Chocolate Celebration Cake (Printable)

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

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

# Directions:

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

# Expert Advice:

01 -
  • The olive oil makes the crumb insanely tender and keeps the cake from drying out even after two days on the counter.
  • Hot coffee in the batter sounds strange but it deepens the chocolate flavor in a way cocoa powder alone never could.
  • Hazelnut praline is easier than it looks and turns a simple layer cake into something that belongs in a bakery window.
  • You can make every component ahead and assemble the morning of your event without losing your mind.
02 -
  • Room temperature eggs and milk are non-negotiable, cold ingredients will cause the olive oil to seize and the batter to separate into a greasy mess.
  • Don't skip the hot coffee, it's the secret to deepening the chocolate flavor and keeping the crumb moist for days.
  • Let the ganache cool to spreading consistency before you frost or it will slide right off the cake and pool on the plate.
  • When making praline, work fast once the sugar turns amber because it hardens in seconds and you'll be left with a burnt pan.
03 -
  • Use a kitchen scale to divide the batter evenly between pans so your layers bake at the same rate and stack perfectly.
  • If the ganache gets too thick, warm it gently over a double boiler or in the microwave in 10-second bursts, stirring between each.
  • Don't walk away while making praline, sugar goes from perfect amber to burnt and bitter in less than a minute.
  • Freeze leftover ganache in an ice cube tray and drop a cube into hot milk for instant fancy hot chocolate.
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