Once You Try This Chocolate Olive Oil Ganache Frosting, You’ll Never Go Back to Buttercream

Hey, Baking Club members! We’re excited to share a new recipe with you. This cake will take your baking skills to the next level. It’s Jesse Szewczyk’s simple yet stunning chocolate olive oil cake.

Additionally, get ready to try a ganache frosting made with olive oil. The texture of this frosting might just change the way you think about cake decoration. For those who cook regularly, you likely already have most of the ingredients needed to make this cake. The process doesn’t require an electric mixer, making it perfect for anyone to try.

Jesse and Shilpa recently discussed this cake and frosting, sharing many practical tips. Now, let’s explore the core elements that make this recipe so special and practical.

This cake is designed to be simple and easy to make. First, mix all the dry ingredients together. These include sugar, flour, Dutch-processed cocoa powder, salt, and baking soda. These are all basic ingredients commonly found in kitchen cabinets.

Once the dry ingredients are mixed together, add the wet ingredients. Simply pour the wet ingredients into the same bowl and stir. The wet ingredients include eggs, sour cream, olive oil, vanilla extract, and water.Stir gently until the cake batter is well combined.

Once the batter looks ready, it’s time to bake it, then let it cool. Making the cake itself is really simple—it only requires a bowl and no mixer. This baking method is perfect for beginners and those with limited time.

Here, you will learn an important point: oil and butter play significantly different roles in cakes. Jesse loves to use a lot of oil in cakes, as it gives the finished product completely different characteristics.

This change is not a minor adjustment; it completely transforms the internal structure and texture of the cake.Understanding the role of fats (such as oil and butter) is crucial. This knowledge will enable you to become a baker capable of creating a wider variety of baked goods. Choosing oil over butter is a well-considered decision. This choice highlights the advantages of oil, making them easily noticeable. It demonstrates how oil improves the texture of cakes and extends their shelf life.

Fats and oils make cakes incredibly soft, chewy, and moist. This superior texture remains consistent regardless of temperature changes. This characteristic is actually a major advantage of fats and oils. You can even refrigerate the cake, and it will remain soft at low temperatures without drying out or becoming hard.

Did you know that oil plays a magical role in the aging process of cakes? Even the next day, oil continues to work its magic. It makes the cake’s texture more delicate and improves its flavor. At the same time, it helps the cake stay moist. This means that cakes made with oil often keep better. They stay soft and delicious for longer. Consider boxed cake mixes; they are renowned for their moist texture. This moisture primarily comes from the oil used in their formulation. Our recipe draws inspiration from this principle.

In most cases, oil can give cakes an excellent texture. However, it sometimes lacks the distinctive flavor of butter. This is where olive oil comes in handy. In this baking recipe, it serves a dual purpose: it provides a good texture while adding a unique flavor.

Olive oil plays two important roles in this cake recipe. It does indeed help create the soft, delicate texture that olive oil typically imparts. At the same time, it is also a key component of the final flavor. This combination has been carefully selected to ensure a perfect balance between texture and flavor. This means that olive oil not only influences the texture of the cake but also significantly enhances its overall deliciousness.

The second key point is the buttercream. It is completely different from the common buttercream. Regular buttercream is usually made by mixing butter and powdered sugar, while this buttercream is based on ganache but undergoes special processing. Compared to traditional buttercream, its texture is also completely different. This is a creative way to make buttercream that complements the main ingredient of the cake—olive oil—perfectly.

The icing is the key to this cake’s standout appeal, making it exceptionally special and memorable. Even if the cake itself is relatively simple, the icing adds a lot of flair.

The key to mastering this frosting lies in understanding the basic principles of ganache. In its simplest form, ganache consists solely of chocolate and liquid. The liquid can be heavy cream, water, milk, or even coffee.

The final texture of the ganache depends on the ratio of chocolate to liquid. The more chocolate used, the firmer the ganache will be.For example, when making chocolate truffles, you might use a firmer ganache. If the chocolate-to-liquid ratio is smaller, the final ganache will have a softer texture.

When the chocolate-to-liquid ratio is smaller, you can achieve a pour-able frosting. Or it might become a very thin sauce. This recipe uses the simple concept of combining chocolate with liquid and adjusts the ratio to suit different needs.

The first step in making this unique frosting is done in the microwave. Mix sugar-free chocolate chips with olive oil, vanilla extract, salt, and water, then heat in short bursts to avoid burning the chocolate. The main goal here is to melt the chocolate completely.

Interestingly, at this point, the mixture will look like a messy, unappealing mess. It won’t be smooth or particularly enticing. If you taste it now, it will likely be bitter, as it’s just a mixture of bitter chocolate and olive oil, with no sugar added yet.

When choosing olive oil, you have a few options. The final flavor of the cake will vary depending on the oil you choose. Jesse recommends extra virgin olive oil. It has a richer, more natural flavor, with a hint of spiciness or a touch of herbal freshness. As long as it’s close to this style, it should work well.

However, here’s a very practical tip: there’s no need to use the most expensive bottled oil. The batter and frosting don’t require such high-quality oil. The chocolate flavor is already quite rich, and the subtle differences between top-tier olive oils are easily masked.

We previously mentioned the first step in making ganache. These steps require heating the ingredients in a microwave. But what if you don’t have a microwave, or don’t like using one? Don’t worry, that’s totally fine! Just use a simple method called a double boiler.

To set up the double boiler, start by preparing a small pot. Add two inches of hot water to the pot. Place a heat-resistant bowl on top of the pot. A metal or glass bowl works well. Make sure the bottom of the bowl doesn’t touch the water. The steam from the hot water will slowly heat the bottom of the bowl.

Add chopped unsweetened chocolate, olive oil, vanilla extract, and water to the bowl in that order. Place the bowl over the pot of hot water. Gently stir the mixture, keeping it constantly stirred.

The gentle, indirect heat from the steam will slowly melt the chocolate, ensuring it melts evenly and all ingredients are perfectly combined. The texture is the same as the microwave method, just a bit slower. However, you have better control over the temperature.

Sometimes things don’t always go as planned, especially when it comes to the texture of the food you’re making. Ganache frosting is fantastic, but it can be a bit tricky for bakers. The texture of the frosting is off. It’s either too runny or too thick. But the good news is that this frosting is very easy to fix!

One example is when the ganache is too runny. It looks beautiful on the cake, like a shiny mirror glaze pouring down. It covers the sides of the cake and accumulates slightly. While it looks nice in its own way, it doesn’t have the desired “flowing” frosting texture. If the ganache is too runny, the simple solution is to chill it longer. Place it in the refrigerator for a while, stirring every few minutes.The cold temperature helps the chocolate crystallize, and stirring accelerates this process, bringing it to the desired texture.

Another issue some bakers encounter is ganache setting too quickly. It becomes too thick and difficult to work with. This is caused by over-chilling or over-stirring. When the ganache is too thick, it may lose its shine and lighten in color, approaching white. This is likely due to incorporating too much air during stirring. While the flavor remains good, it may not achieve the desired light and airy texture. If the ganache is too thick at this point, don’t give up. Simply heat it briefly in the microwave to fix it. Heat for about ten seconds, then gently stir until smooth.

One of the most gratifying parts of this challenge was seeing all the photos posted by netizens and the feedback from the community group. It was truly heartwarming. Seeing people bake with their own hands and create these recipes in their own unique ways is truly a joy. There were some amazing success stories that proved that anyone can make this cake.

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