There are so many pairings that go beautifully with chocolate, and I truly believe orange + chocolate is one of the best and I know there’s a whole lot of you out there that feel the same!
This may be just a phase – but I am currently addicted to chocolate orange EVERYTHING. Only way to cure the craving is by making a cake – obvs.
Moist Chocolate Orange Cake
Equipment
- 8 inch round cake tin
- Kitchen scale
- Zester/fine grater
Ingredients
Cake
- 250 g unsalted butter
- 2 oranges zest and juice
- 150 g brewed coffee
- 75 g dutch processed cocoa powder
- 1 tsp vanilla bean paste
- 2 eggs
- 375 g caster sugar
- 250 g flour
- 5 g baking powder
- 2 g fine salt
- 115 g buttermilk or full fat greek yoghurt see notes
Orange syrup
- 2 oranges zest and juice
- 100 g caster sugar
Chocolate ganache
- 100 g cream
- 200 g Lindt Intense Orange Dark Chocolate bar see notes
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat oven to 175°C (or 350°F). Grease and line an 8 inch round cake tin with baking paper.
- In a medium saucepan, combine the butter, coffee, orange zest and juice, cocoa powder, and vanilla, and heat until the butter is melted. Once melted add the sugar and eggs, whisk to combine.Whisk together flour, baking powder, and salt. Add it to the wet ingredients and whisk until lump free. Lastly add the buttermilk.
- Pour into the prepared cake tin and bake for 60-75 minutes, or when you put a skewer in the middle it comes out clean.
Orange syrup
- While waiting for the cakes in the oven, zest both oranges and squeeze the juice (you can save half of the zest and use it for the ganache if you choose not to use the Lindt Intense Orange chocolate bar) add the caster sugar to a small saucepan with the zest and juice, let this boil until the caster sugar is dissolved. Set aside to cool.
Chocolate ganache
- Break the chocolate into small pieces. Heat the cream in a saucepan on a low heat until it boils, pour into the chocolate and stir until combined. At this point if you are using plain dark chocolate, add the saved orange zest from earlier for the syrup.
Assembly
- Once the cake is out of the oven, brush over the syrup until it's all been used up. The syrup keeps the cake moist. Let the cake cool completely before removing from the cake tin.Tip the cake upside down on a cooling rack so the flat side is facing up, then pour the chocolate ganache over until the cake is fully covered. You may use a spoon to cover spots that were missed. Transfer the cake onto a serving board/plate and decorate.I decorated mine with orange segments, toasted sliced almonds, and the star of the show – Terry's Milk Chocolate Orange Ball.
Notes
- You can make your own buttermilk! All you’ll need are two ingredients:
- 115g milk
- 1/2 tablespoon of an acid, either lemon juice or vinegar. I used the juice of one small lime.
- Mix the milk and lemon/lime juice or vinegar and let them sit out for a couple of minutes and you’ll see the milk will curdle.
- If you happen to be allergic to almonds, omit the Lindt Intense Orange Dark Chocolate bar. You can most definitely make it by using the same quantity of plain dark chocolate, but with the addition of orange zest from the oranges used for the syrup.
Hope you guys enjoy this cake! – Alyana
