Chocolate Celebration Cake (Printable version)

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

# 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 removed
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 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 reaches a smooth, thin consistency.
05 - Divide batter evenly between prepared pans. Bake 35–40 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the 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 just 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 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 the second cake layer and cover top and sides with remaining ganache. Decorate generously with hazelnut praline shards.

# Expert Tips:

01 -
  • The olive oil keeps the crumb impossibly tender and moist for days.
  • Hot coffee deepens the chocolate without tasting like coffee at all.
  • Hazelnut praline adds a satisfying crunch that makes every bite feel luxurious.
  • It looks bakery-level fancy but comes together with simple pantry staples.
02 -
  • Let the cakes cool completely before frosting or the ganache will slide right off.
  • The batter is very thin, thinner than you'd expect, but that's what makes the cake so tender.
  • Don't stir the sugar while making praline until it's fully melted or it will crystallize.
  • If your ganache gets too thick, gently rewarm it over a double boiler.
03 -
  • Brush the cake layers with a simple syrup made from equal parts sugar and water for extra moisture.
  • Chill the ganache briefly if it's too runny, but watch closely so it doesn't get too stiff to spread.
  • Break the praline into different sized pieces for visual interest, some shards, some crumbles.
  • Serve this cake at room temperature, cold ganache loses its silky texture.
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