Chocolate Orange Cake

5 from 5 votes

My chocolate orange cake with chocolate frosting is a huge reason I love this iconic flavor pairing. I make it with cocoa powder, fresh orange juice, and olive oil to achieve a robust chocolate flavor offset by the bright citrus. Try this for a cake with a distinctive flavor, tender crumb, and rich chocolate frosting.

Prep Time30

Cook Time45

Chill Time30

Total Time1 45

Course: Baking, Dessert

Cuisine: American

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 324kcal

Author: Anjali Shah

Equipment

Ingredients

For The Cake

¾ cup oat milk
1 tbsp lemon juice
1 cup brown sugar
½ cup coconut sugar
½ tsp salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
⅔ cup cocoa powder
1¾ cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp orange zest
½ cup orange juice
½ cup light flavored olive oil
2 eggs, room temperature (Vegan: Sub with 2 flax eggs)
1 tbsp boiling water
1 tsp dried instant coffee

For The Frosting

12 ounces dark chocolate (Vegan: Sub with vegan chocolate)
1¼ cup cream (Vegan: Sub with coconut cream)
1 tbsp orange zest

Instructions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F / 180 C. Line an 8 inch round cake pan with baking paper and set aside.
Whisk together the oat milk and lemon juice, set aside.
In a separate mixing bowl whisk the brown sugar, coconut sugar, salt, baking powder and soda, cocoa powder, flour and orange zest until well combined.
Add the orange juice, oil and eggs (or flax eggs if using) to the oat milk mixture and whisk.
Pour the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix until combined.
In a separate bowl mix the boiling water and instant coffee.
Stir the coffee mixture into the cake batter and mix until incorporated.
Pour the cake batter into the prepared tin and bake for 45-50 minutes or until an inserted skewer comes out clean. If the cake is starting to brown before it is cooked cover it with foil to prevent it from burning.
Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before removing and cooling completely on a cooling rack.
Prepare the chocolate ganache: Finely chop the dark chocolate and place into a heat proof bowl.
Place ½ cup cream and orange zest into a microwave safe container and heat until steaming.
Pour hot cream over the chocolate and stir until smooth. Place in the fridge for 30 minutes to become firm.
Place the firm ganache into the bowl of a stand mixer along with ¾ cup cream (or coconut cream if using) and whip until fluffy.
Slice the cake in half with a serrated knife.
Spread ½ of the ganache, in an even layer, over the cake base. Add the top layer of cake, finish off with remaining ganache, orange zest and grated chocolate.

Video

https://youtu.be/-X6uMULugis

Notes

My #1 Secret Tip for this chocolate orange cake recipe is to add the hot coffee at the very end of the batter process, and mix gently. This is how I get a much fuller chocolate flavor. Also, make sure the coffee is not too hot or too cold before mixing in.
Do not overmix: I stop mixing my batter as soon as there is no more visible dry mixture. Using a folding technique and not overmixing helps keep the cake light and airy.
Cover with foil: If the top of the cake starts browning too much before the interior is fully cooked, I place a loose piece of tin foil over the top to prevent burning.
Cool fully: I wait until the cake is completely cool before frosting. This prevents the ganache or chocolate orange frosting from melting and sliding off.
Use fresh zest: I zest the orange right before adding it to the dry mixture, as this keeps the natural oils fresh and bright.
Use a long serrated knife: I use a long serrated knife, like a bread knife, to cut my cake into even halves.

Nutrition