Extra Virgin Olive Oil keeps a chocolate cake soft and moist for days, and it adds a faint fruity note that goes beautifully with dark cocoa. Everything is whisked in one bowl, with no mixer and no butter to soften.

One bowl chocolate cake made with PepperGreen Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil
One bowl, no mixer, and a deep chocolate crumb.
  • Prep: 15 minutes
  • Cook: 50 to 55 minutes, plus cooling
  • Serves: 10 to 12
  • Oil used: 180ml PepperGreen Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil

Ingredients

  • 180ml PepperGreen Estate Extra Virgin Olive Oil, plus extra for greasing
  • 225g (1½ cups) plain flour
  • 60g (⅔ cup) unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 250g (1 cup plus 2 tablespoons) caster sugar
  • 1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine salt
  • 2 large eggs
  • 180ml milk
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 125ml hot strong coffee or hot water
  • Flaky sea salt and whipped cream, to serve (optional)

Method

  1. Heat the oven to 170°C (150°C fan-forced). Grease a 23cm round cake tin with a little oil and line the base with baking paper.
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa, sugar, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder and salt, pressing out any lumps of cocoa.
  3. Add the eggs, 180ml of oil, milk and vanilla. Whisk until smooth and glossy.
  4. Pour in the hot coffee or water and whisk gently until combined. The batter will be thin, which is what keeps the cake moist.
  5. Pour the batter into the tin and bake for 50 to 55 minutes, until a skewer in the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
  6. Cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Serve warm or cool, with a drizzle of Extra Virgin Olive Oil, a pinch of flaky salt or a spoonful of whipped cream.

Tips

  • Hot coffee deepens the chocolate without making the cake taste of coffee. Use hot water if you prefer.
  • Sift the cocoa if it is lumpy, so the batter stays smooth.
  • Keep it covered. The cake keeps well in an airtight container for up to 3 days and is still moist on day two.

About the oil

We use PepperGreen Estate Arbequina Extra Virgin Olive Oil, grown in our own grove at Canyonleigh in the Southern Highlands and processed on site. It is the oil our Tasting Room kitchen in Berrima cooks with. See the full Extra Virgin Olive Oil range, from the 100ml bottle to the 3 litre tin made for everyday cooking, or book a table at the Tasting Room.