Chocolate Celebration Cake (Printable)

Deeply chocolatey olive oil cake with ganache and hazelnut praline. A true showstopper for celebrations.

# What you'll 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

# 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 ingredients into dry mixture and stir until just combined.
04 - Slowly add hot coffee while whisking until batter is smooth and thin in consistency.
05 - Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake 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 chopped chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat cream in a small saucepan until just simmering, then pour over chocolate. Let sit 2 minutes. Add butter and stir until smooth and glossy. Let cool, 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 in color. 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 a 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 Suggestions:

01 -
  • The olive oil keeps the crumb impossibly tender and moist for days, unlike butter cakes that dry out by morning.
  • Hot coffee deepens the chocolate flavor in a way that feels almost mysterious, like the cake has a secret.
  • The hazelnut praline adds a shatter of sweetness and crunch that makes every bite feel like a celebration.
  • It looks like you spent all day on it, but the steps are simpler than most layer cakes.
02 -
  • The coffee must be hot when you add it or the batter won't emulsify properly and the texture will be grainy.
  • Let the ganache cool and thicken before spreading or it will slide right off the cake and pool on the plate.
  • Don't walk away from the caramel; it goes from perfect to burnt in about 10 seconds and there's no saving it.
  • Room temperature eggs and milk are non-negotiable; cold ingredients cause the batter to seize and bake unevenly.
03 -
  • Use a kitchen scale for the flour and cocoa powder; volume measurements can lead to a dry, dense cake.
  • If the ganache looks grainy, it's too cool; set the bowl over simmering water for a few seconds and stir until smooth.
  • Press the praline shards into the ganache while it's still slightly tacky so they stick and don't slide off when you serve it.
  • For perfectly level layers, use a serrated knife to trim the domed tops before assembling, then snack on the scraps.
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