Chocolate Olive Oil Cake with Berries & Vanilla Whipped Cream

Chocolate cake always makes me nostalgic for my childhood.

Whenever I think “chocolate cake”, I have flashbacks to those supermarket chocolate mud cakes; the ones with the ganache icing on top. The kind that you might’ve taken to school on your birthday to share with the rest of your classmates, cut into thin slivers so that “everyone gets a slice” but of course, “a nice big slab for the birthday girl”…

The sweet, denseness of the cake itself and the gooeyness of the rich icing would bring me such joy. Who would have thought a 10 dollar Coles supermarket cake would bring so much happiness to a 10 year old girl?

Was it just me getting excited for these cakes?

***

You won’t find me rushing into Coles for mud cakes nowadays, but to honour my inner-child and pay homage to the cakes that will hold a special place in my heart, here is a Chocolate Olive Oil Cake with Berries & Whipped Vanilla Cream. An elevated chocolate mud cake that will bring you just as much joy, I guarantee it. The assembling and decorating component brings me a lot of happiness also, hope it does for you too.

This cake incorporates a good cup of olive oil, so it keeps well and retains its moisture, it also gives it that delicious, decadent texture and flavour. Enjoy xx

Ingredients

Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

• 3/4 cup~1cup olive oil

• 1/2 cup cocoa powder (you can use cacao powder but I think cocoa works better for a milder taste)

• 1/2 cup boiling water

• 1 tsp. Instant coffee

• 1 tsp. Vanilla powder

• 1 1/2 cup plain flour

• 1 tsp. baking powder

• 1 cup caster sugar

• 3 large eggs

• Pinch sea salt

Whipped Vanilla Cream

• 600 ml heavy whipping cream

• 1/4 cup icing sugar

• 1 tsp. Vanilla essence

Method

1. Preheat your oven to 180 deg. Celsius and grease a round cake tin with an oil spray and lime it with non-stick baking paper; lining both bottom and the sides for easy cake removal.

2. In a medium size bowl, sift your cocoa powder and add a tsp of instant coffee in. Pour in the boiling water and whisk well.

3. In a separate bowl, sift the flour, vanilla powder, baking powder, and salt and mix to combine.

4. In another large mixing bowl, beat together the olive oil, eggs, and vanilla until it becomes pale in colour. Slowly, little by little, add the sugar, continuing to beat until light, fluffy and soft peaks begin to form.

5. Pour the cocoa mixture into the eggs/oil mixture and whisk to combine.
   Next, fold in the flour mixture in the chocolate-egg mixture and combine using a cutting motion.

6. Pour your batter into the prepared cake tin. Bake for 30-45 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Make sure not to over bake to prevent it from drying out! Remove from the oven and let it cool for 10 minutes before transferring it to a cooling wrack.

7. While the cake is baking, prepare your whipped cream frosting by pouring the heavy cream into a bowl with the icing sugar and vanilla, whipping until stiff peaks form. Prepare your berries.

8. Once the cake has fully cooled, gently slice through the cake horizontally to make 2 layers. Spread the bottom layer generously with the whipped cream frosting. Top with sliced strawberries. And if you really love cream, add another layer of cream on top of the sliced strawberry layer.

9. Top with the second half of the cake.
   Spread with another generous layer of whipped cream and spread right to the edge of the cake. Add strawberries, blueberries and blackberries on top, decorate with edible flowers. Slice and enjoy!