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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.
Great flavor, but came out sooo dry. Baked it for the minimum amount of time too. Would adding more olive oil and doing regular flour instead of almond flour help?
Hi Melanie,
Thanks for trying the recipe and sharing your feedback. Sorry to hear this was dry for you, is there anything you may have adjusted? Let me know how I can help! xx
Made this yesterday. So good & so easy with very little clean up. I didn’t have almond flour so subbed APF, next time will make sure I use almond flour. It’s our new favourite chocolate cake!
Thanks Tiegan
Hey there,
Happy Friday!? Thanks a bunch for testing this recipe out, I am so glad to hear it was enjoyed! xx
Hi Tiegan, is it possible to sub more flour in for the almond flour? x
Hi Alex,
You bet, that will work well for you! I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xT
Could I whip the frosting?
Hi Vi,
This frosting is not going to “whip” like your classic frosting because of the ingredients. Let me know how the recipe turns out, I hope you love it! xx
Eh.. not sure I would make this again. The cake is VERY dense, and unfortunately I found it pretty dry, even baked for just 25 minutes. The frosting was more like a pudding, which did not taste bad but it wasn’t like frosting in any way. It was not real sweet, which was fine. But when your guests leave the cake on their plates you know you missed!
Hi Melinda,
Thanks for making this recipe and sharing your feedback, sorry to hear it was not enjoyed. This recipe is definitely made with “better for you ingredients” making it much different than your typical sugary cake. I hope this makes sense! xx
I substituted Vanilla Greek Yogurt for the sour cream, and also regular size semi-sweet chocolate chips because I didn’t have mini chips.
This cake was delicious! I stored in the fridge and it was excellent re-heated in the microwave with a side of ice cream. The frosting is the best part!
Hi Sarah,
Happy Wednesday! Thanks a bunch for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was a winner! xx
The cake was good. Loved the deep rich color. However the icing is too bitter! I will change icing next time.
Hi Tricia,
Thanks for making this recipe and sharing your feedback! Sorry to hear you didn’t love the frosting. xT
Can’t wait to make this AND the olive and feta dip – in fact -,might make it for Club Lunch tomorrow. Quick question that has been asked but not yet answered. What can you substitute for the coffee in the cake if you REALLY do not like the taste of coffee? BTW, made your Healthy Hamburger Helper over the weekend…. It’s a keeper! So good!
Hey Colleen,
Thanks so much for trying so many recipes! I promise you do not taste the coffee in this recipe, it really just enhances the chocolate flavor. If you want to skip it, you can just use water. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
5 star deliciousness! Super chocolatey, moist and no refined sugar. I followed the recipe as is, with gluten free flour and it’s perfect. Just what the doctor ordered for my 28 weeks pregnant belly 🙂
Hi Bri,
Happy Labor Day! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback! So glad it was enjoyed:)
Hi
I was wondering if you can taste the maple flavor from the syrup. The cake sounds amazing! Can’t wait to make it
Hi Daisy,
You cannot taste the maple flavor:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
can you whip the frosting once it’s cooled? it seems more pudding like and wondering if it will harden once I put it in the fridge
Hi Vi,
The frosting does not need to be hot for it to whip. I hope this helps! xx
This cake look amazing. Could I add more milk in place of the coffee as I don’t like the taste of coffee? Thank you
Hello! This looks amazing! I’m wanting to make it but would like to sub out the coffee. What would you recommend replacing it with?
Hi Kristina,
Thanks so much!! You can use water in place of the coffee. I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you! xx
Hi Anne-Marie,
Sure, that would work for you, you can also just use some water! I hope you love the recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
This was so easy to make and so good. I first was afraid I made the icing wrong because it looked too thin, but it set up so nicely after it sat a bit. I liked that it wasn’t too heavy or overly sweet. Another fantastic recipe. Thank you!
Hi Jennifer,
Thanks so much for trying this recipe out, I love to hear that it was enjoyed!! Happy Sunday! xx
Hi
Can this cake be made Gluten free. Thank you. BTW, love all your recipes that I have tried.
Hi Simi,
Yes, you can use an equal amount of gluten free flour. I hope you love this recipe, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
I usually skip right past cake recipes because I have grain and dairy allergies, but I needed a cake and Tieghan’s recipes never let me down so I gave this one a whirl. Since I can’t have any grains, I can’t use gluten-free flour (it has rice in it). So in place of the all-purpose flour I used 144 grams of cassava flour. (You use about 25% less cassava so if you don’t have a scale it would be 3/4 c + 3/8 c.)
I used coconut milk in the cake batter and frosting. I’m not supposed to have eggs but I added them anyway. Sometimes you have to pick your battles. At least they were soy free.
I only had to swap one thing in the frosting: (I’m allergic to the protein in dairy – casein – not the fat, so I can very happily have butter.). Instead of sour cream I used cocojune organic cultured coconut. I think Cocojune is supposed to be a yogurt but it tastes and feels more like sour cream so it worked perfectly.
I usually skip cakes ‘cuz the cassava can make them a bit dry, but with the olive oil this one was wonderfully moist, fudgey and delicious. The birthday girl and her husband thought so, too.
Hey Julie,
Happy Labor Day! Thanks so much for making this recipe and sharing your feedback! So glad it was enjoyed:) I love to hear that you were able to make this to your liking, thanks for sharing what worked well for you! xx
Is there a substitute for sour cream? My friend hates it and won’t eat it because she knows it’s in there…
Hi Karen,
You could try using greek yogurt in place of the sour cream. I hope this recipe turns out amazing for you, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
Another clever creation, thanks Tieghan. Lots of Magic in this cake, amazing flavor and texture
Thanks so much Alice!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner:) xT