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Italian Chocolate Olive Oil Cake w/ Chocolate Hazelnut Buttercream | Well and Full | #vegan #cake #recipe

Italian Chocolate Olive Oil Cake w/ Chocolate Hazelnut Buttercream

This Italian Chocolate Olive Oil Cake is sinfully decadent with two chocolately layers topped with a Chocolate Hazelnut Buttercream.
Prep Time 15 minutes
Cook Time 25 minutes
Total Time 40 minutes

Ingredients
  

Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

  • 2 Cups Unbleached Flour
  • 1 Tsp Baking Soda
  • 1 Tsp Baking Powder
  • 1/4 Cup Cocoa Powder not cacao
  • Pinch of Sea Salt
  • 1/2 Cup Extra Virgin Olive Oil
  • 3/4 Cup Maple Syrup
  • 1/2 Tsp Vanilla Extract
  • 1 Cup Almond Milk
  • 2 Tbs Apple Cider Vinegar

Chocolate Hazelnut Buttercream

  • 6 oz Dark Chocolate 2 bars
  • 3/4 Cup Almond Milk at room temperature
  • 1/2 Cup Chocolate Hazelnut Butter

Instructions
 

Chocolate Olive Oil Cake

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
  • In a bowl, combine dry ingredients - flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt. Whisk together until evenly combined.
  • Add in wet ingredients - olive oil, vanilla extract, almond milk, and apple cider vinegar. Stir until batter is evenly mixed.
  • Spray two 6-inch cake tins with coconut oil, then fill with batter. (If you don't have that size, feel free to make muffins or a larger cake! Just keep your eye on the cooking time - smaller portions will cook faster.)
  • Bake in the middle rack of the oven for 20-25 minutes. The best way to check doneness is to stick a toothpick in the cake - if it comes out dry, it's good to go.
  • Be sure to let cakes cool before frosting.

Chocolate Hazelnut Buttercream

  • To melt the chocolate, you can either use a double-boiler if you have one, or a metal bowl over a pot of water (like I did). First, fill the pot with enough water so that when the bowl goes on top, the water doesn't touch the bottom of the bowl. Bring the water in the pot to boil, then put the bowl on top and reduce heat to a simmer. Add the chocolate to the bowl and stir continuously, until it's melted. Remove bowl from the pot. Using a stand mixer or a hand mixer, start to mix chocolate on low speed while slowly adding in room temperature almond milk. Then, add in the hazelnut butter and keep mixing until icing is smooth and creamy.
  • If at any point your icing becomes clumpy or the chocolate seizes, just put the whole thing back in the double boiler / pot of water and let chocolate re-melt.
  • When the frosting is done, stick in the fridge for 15-20 minutes to harden a little.

Putting It All Together

  • You can ice the cakes however you please; I chose to do a double-layer cake. When frosting, the buttercream should be malleable but not too loose. If frosting is too loose, stick in the fridge for a few minutes. If too thick, microwave in 5-second intervals to soften.