Substitution in cake recipe

For the future, you could also use an equivalent amount of melted butter in place of the oil.

Thanks a lot, guys! My olive oil is not of the best quality, so I bribed my husband to go out and get me some canola oil - that seems to be a good neutral substitute that I won't have to worry about how it will affect the taste. Really appreciate the answers.

They probably suggested safflower oil because it's a flavorless oil. If you have extra virgin olive oil I'd suggest not using it unless you want your cake toothpaste like and olive oil cake. If at all possible I'd substitute with another flavorless oil like canola or grapeseed.

Olive oil is fine as long as it has a mild or complimentary flavor. Extra virgin might not be good since it's assertive flavor might not work with the chocolate. In any case, sniff your olive oil and make sure it's still good. I once made a chocolate cake with olive oil that had gone off. Ugh, I can still remember that rancid flavor.

The olive oil will be great. It has a slightly nutty and dense flavor that will pair wonderfully with the chocolate.

Olive oil can be really wonderful in cakes -- you will possibly taste its flavor more than with neutral oils, but that can be a good thing, if it's a decent quality oil. What else is in the cake/frosting?

Here are some olive oil chocolate cake recipes on Food52 to compare with: http://www.food52.com/recipes/search?q=olive+oil+chocolate+cake