Olive oil chocolate cake with spiced frosting

Claudette Zepeda perfected this olive oil chocolate cake with spiced frosting at home during the pandemic lockdowns of 2020. For best results, she recommends seeking out the best-quality olive oil or avocado oil to achieve a moist cake crumb with good flavour.

Credit: Jiwon Kim

• serves

  4-6

• prep

  45 minutes

• cook

  30 minutes

• difficulty

  Easy

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Sweet Victory

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

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episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

G

Ingredients

• 240 ml hot water
• 80 g dark cocoa powder
• 240 ml buttermilk
• 180 ml olive oil
• 2 tsp vanilla paste or extract
• 3 large eggs, room temperature
• Salt
• 280 g plain flour
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 300 g caster sugar
• 90 g brown sugar
• Mixed berries, to serve (optional)

Icing

• 250 g cream cheese, softened
• 375 g icing sugar mixture
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp milk
• 1 tbsp ground Chinese five spice
• 1 tsp vanilla extract

Resting time: 45 minutes

Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 180˚C standard (160˚C fan-forced). Grease and line two x 20 cm round cake tins with baking paper. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment fitted, combine the hot water and dark cocoa powder. Mix on low speed until the cocoa powder is completely dissolved. Add the buttermilk, olive oil, vanilla, eggs and a generous pinch of salt to the bowl and mix on low speed until combined.
   
2. In a separate large bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and sugars. Whisk well to combine. With the mixer running on low speed, gradually add the dry ingredients to the cocoa buttermilk mixture until a thick cake batter forms.
   
3. Divide the chocolate cake batter evenly between the prepared tins and bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a knife inserted into the centre of the cake comes out clean. Remove from the oven, allow to cool slightly, then remove from the tins to a wire rack and cool to room temperature.
   
4. To make the icing, place the cream cheese into a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric hand mixer, until creamy. Add half the icing sugar, cocoa powder, five spices, half the milk and beat on low speed until combined and smooth. Add the remaining sugar and milk and beat until combined.
   
5. Spread half the icing onto one cake layer, top with the second cake and cover with the remaining icing. Serve with fresh berries, if you like!

Photography by Jiwon Kim.

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Cook's Notes

Oven temperatures are for conventional; if using fan-forced (convection), reduce the temperature by 20˚C. | We use Australian tablespoons and cups: 1 teaspoon equals 5 ml; 1 tablespoon equals 20 ml; 1 cup equals 250 ml. | All herbs are fresh (unless specified) and cups are lightly packed. | All vegetables are medium size and peeled, unless specified. | All eggs are 55-60 g, unless specified.

Stream free On Demand

Sweet Victory

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

G

episode • The Cook Up with Adam Liaw • 

cooking • 

25m

G