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Slice of Vegan Chocolate Olive Oil Cake with a bite taken out and sitting on a fork.
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Vegan Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

This vegan chocolate olive oil cake is ultra-moist, super-rich, and intensely flavorful. Topped with a silky layer of chocolate ganache, it's an impressive, decadent dessert that's surprisingly simple to make — you don't even need an electric mixer!
Prep Time15 minutes
Cook Time25 minutes
Total Time40 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 8
Calories: 415kcal
Author: Alissa Saenz

Equipment

Ingredients

  • 1 ⅓ cups all-purpose flour
  • ½ cup unsweetened natural cocoa powder, plus more for dusting the pan
  • 1 cup organic granulated sugar
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 1 cup unflavored and unsweetened non-dairy milk
  • ½ cup olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder (optional but highly recommended)

For the Ganache Topping

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F.
  • Grease the bottom and sides of a round 9-inch cake pan, then dust them with cocoa powder. Line the bottom with parchment paper, grease the parchment paper, then dust it with cocoa powder (Note 1).
  • Whisk the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt together in a large mixing bowl.
  • In a small container such as a liquid measuring cup, stir together the milk, olive oil, apple cider vinegar, vanilla, and espresso powder.
  • Pour the milk mixture into the bowl with the flour mixture, then stir to combine. Make sure the dry ingredients are fully saturated and the batter is mostly smooth, but don't overmix — a few lumps are fine.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan.
  • Bake the cake for 25 to 28 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out mostly clean with just a few moist crumbs.
  • Place the cake on a cooling rack and let it cool completely.
  • While the cake cools, make the topping. Place the chocolate chips into a medium bowl.
  • Heat the coconut milk either in the microwave or in a saucepan on the stove until it just barely comes to a simmer, then pour it over the chocolate chips. Let the mixture sit for 5 minutes.
  • Stir the mixture until the chips melt completely (Note 2). Stir in the vegan butter until it melts into the mixture.
  • Once the cake has cooled, run a knife along the edges to loosen it, then invert the cake onto a plate (Note 3). Remove the parchment paper and spread the topping over the cake, taking it to the very edge so a bit drips down the sides, if you'd like.
  • Allow the ganache to set, optionally placing the cake in the fridge (recommended).
  • Slice and serve.

Notes

  1. Don't skip any steps here. This cake is delicate, so we want to make removal from the pan as easy as possible.
  2. If you find the chips are struggling to melt, you can microwave the mixture very briefly — 5 to 10 seconds. Don't heat it for longer or the chocolate could seize (become clumpy).
  3. This cake can be challenging to remove from the pan, because it is so tender. Be patient and keep working the knife around the cake, very gently prying the cake out of the pan by lodging the knife just under it if needed.

Nutrition

Calories: 415kcal | Carbohydrates: 54g | Protein: 5g | Fat: 23g | Saturated Fat: 7g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 2g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 0.01g | Sodium: 368mg | Potassium: 132mg | Fiber: 4g | Sugar: 32g | Vitamin A: 67IU | Vitamin C: 0.1mg | Calcium: 85mg | Iron: 3mg