Chocolate Celebration Cake (Print Version)

Deeply chocolatey olive oil cake with ganache and hazelnut praline—a true celebration showstopper.

# Components:

→ 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 rubbed off
16 - 3/4 cup granulated sugar
17 - Pinch of sea salt

# Method:

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 ingredients into dry mixture and combine until just blended.
04 - Slowly add hot coffee while whisking until batter reaches smooth consistency. The batter will be thin.
05 - Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake 35–40 minutes until a toothpick inserted in center emerges 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 saucepan until simmering, then pour over chocolate. Let sit 2 minutes. Add butter and stir until smooth and glossy. Cool, stirring occasionally, until thickened to spreading consistency.
08 - Line a baking sheet with parchment paper. In a 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 the 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 the cake impossibly moist and tender while deepening the chocolate flavor in ways butter alone never could.
  • Hazelnut praline adds a textural surprise that makes guests ask for the recipe before they've even finished their first bite.
  • It looks far more complicated than it actually is, which means you get all the showstopper credit with half the stress.
02 -
  • Don't skip bringing ingredients to room temperature—cold eggs and milk create a separated, greasy batter that never quite recovers.
  • The ganache thickens as it cools, so if you frost too early it will be too runny, but if you wait too long it will be too stiff to spread smoothly.
  • The praline can be made a day ahead and stored in an airtight container, which actually helps you manage timing on party day.
03 -
  • If your ganache breaks or looks separated after you add the chocolate, whisk in a tablespoon of cold milk or cream and it usually comes back together.
  • Toasting and peeling hazelnuts yourself takes five extra minutes but creates a praline that tastes homemade in the best possible way, not like something from a jar.
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