Rachel Walton, last year’s defending champion of TABLE’s Annual Holiday Bake Off and executive pastry chef at DiAnoia’s Eatery, presented her Chocolate Mousse Olive Oil Cake with Beet Caramel. Though short on prep time, she hoped her Thanksgiving-inspired dessert would charm the judges again. The Chocolate Olive Oil Cake is a rich, modern twist on a classic chocolate dessert.
Check out more recipes from our Annual Holiday Bake Off!
Chocolate Olive Oil Cake
Description
The Chocolate Olive Oil Cake is a rich, modern twist on a classic chocolate dessert. Moist and tender from olive oil and whipped egg whites, it’s layered with an airy chocolate mousse frosting blended with mascarpone for a silky finish. A glossy beet caramel topping adds a subtle earthy sweetness and striking color, creating a showstopping holiday centerpiece that balances depth, texture, and elegance in every bite.
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Olive Oil Cake:
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3 eggs, separated
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150 g sugar
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1 cup heavy cream
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1/4 olive oil
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1/4 tsp salt
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3/4 tsp baking powder
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150 g flour
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30 g cocoa powder
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120 g mini dark chocolate
For the Chocolate Mousse Frosting:
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6 oz dark chocolate
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4 oz butter
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4 egg yolks
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2 egg whites
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1/2 cup sugar
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1 tsp sugar
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⅛ cup cocoa powder
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¼ cup cream
- 6 oz mascarpone
For the Beet Caramel:
- ½ cups beet juice
- 1 ¾ cups sugar
- 1 cups cream
- 3 tbsp butter
- 1 tbsp vanilla
Instructions
For the Chocolate Olive Oil Cake:
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In a bowl add egg yolks and sugar whisk until combined.
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Whisk in cream and olive oil until combined.
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In a separate bowl add salt, baking powder, flour and cocoa powder and sift together.
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Add flour mixture and chocolate chips to bowl and whisk until combined.
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In a mixer fitted with a whisk attachment add egg whites and whip until stiff.
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Fold in egg whites to cake batter.
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Pour into the prepared pan.
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Bake at 325 for around 20-30 minutes until a tooth pick comes out clean.
For the Chocolate Mousse Frosting:
- Melt chocolate and butter over a double boiler until both have melted completely, cool to at least 90 degrees.
- In a small bowl whisk together egg yolks, the larger amount of sugar, and cocoa powder.
- Add to the chocolate mixture, stir until all is combined.
- In a kitchenaid fitted with a whisk attachment, whip egg whites, and the smaller amount of sugar to stiff peaks.
- In a kitchenaid fitted with a whisk attachment whip heavy cream to stiff peaks.
- Gently fold the egg white mixture and heavy cream into the chocolate mixture.
- Set in desired pan overnight
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On the next day add 6 oz of mascarpone to a mixing bowl with a paddle attachment and add set terrine mousse and whip until combined. Spread over the top and sides of the sides of the cake and add extra frosting to the edge of the top so you have somewhere to set the caramel.
For the Beet Caramel:
- Dissolve sugar in beet juice on low then turn to high until darker in color and thicker in consistency of caramel
- Stir in cream and add butter and vanilla
- Allow caramel to come to room temperature, pour onto the top center of your cake, decorate as desired
- Enjoy!
Recipe by Rachel Walton
Photography by Laura Petrilla
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