Chocolate Olive Oil Cake with Tahini Glaze

Written by: Cooks of Heraclea

Time: 1 hour

Ingredients: 15

Chocolate olive oil cake glazed with tahini olive oil glaze and scattered with toasted sesame seeds

We took a cue from Smitten Kitchen and made this cake ours. Black cocoa turns the crumb almost midnight-dark, and our Everyday olive oil keeps it plush for days — no butter, no eggs, no mixer. The glaze is where it gets interesting: tahini whisked with our Early Harvest oil until it pours like silk, then a scatter of toasted sesame seeds over the top. One bowl, one whisk, one pan. Bake it tonight.

Ingredients:

Olive Oil Chocolate Cake

1 1/2 cups (195 grams) all-purpose flour
3/4 cup (60 grams) unsweetened black cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
3/4 cup (145 grams) dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (120 ml) Heraclea Everyday EVOO
1 1/2 cups (355 ml) water or coffee
1 tablespoon (15 ml) white vinegar

Tahini–Olive Oil Glaze

1/4 cup (60 grams) tahini
1 tablespoon (15 ml) Heraclea Early Harvest EVOO
1/2 cup (60 grams) powdered sugar
1–2 tablespoons (15–30 ml) warm milk
1 teaspoon (5 ml) vanilla extract
1 tablespoon (9 grams) toasted sesame seeds

Steps:

Heat the oven to 350°F. Line the bottom of a 9-inch round non-stick cake pan with parchment paper and grease the bottom and sides.
In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, black cocoa, baking soda, salt, and granulated sugar. Add the brown sugar and olive oil and whisk to combine, then add the water and vinegar and whisk until smooth.
Pour the batter into the parchment-lined pan and bake for 35 minutes, until the top springs back to the touch.
While the cake bakes, make the tahini olive oil glaze. Whisk the tahini and olive oil together until smooth, then stir in the powdered sugar and vanilla. Add the warm milk a half tablespoon at a time, whisking continuously, until you have a smooth, pourable consistency.
Remove the baked cake and let it cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Run a knife around the edge to loosen, then flip out onto the rack to cool completely.
Toast the sesame seeds in a dry pan for about 5 minutes until golden, then set aside to cool.
Pour the glaze over the cooled cake, nudging it toward the edges to encourage it to drip down the sides. Scatter the toasted sesame seeds over the top to finish.