Olive oil and chocolate, a match made in heaven!

Extra virgin olive oil has a delicate, fruity taste that beautifully complements dark chocolate’s full-bodied, vanilla notes and the milky, delicious sweetness of milk chocolate. Of all the types of extra virgin olive oils, “Green Fruity“ is the best for desserts. With notes of almond, apple and fresh walnut and a slight pungency, these oils will give your sweet dishes a silky texture and great taste.

Here are a few deliciously tasty ideas to try:

1. CAKE BATTER: Replace butter with extra virgin olive oil in your cake batter. Using oil creates a lighter texture, and the cherry on top is that it also reduces the amount of fat in your recipe by 20%! Try using olive oil in chocolate fondant, chocolate orange cake or chocolate chip and walnut brownies for a luxurious treat!

2. GLAZES AND ICINGS: Olive oil will give the glazes and icings on your cakes, doughnuts or pastries a beautiful glossy finish… A treat for the eyes as well as the taste buds!

3. GANACHE: Use extra virgin olive oil as a substitute for butter or cream in dark or white chocolate ganache and take your macarons, chocolate truffles and verrines to the next level. With olive oil, you can create low-fat desserts that are still luxuriously delicious with a creamy chocolate texture. Do you love chocolate truffles? Take a look at our recipe for chocolate truffles with A l’Olivier extra virgin olive oil from France.

4. MOUSSE: Is there any greater joy than rounding off a good meal with friends and family with a delicious chocolate mousse? This dessert is always a favourite, no matter the season. Extra virgin olive oil undoubtedly tastes delicious in a chocolate mousse, but we’ll let you in on a little secret: we add lemon from Nice aromatic olive oil to our recipe. This oil adds a little bit of tartness that complements chocolatey flavours perfectly. For the foodies amongst you, check out our chocolate mousse with extra fine sea salt and lemon from Nice aromatic olive oil.

There are no two ways about it; adding extra virgin olive oil to your chocolate desserts is a winner. However, it’s not just extra virgin olive oil that deserves a place amongst your baking essentials — some aromatic olive oils will also be right at home in this cupboard. For example, lemon from Nice aromatic olive oil adds a beautiful tartness to a chocolate mousse. Though a combination that’s often overlooked, chilli and chocolate also go very well together, so why not try adding Espelette chilli aromatic olive oil to your chocolate fondants? Finally, lavender aromatic olive oil tastes delicious with chocolate. Its delicate, floral flavour goes well with white chocolate verrines and mousses.

Have you been convinced yet? Get cooking and share your delicious chocolate creations with us!