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My newest go-to cake, Fudge Frosted Chocolate Olive Oil Sheet Cake. A delicious fudgy chocolate sheet cake that surprises everyone. Picture a flavorful, light, and fluffy chocolate sheet cake with rich chocolate flavor. Then add the most delectable, roll your eyes back good, chocolate fudge frosting that’s sweet and fudgy. This cake is made without additional added sugar, is super easy, extra chocolatey, and every last bite is truly delicious!
Welcoming in September with cake! As some of you know, Asher’s birthday was this week. And every year I always share a new dessert with her birthday in mind.
This year it’s a classic chocolate cake, but updated in surprisingly delicious ways!
I’ve been excited to share this cake all week. It’s such a special recipe that I know will become a go-to whenever I need a birthday cake!! We all love this.
The thing you should know about Asher is that while she has a sweet tooth, she’ll only indulge in chocolate. She’s not a fruit dessert girl, she’s just like my mom.
So of course, her birthday cake needed to be chocolate!!
Here are the details
I wanted this cake to feel very classic and just like the chocolate cake we grew up eating, but with more flavor and richness.
I knew a good olive oil would be perfect for adding a sweetness and fruitiness that sets this cake apart. You don’t know it’s there while eating bite after bite, but it makes the chocolate stand out.
Start with the cake. Mix the oil with the wet ingredients. Add maple to sweeten the cake. Then, mix in the dry ingredients. It’s a very basic process.
Bake the cake in a rectangular baker for simplicity and ease.
For the frosting. I made a rich fudge-like chocolate frosting, it’s old-school delicious. Chocolate melted together with cream and honey for smoothness. There’s plenty of pure vanilla mixed in. And then a key ingredient is stirred in at the end – sour cream.
Now, this certainly IS just like the old-school frosting everyone LOVES. Very creamy, rich, and fudgy. And I love that it’s not too sweet, but just sweet enough.
To finish, I topped my cake with chocolate curls and sea salt for a salty-sweet finish. And that’s it. Each bite is filled with sweet moist cake and fudgy chocolate frosting.
Best kind of any-day cake to bake, no reason required – though it is fun for a fall birthday. I was so excited when Asher LOVED every last bite of this cake. My parents and Asher even flew with the cake to California to celebrate with my brothers!
Looking for easy old-school-style desserts? Here are a few ideas:
Chocolate Peanut Butter Pretzel Blondies
Giant Salted Espresso Hot Fudge Cookies
Lunchroom Chocolate Peanut Butter Bars
Retro-Style Chocolate Sheet Cake
Lastly, if you make this Fudge Frosted Chocolate Olive Oil Sheet Cake, be sure to leave a comment and/or give this recipe a rating! Above all, I love to hear from you guys and always do my best to respond to each and every comment. And of course, if you do make this recipe, don’t forget to tag me on Instagram! Looking through the photos of recipes you all have made is my favorite!
Fudge Frosted Chocolate Olive Oil Sheet Cake
Servings: 12
Calories Per Serving: 440 kcal
Nutritional information is only an estimate. The accuracy of the nutritional information for any recipe on this site is not guaranteed.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 – 3/4 cup maple syrup
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup almond flour
- 1 cup cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 3/4 cup brewed coffee
- 1/2 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips (optional)
Frosting
- 7 ounces semi sweet or dark chocolate chopped
- 1/2 cup heavy cream or canned coconut milk
- 2 tablespoons honey
- 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
- 2 tablespoons salted butter
- 1/3 cup sour cream
Instructions
- 1. Preheat oven to 350° F. Line a 9×13 inch baking dish with parchment paper.2. In a large bowl, beat together the olive oil, milk, maple syrup, eggs, and vanilla. Add the flour, almond flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix until just combined, then slowly beat in the coffee until combined. It will be thin. If using, stir in mini-chocolate chips.3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake 25-30 minutes, until the top is just set and no longer wiggly in the center. Remove and let cool completely before frosting4. To make the frosting. In a bowl, microwave the chocolate, cream, honey, cocoa powder, and a pinch of salt, stirring every 45 seconds, until melted. Stir in the butter, then the sour cream. Swirl the frosting onto the top of the cake. Decorate as desired! Slice and enjoy!
Notes
Storing: this cake will keep well for 3-4 days at room temperature or in the fridge.
Tieghan, if I don’t have almond flour, can I just go with a-p flour completely?
Thanks!
Hi, I was wondering if you can use instant coffee? I don’t own a coffee maker, I use only instant coffee to drink
Hi Dee Dee,
Sure, that would work, just make sure you are using 3/4 cup. I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
Hi Laura,
Sure, that will work well for you! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
Haven’t baked a cake in years but this looked easy and good. Two questions: When you commented on the icing, you mentioned pure vanilla being added. The recipe didn’t call for vanilla being added to the icing although it seems as if the addition of vanilla would be good. Secondly, after 45 seconds in the microwave, I was able to stir the mixture until the chocolate and didn’t need to microwave it any further. My icing hasn’t firmed up yet and I’m wondering should I have cooked it longer in the microwave and not stirred it so vigorously after 45 seconds.? All of this to say that a 2 inch strip alone the short side has been eaten (bit by bit) and enjoyed. I will make again
Hi Penny,
Happy Sunday!! I love to hear that this recipe was a hit, thanks for making it! Yes, you can add a splash of vanilla in with the frosting. I like to stir the chocolate gently, so I would try that next time! xTieghan
Sorry I meant to give it 5 stars
Thanks again Mandy! Happy Sunday!
Made this cake and it tastes amazing. My frosting wasn’t very thick but rather oily. I am not sure what I did wrong but it tastes great!
Sorry I meant to give it 5 stars
No worries, thanks Mandy!!
Hi Mandy,
Thanks so much for making the recipe and sharing your feedback! Sorry to hear about your frosting! Was there anything you adjusted in it? Let me know! xT
Lovely cake. I used a 10 by 10 pan because that’s what I had and it turned out delicious !
Thanks for a great recipe!
Hi Laura,
Happy weekend! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your review, I am so glad it was enjoyed! xT
This cake deserves 5 stars. Cheers to a great recipe using natural maple syrup and honey. Y’all haters calm down and see it says “ heathy-ish”….
Thanks so much Angela!! Have a great weekend:) xTieghan
I don’t have almond flour. Can I just use regular flour
Hi Emily,
Yes, that will work well for you! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
Is this something I could do as cupcakes? If so what temp and time would you recommend?
Hi Stephanie,
You could certainly give it a try, I would just reduce your bake time to 25 minutes or so. I hope you love the recipe, let me know how it turns out! xx
This has oodles of sugar, why would you say something is “sugar free”, but you add maple syrup, chocolate, and honey!! Just don’t give a false idea your recipes are “healthy”.
No refined sugar, and no unnecessary sugar
Please get over yourself. It’s obvious she means refined sugar.
Hi Sam,
Thanks for sharing your feedback! This recipe has no refined sugar, just better for you, more natural options like honey and maple syrup. Never once did I claim for this recipe to be “healthy”. Have the best day! xT
You sound batshit unhinged, Sam.
This was so yummy! My kids and I had so much fun making it together ?
would you double the recipe for a 9 inch round cake?
Hi Vi,
Nope, that wouldn’t be necessary:) Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
Hi Lauren,
Awesome!! I am so glad to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks for making it! Hope you’re off to a great Saturday! xT
So much sugar in it…. OMG!
Half cup of maple syrup in an entire cake isn’t bad at all! Have you seen the amounts of white sugar in standard chocolate cake recipes?! Not to mention then using 2 cups of confectioners sugar for the frosting!
Exactly!!!
So many overreactions. OMG. There’s zero refined sugar in this recipe. Put a sock in it.
Please stop saying this is made without sugar! Maple syrup (sucrose and water) and honey (Fructose: 38.2%, Glucose: 31.3%, Maltose: 7.1%, Sucrose: 1.3%, Water: 17.2%) are SUGAR! Stop demonizing sugar!
A 1 star review because you disagree with something is unnecessary. She means no refined sugar. Also, there’s barely any honey and half a cup of maple syrup in the whole cake. That’s actually pretty low.
Your shrill, knee-jerk reaction is bordering on psychosis. Wow, you can read a label. Congratulations. Now seek help.
Hi Amanda,
The recipe does not use any refined sugar, just better for you, natural options like the maple syrup and honey:) Please let me know if you have any other questions! Happy Weekend! xTieghan
Is your comment a joke? “Demonizing sugar”? Who even says that?
Love the combination of simplicity and elevated. Thinking this would be excellent in cupcake form. 🙂
Thanks so much Deb!! I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xTieghan
We’re not coffee drinkers in this house, so there’s never any around. Can you suggest a substitute or how to modify the recipe to leave out coffee?
Hi Fran,
You can use water in place of the coffee. I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
That looks yummy; although I am not chocolate layered upon layers type. I did bake a cake today; it was yellow sponge cake or such mixture; I baked it in two rounds and filled the center with jam; this is for this long weekend Labor holiday here in New England. I am not a baker or a cook but if my heart is into what I am trying to put together then it shows. Well, we’ll see if we’re alive here next week after a long weekend of eating…my cooking is only for the two of us. I don’t trust it with anyone else, is what I mean. Happy weekend to all!
Thanks so much for sharing! Please let me know if you give the recipe a try:) xx
I would also like to know if we can use GF flour and if so, what would be your recommendation,
.
I have been using cup4cup in all of my cake recipes, measurements exactly the same. They turn out great!
Thanks so much for sharing Trish!!
Hi Susan,
You can use an equal amount of gluten free flour, I like Bob’s Red Mill. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx