Finding a really good chocolate cake is a precious thing. And not always so easy, which is why I was THRILLED that this made up (by yours truly!) chocolate orange cake recipe turned out just as yummy as I’d hoped.
I don’t wish to sound like a prima donna (as poor Mr. Scrummy was recently accused of being after he wrote an email to a B&B to check they served real coffee!), but I’m often disappointed by layer cakes I order in cafes. They always look delicious, but rarely are. They might be dry, or lacking in taste, or too sweet, or all of these things – just not half as good as I hope them to be.
So making a simple layer cake that’s good (really good) has been on my ‘blog bucket list’ for quite a while. To be honest layer cakes are not really ‘my thing’ so I knew this would be a bit of a challenge. My only other attempt was this white chocolate, coconut and lime truffle cake – absolutely delicious, although I say it myself, but not exactly a winner in the looks department!
You may have already noticed that most of the sweet things around here are chocolate things, so no surprises that I chose to make a simple chocolate layer cake first. What might be surprising to you, though, is that I made up my own recipe. I really did. Of course I did plenty of research to try to get the proportions right, but this recipe is truly mine. I was pretty astounded when it turned out really well on my first attempt!
Cakey, moist and fudgy… mmm!
What I was aiming for was a proper light spongy cake, not a brownie cake, or soufflé, or chocolate torte, or anything else. But at the same time I wanted it to be nice and moist, a bit fudgy even. And honestly, that’s exactly what I ended up with. I just couldn’t believe it.
I’m not sure what the secret was. The milk I added, perhaps, or the bit of melted chocolate as well as cocoa? The salted butter, the spoonful of instant coffee to intensify the chocolate-y taste, or reducing the amount of sugar a bit to give it a richer, darker taste? Or maybe the rich, creamy chocolate orange ganache that sinks into the two layers of the cake a bit and makes it just a little bit gooey in the middle? I really don’t know, but somehow I hit the nail on the head.
Don’t overbake it!
I hope I’ve managed to sell this chocolate cake to you already. Just try really hard not to overcook it, because it would be a dreadful shame to see it dry out and lose the moist fudgy-ness I love about it. This is definitely going on my regular cake rotation – not that I have one, but you know, starting from today … 😉
Chocolate orange cake (really good, really simple)
Ingredients (UK/Australia? Click below for grams/ml)
For the cake layers
- 1.75 ounces cocoa
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee
- 10.5 tablespoons butter (salted) softened
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 3 eggs
- 1 cup milk
- 1.75 ounces chocolate melted
- 2 cups self-raising flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
For the orange ganache
- 7 ounces chocolate
- 3/4 cups heavy cream / double cream (UK / Australia)
- 1 orange (zest only)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C/355F (170C/340F fan oven) and line the bottom of two 8-inch loose-bottomed cake tins with a circle of baking paper. Grease the pans lightly with butter, then set aside.
- In a large bowl, blend the cocoa and coffee with enough hot water to make a smooth paste.
- Add the butter and sugar to the bowl and cream together well with a hand-held electric mixer.
- Add the eggs, milk and melted chocolate and mix again until smooth.
- Fold in the flour and baking powder, then divide the mixture between the two cake pans. Bake for about twenty-five minutes or until the cakes are risen and pulling away from the sides of the pans. Remove from the pans and cool completely on a wire rack.
- Meanwhile, to make the ganache, melt the chocolate, then stir in the warmed cream, and then the orange zest*. Let cool in the fridge until a nice spreading consistency. Use half of the ganache to sandwich the two cakes together, then spread the rest over the top.
Notes
Nutrition
Gail Garner says
So where is the orange?
Helen says
Hi Gail. The orange is in the chocolate ganache/frosting. Don’t worry, you can really taste the orange! If you’d like to make it even more orangey though you could add the zest of another orange into the cake batter. Good luck!
Sues says
This cake looks gorgeous!! I’m a big fan of the chocolate orange combo, so I’m sure I’d LOVE this!
Helen says
Hi Sue! Thanks for your great feedback. I really hope you try this some time!
Sandra Shaffer says
Oh yes! This cake sounds delicious. Coffee with cocoa makes a delicious difference in bringing out the chocolate flavor in baked goods. I’ve also been know to inquire about the details where I’m staying. Good coffee is a must!!
Helen says
Hi Sandra. So glad you like the sound of this. The coffee really does make a difference (both in the cake and at a B&B!!)
Becca says
Great cake, loads of comments on how nice it is from friends and family. Made for my husbands birthday and the whole family couldn’t get enough of it!
Helen says
Hi Becca. Thank you so much for taking the time to give your lovely positive feedback. You’ve made my day! This is one of my favourite cakes too, and now you’ve made me crave it again!
Kiara says
How orangey is this cake? I’m hoping to make it for my birthday but I want the chocolate to have an unmistakably orange flavor.
Helen says
Hi Kiara! Sorry it’s taken a while to reply – we’ve been moving this week so I’ve been a bit slower at responding to comments than usual. I hope I haven’t missed your birthday!
If you’d like an extra orangey cake, add the zest of another orange to the cake mixture as well as to the ganache. I’ve tried that and it definitely made it taste even more orangey. Good luck!
Rosalin Sahoo says
I made it, and as the caption suggests, it was really good, really simple. Loved the fudge like texture. Not over-sweet, just perfect. I, however, added the zest to cake batter in stead of the icing. And that way I got freshness of orange in every bite. Thank you Helen for sharing the recipe. Looking forward to more.
Helen says
Awww, so great to get your (positive) feedback, Rosalin. This really is one of my favourite easy cakes, and I love your idea of adding orange zest to the cake batter as well – why not?! 🙂
DebrahDavis says
can you tell me what the ingredients are in U.S. measurements?
Helen says
Hi Debrah. Do you mean in cups? If so, you need:
1/2 cup cocoa,
2/3 cup butter
1 cup brown sugar
1 cup plus 2 tablespoons milk
1 cup plus a tablespoon flour
3/4 cup heavy cream (for the ganache)
Good luck!!
Ellie Wetz says
Hi! Can I ask, what %cacao chocolate did you use for both the cake and the ganache? Or did you use milk chocolate? Definitely going to try this for my Mum’s birthday cake tomorrow!
Thanks in advance for your advice
Helen says
Hello Ellie! I’m so pleased that you’re going to give this a go! If I had a choice, I’d use some nice dark chocolate to put inside the cake batter (any %) and milk chocolate for the ganache, but to be honest any chocolate will work. Totally up to you! Good luck!