Chocolate Orange Cake
Chocolate is always in season, but with a touch of orange, this chocolate orange cake is fit specifically for the holidays! The rich batter is made with freshly squeezed orange juice, then baked off into a simple sheet cake, and finally topped off with a fudgy chocolate ganache.
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 450 g (2 ½ cups) granulated sugar
- Zest of 1 orange
- 320 g (2 ⅔ cups) all-purpose flour
- 63 g (¾ cup) Dutch process cocoa powder
- 21 g (¼ cup) black cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 300 g (1 ⅓ cup) buttermilk, room temp
- 150 g (¾ cup) freshly squeezed orange juice
- 200 g (1 cup) neutral oil
- 3 eggs, room temp
- 1 tablespoon vanilla extract
For the ganache:
- 340 g (1 ½ cups) heavy cream
- 227 g (8 oz) semisweet chocolate
- 56 g (4 tablespoon) unsalted butter, room temp
Instructions
For the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and line a 9x13 cake pan with parchment paper.
- Soak cake strips in ice cold water.
- In a medium bowl, add the sugar and orange zest. Rub them together with your fingers until it resembles wet sand and smells aromatic.
- Whisk in the flour, cocoa powders, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, orange juice, oil, eggs, and vanilla.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet and whisk until fully combined.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan. Wrap the cake strips around the outside of the pan and bake for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool completely before topping with the ganache.
For the ganache:
- In a small saucepan, place the heavy cream over low-medium heat. Stir frequently with a rubber spatula, and bring to simmer, or about 190 degrees F.
- Remove the pan from heat and add the chocolate and butter. Use an immersion blender to blend until smooth. Alternatively, you can use a rubber spatula to gently combine them. However, I highly recommend using an immersion blender, as it effectively combines the heavy cream and chocolate without over-mixing or aggravating them.
- Immediately pour the warm ganache onto the cooled cake and spread into an even layer.
- Top the cake with some orange zest, then cut into 24 squares, and enjoy!
Notes
- Black cocoa powder substitute: If you do not have black cocoa powder, you can use an equal amount of dutch process cocoa powder, making it a total of 84g or 1 cup.
- Use an immersion blender to mix the ganache. It can be easy to over-mix ganache, resulting in a split, grainy texture. I recommend using an immersion blender, as it will mix it efficiently without aggravating it to the point that the milk solids separate.
Nutrition Facts
Serving: 1serving | Calories: 342kcal | Carbohydrates: 38g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Monounsaturated Fat: 5g | Trans Fat: 0.1g | Cholesterol: 43mg | Sodium: 159mg | Potassium: 172mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 24g | Vitamin A: 336IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 62mg | Iron: 2mg
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