Chocolate Celebration Cake (Printable Version)

Deeply chocolatey olive oil cake with ganache and hazelnut praline—perfect for celebrations.

# What You Need:

→ Cake

01 - 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
02 - 3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
03 - 2 cups granulated sugar
04 - 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
05 - 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
06 - 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
07 - 3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
08 - 1 cup whole milk, room temperature
09 - 3 large eggs, room temperature
10 - 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
11 - 1 cup hot brewed coffee

→ Ganache

12 - 12 ounces bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped
13 - 1 cup heavy cream
14 - 2 tablespoons unsalted butter

→ Hazelnut Praline

15 - 1 cup toasted hazelnuts, skins removed
16 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
17 - Pinch of sea salt

# How To Make It:

01 - Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease and line two 9-inch round cake pans with parchment paper.
02 - In a large bowl, whisk together flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
03 - In another bowl, whisk olive oil, milk, eggs, and vanilla until smooth. Pour wet mixture into dry ingredients and stir until just combined.
04 - Slowly add hot coffee while whisking until batter is smooth and thin.
05 - Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake 35 to 40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out mostly clean.
06 - Cool cakes in pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.
07 - Place chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat cream in a small saucepan until simmering, then pour over chocolate. Let sit 2 minutes. Add butter and stir until smooth and glossy. Cool while stirring occasionally until thickened to spreading consistency.
08 - Line a baking sheet with parchment. In a small saucepan, heat sugar over medium heat, swirling until melted and amber colored. Remove from heat, stir in hazelnuts and salt, then quickly spread onto prepared sheet. Cool completely, then break into shards or chop coarsely.
09 - Place one cake layer on a serving plate. Spread with one third of ganache. Top with second cake layer and cover top and sides with remaining ganache. Decorate generously with hazelnut praline shards.

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The olive oil keeps it impossibly moist for days, so you can bake ahead without worry.
  • Hot coffee in the batter creates a depth of chocolate flavor that tastes almost like a secret.
  • Homemade hazelnut praline adds a shatter of sweetness and crunch that store bought toppings can never match.
  • It looks like you spent all day in the kitchen, but the steps are simpler than most layer cakes.
02 -
  • Room temperature eggs and milk are non negotiable, cold ingredients can cause the batter to separate and bake unevenly.
  • Let the ganache cool and thicken before frosting or it will slide right off the cake and pool on the plate.
  • Watch the caramel like a hawk, it goes from perfect amber to burnt in seconds and there's no saving it once it turns.
  • Don't skip rubbing the skins off the hazelnuts, they add a papery bitterness that ruins the praline's clean crunch.
03 -
  • Weigh your flour and cocoa if you can, it's the easiest way to avoid a dry or gummy cake.
  • If the ganache gets too thick to spread, warm it gently over a double boiler and stir until it loosens up.
  • An offset spatula makes frosting the sides infinitely easier, but a butter knife works in a pinch if you're patient.
  • Let the cake sit at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before slicing so the ganache softens and every layer cuts cleanly.
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