After listening to endless praises of chocolate olive oil cakes, we are now joining the choir…Below are two chocolate cake recipes we made using extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) and orange flavored EVOO. Not only decadently good, all are better for you than most cakes!
How are they healthier? Well, besides about 1 cup of sugar in each cake, the ingredients we use are all nutritive…For example:
- In both cakes, we substitute almond or hazelnut for regular white flour (more on this below under the recipes). This not only means that they are gluten free, but they’re packed with healthy fats, protein, vitamins and minerals. The additional fat and protein from the nuts (and eggs) will help balance the carb content from the sugar, and therefore the body will require less insulin to digest it (which means you get a healthier blood sugar response).
- We use superfood olive oil instead of butter or canola oil in the cakes, which means more heart-healthy monounsaturated fats, not to mention antioxidant polyphenols.
- The optional addition of coconut lends more fiber and healthy fats while creating more firmness and rise.
- Less sugar than many other chocolate cakes and no sugary frosting (they’re so moist, they don’t need any!)
- Organic eggs lend additional protein and nutrients; and
- Unsweetened dark cocoa powder, which brings powerful antioxidant flavanols to the table, not to mention a number of minerals.
At the end of the day – or your meal – you can feel good about indulging in these guilt-free cakes – just remember, they do contain table sugar and more fat than most cakes, so eat them in moderation.
Dark Chocolate & Almond Olive Oil Cake Recipe
Moist and not too sweet, this dark chocolate olive oil cake is surprisingly satisfying and delicious (even our young children tasters loved it!). Made with gluten-free almond flour or almond meal, it is flatter than a cake made from wheat flour (ours was almost like a brownie at about .75″ high); however, you get less carbs and more healthy fats, plus a handful of vitamins and minerals. For a higher-rising cake, add the optional coconut.
Dark Chocolate Almond Olive Oil Cake Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup filtered water, heated to a boil
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 1 2/3 cups of almond meal or almond flour
- pinch of sea salt or other natural salt (less than 1/8 tsp)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2/3 cup of organic extra virgin olive oil
- 3 large organic eggs
- 1 cup organic sugar or coconut sugar
- Optional: 1/2 cup unsweetened coconut, shredded or flaked
MOCHA VARIATION – substitute hot coffee for hot water.
To make Dark Chocolate Almond Olive Oil Cake:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9″ round or square cake pan with olive oil.
- In a small bowl, stir together the hot water or coffee with the unsweetened cocoa until you get a smooth liquidy paste. Mix in the vanilla and set aside to cool to room temp.
- In another bowl, combine the almond flour or almond meal with the baking soda and a pinch of salt and mix will.
- In a third, larger bowl, combine the EVOO, sugar and eggs and blend with an electric mixer for about 3 minutes until the liquid thickens and is pale yellow in color.
- Blend in the cooled cocoa mixture, then slowly add the almond flour / almond meal mixture until the cake batter is well blended. If using coconut, stir it in now.
- Pour the batter into the oiled pan and bake for 45 minutes, or until a cake tester comes up almost totally clean (with a cake this moist, some stickiness is to be expected). Let cake cool, then serve with a dusting of cocoa powder or grated / shredded unsweetened coconut.
Dark Chocolate, Hazelnut & Blood Orange Olive Oil Cake Recipe
For those who like orange-chocolate and chocolate hazelnut flavor combinations, this cake is extremely moist and rich with a delightfully sweet citrus taste.
Chocolate Hazelnut Orange Olive Oil Cake Ingredients:
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup very hot water
- 1 2/3 cups of hazelnut flour or meal
- pinch of ground sea salt or other natural salt (less than 1/8 tsp)
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 2/3 cup orange flavored olive oil
- 3 large organic eggs
- 1 cup organic sugar or coconut sugar
To make Chocolate Hazelnut Orange Olive Oil Cake:
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees F. Grease a 9″ round or square cake pan with olive oil.
- In a small bowl, stir together the hot water and unsweetened cocoa until you get a smooth liquid-y paste. Set aside to cool to room temp.
- In another bowl, combine the hazelnut flour with the baking soda and pinch of salt – mix well
- In a third, larger bowl, combine the orange flavored olive oil*, sugar and eggs and blend with an electric mixer for about 3 minutes until the liquid thickens and is pale yellow in color.
- Blend in the cooled cocoa mixture, then slowly add the hazelnut mixture until the cake batter is well blended.
- Pour the batter into the oiled pan and bake for 45 minutes, or until a cake tester comes up almost totally clean (with a cake this moist, some stickiness is to be expected). Let cake cool, then serve with a dusting of cocoa powder or finely grated orange rind.
*If you can’t find orange flavored olive oil, use unflavored EVOO (less 1 Tbsp) and finely grate about 1-2 tsp of organic orange peel and squeeze about 1 Tbsp of orange juice.
Almond Flour vs. Almond Meal
In our first recipe above, we used almond meal rather than almond flour. What’s the difference? Made by grinding up skinless, blanched almonds, almond flour is slightly more processed than almond meal, which is ground almonds with the skin still on. Almond meal in recipes yields a bit more fiber, iron and calcium than almond flour, but the texture is also courser and it may lend a hint of bitterness (which we think complements the dark chocolate). Ultimately, whether to use almond flour or almond meal is a matter of personal preference.
Also, you can make your own almond or hazelnut flour or meal by pulsing the nuts in a food processor. Just be sure to stop before it turns into nut butter! More on making your own here.
We hope you enjoy these cakes as much as we do!
What is our Top Recommended Olive Oil?
When searching the globe for the very best olive oils to offer at Vervana.com, Dr. Sinatra found Enzo’s Table to be the best source of Organic Extra Virgin Olive Oil, based on the above criteria. Enzo produces Extra Virgin and Flavored Olive Oils under the highest standards, and we are proud to now recommend Enzo olive oils to you. We sold them ourselves for over 7 years and continue to use them because we think they are THE BEST! We hope you enjoy them too.
AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE: This page contains affiliate links. Should you purchase products after clicking on them, we may earn commissions. Such commissions help fund the continued operation of this web site. We only recommend products Dr. Sinatra, himself, recommended, used and /or sold.
References:
- Raman R. Why Almond Flour Is Better than Most Other Flours. Healthline.com, April 25, 2017.
- Lang A. What’s the Difference Between Almond Meal and Almond Flour? Healthline.com, April 14, 2021.
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