Perfect Chocolate Orange Cake With 3-Ingredient Ganache

A finished chocolate orange cake decorated with orange slices on a white cake stand and on a blue background with a grey wall and ingredients behind

4.55 from 20 votes

Perfect Chocolate Orange Cake With 3-Ingredient Ganache

A rich, decadent, moist, fudgy and very easy to make chocolate orange cake sandwiched together with a creamy 3-ingredient orange ganache. It's the perfect crowd pleasing chocolate fudge cake for any occasion.

Prep Time20

Cook Time25

Total Time45

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: to 10

Author: Helen Schofield

Equipment

Ingredients

For the cake layers

165 grams unsalted butter ⅔ cup + a teaspoon/1.5 sticks
50 grams dark chocolate 1.75 ounces
2 oranges juice (½ cup) and zest
125 ml milk ½ cup
75 grams cocoa ¾ cup
225 grams brown sugar 1¼ cups
250 ml hot coffee 1 cup (instant/Americano/long black)
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
240 grams self-raising flour 1½ cups (US: Use all purpose flour + 1.5 teaspoons baking powder)
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon baking soda

For the orange ganache

200 grams dark chocolate 7 ounces
170 ml cream ¾ cup (double, heavy or pouring cream (NOT thickened)
1 orange zest only

To decorate (optional)

thin shavings of orange peel (use a vegetable peeler), a little grated dark chocolate
thin orange slices, either fresh or dried if you have them/can find them

cups/ounces - grams/ml

Instructions

For the cake layers

Preheat the oven to 180C/355F (160C/320F fan oven). Line the bottom and sides of two 8-inch cake tins with baking paper (I use loose-bottomed ones).
Pour the orange juice into a measuring cup or jug. Top up with the milk so you have a full cup of liquid. Set aside. The liquid will curdle and turn to a kind of buttermilk.
2 oranges, 125 ml milk
In a large bowl, heat the chocolate and butter together in the microwave in 30-second bursts until melted or almost melted (1.5 to 2 minutes).
50 grams dark chocolate, 165 grams unsalted butter
Add the 'buttermilk' you just made to the bowl of chocolate/butter and heat again for 30 seconds. Stir everything together until smooth.
2 oranges, 125 ml milk
Stir in the cocoa and sugar. Then pour in the hot coffee and stir again.
75 grams cocoa, 225 grams brown sugar, 250 ml hot coffee
Whisk the eggs and egg yolk together lightly. Stir into the chocolate mixture until well combined.
2 large eggs, 1 large egg yolk
Finally, sift in the flour, salt, baking soda, and the zest of 2 oranges. Stir just until no white bits are visible any more.
240 grams self-raising flour, 1 teaspoon salt, ½ teaspoon baking soda
Divide the mixture between the two cake pans. Bake for about twenty-five minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean or with just a few sticky crumbs on.
Let the cakes rest for 10 minutes in the pan. Then let cool completely on a wire cooling rack.

For the ganache

Meanwhile, to make the ganache, heat the chocolate in a medium jug or bowl in the microwave in 30-second bursts until almost melted (1.5 to 2 minutes).
200 grams dark chocolate
Pour in the cream and heat again for 30 seconds. Add the remaining zest (1 orange) and stir until smooth.
170 ml cream, 1 orange
Cover and let cool in the fridge until set but still easy to spread - like peanut butter (around 2 to 2.5 hours). Use half of the ganache to sandwich the two cakes together, then spread the rest over the top.
To decorate (optional), grate a little extra chocolate over the top of one side of the cake and sprinkle over thin shavings of orange peel (use a vegetable peeler). If you like, also place 4 to 5 overlapping orange slices on top.
thin shavings of orange peel (use a vegetable peeler), a little grated dark chocolate, thin orange slices, either fresh or dried if you have them/can find them

Video

Notes

Australian/UK or US cup measurements? I usually use an Australian/UK measuring cup for this recipe (250ml). A US cup is slightly smaller (240ml) but it will not make a difference to the recipe if you're using this as everything will be in proportion. The amount of baking powder/eggs etc. does not need to change.

Melting the chocolate and butter: I usually do this in the microwave in 30-second bursts. If you don’t have a microwave, just melt in a bowl over a pan of boiling water (but don’t let the bowl touch the water).

Getting the batter smooth: I don't usually bother sifting flour, but I do for this recipe to help avoid white lumps of flour being visible in the finished cake. If you don't have a sieve, just sprinkle the flour over little by little and mix it in gradually. Stir until you can't see any more white bits.

Getting the ganache right: I find that the ganache needs roughly 2 to 2.5 hours in the fridge to set to the right consistency. You want it to be easy to spread, but you don't want it to slide off the cake. Aim for the consistency of peanut butter or Nutella. If it's too hard, no problem - just microwave for 5 to 10 seconds and stir well until it's soft enough to spread again.

You can get it to set faster by popping it in the freezer for half an hour to an hour instead. Try not to leave it for too long, but if it is then too hard just follow instructions as above to make it softer again.

Storage and freezing: This cake keeps really well in an airtight container such as a cake tin for 4 to 5 days. If the weather is warm, pop it in the fridge and it should last for around a week (again, in an airtight container).

Freeze any leftovers in sealed containers for up to 6 months. You can also freeze the cake layers without the ganache. Just wrap each one really well in several layers of plastic/cling wrap and/or aluminium foil and freeze for up to 6 months.

Missing the old recipe? Please note that there was an earlier (quite different) version of this recipe that I published a few years ago. While initially very happy with it, after feedback from readers over time I felt that the results could be inconsistent so I decided to work on the cake some more. After extensive testing and tweaking (and way too much chocolate cake eating!) it's now more of a chocolate fudge cake than it was before. I think it's vastly improved but if you're missing the old version do feel free to contact me and I'll happily send it to you ;-)

Nutrition