every intention of baking in Europe, and even packed measuring cups, spoons and a kitchen scale in my checked luggage.  Unfortunately the gods were against me and I became yet another statistic in the luggage drama that epitomized summer 2022 travels when my bag went missing for three weeks.  [I'm sure you've seen the images of a sea of lost bags and suitcases at the European airports.]  

 

 

As soon as I got back home to San Francisco my itch to bake was in major overdrive.  When I saw the recipe for this Chocolate Olive Oil Cake on Half Baked Harvest's Instagram Stories I knew it was going to be my first bake.  Never mind that I was in the middle of some home renovations and my house was in disarray.  Baking will always be a priority!

I'm a big fan of olive oil cake but I'd never seen or even heard of a chocolate version.  Why didn't I think of that?  The real clincher was that the recipe for the batter and frosting didn't require a mixer and used natural sweeteners like maple syrup and honey.  

 

Having just polished off a piece I can honestly say this cake is going to be on regular rotation and added to my baking repertoire.  Yes, it's THAT good.  The cake is tender and full of intense chocolate flavor while the frosting is creamy, chocolate-y and not too sweet.  Do yourself a favor and make this chocolate olive oil cake asap.

 

Olive Oil Cake

Did you know August is National Olive Oil Month?  I certainly didn't until recently.  So I thought it was very fitting to make an Olive Oil Cake before the month came to an end.  I have an online subscription to Cook's Illustrated magazine and on the website there's a section called "Trending With Our Members" which lists recipes that are currently popular with subscribers.  Their version of olive oil cake was at the top of the list so I knew it was going to be good.  

I'm surprised I'd never made this cake before but I probably deemed it too boring in its simplicity.  How wrong I was!  I couldn't believe how delicious the cake was with such a moist and tender crumb.  No need to worry about a strong olive oil taste because it's not really there.  What really shines through is citrus notes coming from the lemon zest.  The cake is gorgeous on its own but you can certainly embellish it with some fresh strawberries and whipped cream if you're so inclined.