Chocolate Olive Oil Bundt Cake

Name: Chocolate Olive Oil Bundt Cake
Prep time: 20 min
Cook time: 40 min
Total time: PT-481162H2M16S
Ingredients: 2 Cups (240g) All- Purpose Flour; 2/3 Cup (56g) Dutch-Process Cocoa Powder; 2 Teaspoons Espresso Powder; 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder; 1/4 Teaspoon Baking Soda; 1 Teaspoon Sea Salt; 1 Cup (200g) Extra Virgin Olive Oil; 1½ Cups (300g) White Sugar; 3 Large Eggs, room temp; 1 Tablespoon Vanilla Paste or Extract; 1 Cup + 2 Tablespoons (256g) Full-Fat Sour Cream, room temp; 1/2 Cup (113g) Boiling Hot Water; 4 Ounces (113g) Milk or Semi-Sweet Chocolate; 2/3 Cup (152g) Heavy Cream; 2 Teaspoons Extra-Virgin Olive Oil

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Incredibly moist and delicious Chocolate Olive Oil Bundt Cake topped with a silky chocolate olive oil ganache! Guaranteed to satisfy all your chocolate cravings!

Chocolate olive oil bundt cake with chocolate ganache on a plate

Why You Will Love This Cake

The crumb is incredibly MOIST! Thanks to the extra-virgin olive oil and sour cream, this cake stays moist for days!
Not too sweet. If you're wanting a sweeter cake, be sure to use milk chocolate for the ganache.
SO easy to make. You just need one bowl and a whisk.
Packed with chocolate flavor. Perfect for chocolate lovers.

This is one of my favorite bundt cake and know you will love it too! For more Bundt cakes, be sure to check out our Marble Bundt Cake, Pistachio Rose Bundt Cake and Strawberry Bundt Cake!

Close up of the inside of chocolate olive oil cake

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Why You Will Love This Cake
Ingredient Notes
Step By Step Instructions
Substitutions
Variations
Equipment
Storage
Expert Tips
FAQ
More Bundt Cakes
📖 Recipe

Ingredient Notes

Chocolate Olive Oil Bundt Cake

All-Purpose Flour. Use a good quality flour, such as King Arthur.
Unsweetened Cocoa Powder. Use dutch-process cocoa powder.
Baking Powder & Baking Soda. These leveners that are essential to help the cake rise and creates a light and fluffy texture.
Espresso Powder. Enhances and intensifies the chocolate flavor.
Salt. Just a little to balance out the sugar and flavors.
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil. Use a good quality extra virgin olive oil. You can either use a light olive oil or a more robust one.
White Sugar. Do not use less sugar than what is called for in this recipe. The cake isn’t very sweet. Using less will result in a dry cake.
Eggs. Make sure your eggs are at room temperature. You can quickly bring your eggs to temp by submerging them in hot tap water for 15 minutes.
Vanilla. You can use vanilla paste or extract. Use a good quality vanilla for best results.
Sour Cream. Use full-fat sour cream. You will also want this to be at room temperature.
Hot Water. Hot water will be used to “bloom” the cocoa powder and makes the cake fluffy. You can also use hot coffee instead for more intense chocolate flavor.

Chocolate Ganache

Chocolate. Make sure to use a good quality chocolate. I used a 60% chocolate, but you can go dark. You can even use milk chocolate as the cake is not very sweet at all.
Heavy Cream. Thins out the chocolate and creates a velvety texture.
Extra-Virgin Olive Oil. Adds a nice shine.

*See recipe card for quantities.

Step By Step Instructions

Here are step-by-step photos and instructions on how to make this Chocolate Olive Oil Bundt Cake! Please find detailed instructions in the recipe card at the end of this post.

Step 1 - In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, add olive oil, sugar, eggs and vanilla. Whisk on medium speed for 2 minutes.

Step 2 - Add sour cream and mix to combine.

Olive oil, eggs, sugar and vanilla in large mixing bowl

Sour cream added to eggs, olive oil and sugar mixture

Step 3 - In 2 additions, sift in the dry ingredients and mix on the lowest speed until nearly combined. Do not overmix!

Step 4 - Add boiling water to the batter and mix until just combined.

Sifted dry ingredients added to wet ingredients

Step 5 - Pour batter into a prepared pan. Lift the pan a few inches off the counter and drop a few times.

Step 6 - Bake at 350ºF (180ºC) for about 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs.

Pouring chocolate olive oil cake batter into bundt pan

Baked chocolate olive oil cake in bundt pan

Step 7 - Once the cake is completely cooled, make your Chocolate Ganache - Heat the cream in a small saucepan until simmering or microwave in 20 second intervals. Add finely chopped chocolate into a medium bowl and submerge with hot cream. Let stand, untouched for 4 minutes and then gently stir until combined.

Hint: Stir your ganache slowly and use a rubber spatula (not a whisk) to ensure a smooth ganache. Mixing it too quickly can create air bubbles and make the texture grainy.

Step 8 - Add extra-virgin olive and stir to combine.

Pouring hot cream over chopped chocolate in a bowl

Step 9 - Pour ganache over your cake and serve. Enjoy!!

Pouring chocolate ganache on chocolate olive oil cake

Substitutions

For the Cake

Extra-Virgin Olive Oil – Feel free to use light olive oil or a more robust one. You can also use other light oils such as, avocado oil, canola or grapeseed.
Sour Cream - You can easily sub for full-fat Greek yogurt.
Boiling Hot Water - You can use hot brewed coffee in place of hot water.

For the Chocolate Ganache

Chocolate Bar - You can use chocolate chips of you don't have chocolate baking bars. Milk, semi-sweet or bittersweet will work!
Olive Oil - You can use coconut oil. Just make sure it's melted if it has solidified.

Variations

Add-Ins - You can add chocolate chips or chunks in the batter for even more chocolate flavor.
Other Glazes - The flavor of this chocolate cake is very verstile, making it idea for any glazes. You can top with an espresso glaze, vanilla glaze, or cream cheese glaze. Drizzle with salted caramel sauce and simple dust with unsweetened cocoa powder or powdered sugar.

Equipment

10 to 15 Cup Bundt Pan - I'm using one of my favorite Nordicware Bundt Pans, Anniversary Bundt Pan (not an affiliate link)

Storage

Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days or 1 week in the fridge.

Expert Tips

Use a kitchen scale to weigh all your ingredients. It’s the best and most accurate way to bake. You can refer to King Arthur’s Weigh Chart for ingredient conversions.
If you are not using a kitchen scale, measure your flour correctly. Fluff and aerate your flour first, then spoon into your measuring cup and finally level off with the back of a butter knife. Do not pack it in as it will add too much flour.
Use a high quality olive oil. I’m using Colavita’s Olive Oil.
Make sure to use room temperature ingredients. Using room temperature ingredients will help the batter emulsify better, ensuring a smooth batter. Leave your eggs and sour cream on the counter for about an hour for best results.
Sift your dry ingredients. Sifting the dry ingredients before adding to your wet ingredients will ensure a smooth batter.
Do not overmix. As always, refrain from over mixing the batter as it will overwork the gluten in the dough. Thus, creating a tough cake.
Let cake cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before inverting. Flipping it too soon can cause the cake to stick in the pan.

Chocolate olive oil bundt cake slice on plate with fork

FAQ

What's the best way to grease a bundt pan?

My favorite and preferred method is to use Baker's Joy. My bundt cakes release perfectly every single time! You can also use shortening. Use a pastry brush, making sure to get into all the cracks and crevasses.

Why do you put hot water to chocolate cake?

It helps the cocoa powder "bloom" which brings out the chocolate flavor and creates a smoother batter.

What's the difference between dutch-process vs natural cocoa powder?

Acid! Dutch-process cocoa powder has undergone a process in which the acid has been neutralize, giving it a darker hue. Natural cocoa powder is acidic and reddish in color.

Can dutch-process and natural cocoa powder be used interchangeably?

Not always. Dutch cocoa powder is alkalized, where as natural cocoa powder is acidic, so the type of leavener used is important here. As a good rule of thumb, it's safe to stick to what the recipe calls for, as it can greatly affect the outcome.

Chocolate olive oil bundt cake with chocolate ganache and plates of cake

More Bundt Cakes

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