Easy Chocolate Orange Cake

This Easy Chocolate Orange Cake Recipe is infused with fresh orange zest and juice. Frosted with a chocolate orange ganache. Bakes in 30 minutes!

Course Dessert

Keyword chocolateorange, dark chocolate, orange

Prep Time 30

Cook Time 40

Servings serves

Calories 660kcal

Author Samantha Pickthall

Ingredients

Chocolate Orange Cake

1 cup plain all purpose flour scoop & leveled
1/2 cup Dutch-process cocoa powder or unsweetened natural cocoa powder
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp instant coffee powder
1/4 tsp fine salt
125 g unsalted butter softened to room temperature
3/4 cup golden or white caster sugar
2 Tbsp finely zested orange peel approx. 2 oranges
2 large eggs at room temperature (approx. 55g-60g in shell)
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice approx. 2 oranges
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
1 tsp vanilla extract

Chocolate Orange Ganache

200 g plain dark chocolate block broken into squares
200 ml canned coconut cream thick part only or regular thickened/heavy cream
1 Tbsp finely zested orange peel approx. 1 orange

US Customary - Metric

Instructions

Chocolate Cake

Preheat oven to 180ºC (356ºF). Line a round 8-inch baking pan with parchment paper, set aside. NOTE: Alternatively, if you have a non-stick pan, liberally grease it with melted butter and dust it with a light layer of cocoa. This will leave your finished cake with smooth sides.
In a medium size mixing bowl, add flour, cocoa, baking powder, coffee and salt. Whisk until well combined. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl, using either electric hand beaters or a stand mixer with the paddle attached, add softened butter to the bowl.
Beat butter for a few seconds to break it up and it begins to turn creamy. This makes it easier on your beater when the sugar is added.
Add sugar and orange zest. Beat with the butter for 2 minutes until pale and creamy. Scraping down the sides as needed.
Add eggs one at a time, beating for 10 seconds after each addition. Scrape down the sides as needed.
Pour in orange juice, oil, and vanilla. Beat for 15 seconds until well combined. Scrape down the sides again.
Add half of the dry flour mixture and beat until just combined. Scrape down the sides and add the remaining flour. Beat until incorporated, ensuring not to over-beat, just until the flour has combined then turn off the beater. If some excess flour and cocoa are still visible around the sides of the bowl, gently fold it in with a spatula. If you over-beat, the cake can turn tough and dense after baking.
Pour into the lined pan and smooth out the top with a spatula.
Bake for 30-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
Remove from oven and allow to cool in pan for 10 minutes.
Carefully remove from pan and transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.

Chocolate Orange Ganache

Break chocolate down into squares and place it into a small heat-proof bowl. Set aside.
Pour cream and add orange zest into a small saucepan and place over low heat to gently warm.
Heat cream until small warm and steam starts to come off the surface and small bubbles begin to appear around the edges, do not let it come to a boil. Remove from heat.
Pour warm cream over the chocolate and let sit for 2 minutes.
Gently stir until well combined and all of the chocolate has melted and the mixture becomes smooth.
Set aside at room temperature for 30 minutes until it has thickened up to a spreadable consistency, stirring it occasionally. Or refrigerate until it firms up, still stirring occasionally. Keep a close eye on it though, once it thickens and reaches a thick consistency, it will turn solid quickly, and at which point, it will be difficult to spread.
Spread frosting over cooled cake. Set aside and allow to set.
If desired, decorate your cake with oven-dried orange slices, fresh orange slices/zest, or grated dark chocolate.
Slice into triangles and enjoy.

Notes

Beat softened room temperature butter for a few seconds until creamy, before adding the sugar and orange zest. This breaks down the butter which makes it easier to blend and cream with the sugar.

Use fresh oranges for the zest and juice for best results.

When heating the cream for the chocolate and orange ganache, be sure to heat it over low-medium heat and ensure it does not come to a boil, otherwise, it will burn the chocolate. Heating it slower also gives the zest more time to infuse into the cream.

Wait for the ganache to thicken up to a spreadable consistency so it's easier to spread over the cake. Fasten up this process by transferring the ganache to the refrigerator.

Store in an airtight container, in a dry and dark pantry at room temperature, for 3-4 days. However, if the ganache begins to melt at room temperature if the house is too warm, it’s best to store the cake in the refrigerator to keep it fresh for 3-4 days.

Nutrition