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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.
Hi there:
Did you use sweetened or unsweetened Cocoa?
Thank you,
Jennifer
Hi! I use unsweetened cocoa! xT
The texture of this is soooo fluffy with an amazing soft frosting that’s sweet in a good way. It’s not overly sweet like how you get with an icing sugar frosting. It’s lovely and creamy because of the sour cream and cream! Also not to mention how easy and quick it is. LOVE.
Hey Nicky! So glad you enjoyed this cake! Thank you so so much for giving the recipe a try! xT
Hi, I love all your recipes! How do I make the frosting for this if I don’t have a microwave? I made the cake and frosting but my frosting is runny- the only thing I can think of is that I put it all together on stovetop instead of microwave.
Thank you,
Kerry
Hi Kerry,
Thanks so much!! You can melt the frosting ingredients on the stovetop using a double boiler. I hope this helps! xT
Made this today for a game night, and it turned out almost like a cosmic brownie which hits right in the nostalgia and is not a bad thing!
Hi Kay,
Wonderful!! I appreciate you making this recipe, I’m so glad it turned out well for you! Have a great weekend:)
Could you use all regular flour instead of almond flour for this cake and get the same results?
Hey Savannah,
Yes, that should be just fine for you to do! Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
Hi there!
Thank you so much for all of your hard work and sharing your amazing recipes! I am wondering if espresso powder works as an alternative to brewed coffee. Of course, always better to stick with the exact recipe, (but I do not drink coffee and have never brewed it before 🙁 haha!)
Thank you!
Hey Kelley,
Thanks so much for your kind message! For this recipe, you are going to need to use brewed coffee or hot water. Please let me know if you have any other questions! xx
Hey I’m attempting to bake your Chocolate Olive Cake in your new cookbook that requires mascarpone and the grocery store substituted it with crème Fraiche I have never used either of these items. Will this work?
Hi Corin,
Yes, you can go ahead and use creme fraiche in place of the mascarpone:) Please let me know if you have any other questions, I hope you love this recipe! xx
Loved this cake! I’m now dairy and soy free due to a intolerant bub. Any suggestions for a sour cream substitution in the frosting?
Hey Nat,
Wonderful!! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! Thanks for your comment! You could do a dairy free yogurt! xx
The cake was chocolatey and very good. The cake itself was strange because it was so thin making it not very visually appealing. I took it to a dinner at a friend”s house so I was hoping for something a bit more eye popping. Maybe a smaller 8×11 pan would make the cake a bit higher.
Hi Nancy,
Happy Sunday!🌾🌽 I love to hear that this recipe was enjoyed, thanks so much for making it and sharing your feedback! xx
Hey, Tieghan!
Could I turn this into a layer cake? Looks so yummy! Can’t wait to try!
-Macy
Hi Macy,
So sorry, I would not recommend making this as a layer cake! Let me know if you give the recipe a try, I hope you love it! xx
One option for icing – I used a bar of raspberry dark chocolate and gave a hint of raspberry to the cake. Such a great cake!
Thanks for sharing Cathy!!
We love the frosting so much we made extra and piled extra frosting cake on each piece of cake. The extra frosting left over we used in a oatmeal chocolate chip cookie bar recipe, putting a layer of the fudge frosting in between 2 layers of dough!!
This recipe is awesome and the frosting is magical!
Hey Renee,
Wonderful!! I love to hear that this recipe was a winner, thanks so much for making it and sharing your review! xT
So yummy! My icing was pretty runny, but whisking a couple of sifted teaspoons of arrowroot powder into the runny frosting made it super thick in no time!
Hey there,
Happy Wednesday! Thanks so much for giving this recipe a try, I am thrilled to hear that it was a winner! xTieghan
Hi Tieghan!
Can we substitute a non-dairy milk? Hoping it will still turn out amazing ?
Thank you 🙂
Hi Olivia,
Yes, that will work well for you! I hope you love the cake, please let me know if you give it a try! xx
Finished making the cake and frosting. It smells so goooood.
I want to the frosting on but it came runny. Not sure why. I do not have arrow root to thicken any suggestions?
Hey Eileen,
Try popping the frosting in the fridge for a bit! I hope this helps! xx
Rich and moist and a great tasting gluten free option. And as an added bonus, so easy to make! Made it for a birthday Cake and it received lots of compliments. Will definitely Make again.
Hey Bonnie,
I am so glad to hear that this recipe was tasty for you and appreciate you giving it a try! xxT
One posted that it was a gluten free option. Did she substitute the 1 1/2 cups flour? My 3 year old granddaughter has celiac disease. Always looking for “good” alternatives.
Hi Cindy,
You could use an equal amount of gluten free flour in place of the all purpose flour! xx
I made this cake for a family birthday party and it was delicious. Everybody loved it. The cake was moist and the frosting was rich and ganache-like. I am not sure why some reviewers did not like this cake. I will definitely make it again.
Hi Terena,
Perfect!! I appreciate you making this recipe and sharing your feedback, I love to hear that it was enjoyed! xTieghan