Orange-Chocolate cake

Written by Emily on April 22, 2022 in cakes

Packed with a citrusy orange and rich chocolate flavor.

This Chocolate Orange Cake is deliciously moist, is packed with a citrusy orange and rich chocolate flavor, and is topped with the easiest orange glaze. Chocolate and orange are a match made in heaven. The fresh pop of orange complements the chocolaty goodness. Plus, it’s insanely easy to make. The majority of the flavor comes from fresh orange juice and orange zest, which gives it a great natural orange flavor. The orange flavor pops just enough without being overwhelming and gives this chocolate cake a fresh and yummy flavor! The orange juice helps to moisten up the cake, while the orange zest packs the orange flavor. You could also convert these to cupcakes. This recipe should make about 18 cupcakes, and you can bake them for about 15-20 minutes. Although this cake is best the day it’s baked, it holds up well and remains moist two or three days after baking. When zesting your orange, only grate the top layer of peel – stop when you hit white! Zesting is the process of scraping off the outer layer of a citrus peel, which packs a strong flavor. The white underneath that top layer is bitter.

Perfect for your afternoon cup of tea, or paired with vanilla ice cream for a decadent evening dessert, this orange chocolate cake is the perfect treat when you are craving something chocolatey and fruity at the same time. Try to make this Orange Chocolate Cake and surprise your family members.

Recipe Ingredients

For the cake :

All-Purpose Flour: This is what gives the structure of the cake. Be sure to measure 2 cups of all-purpose flour for this recipe
Sugar: granulated sugar is used to bring the sweetness t this cake.
Cocoa Powder: Use 1 cup of natural, unsweetened cocoa powder for the best flavor. This is what gives the cake that rich chocolatey flavor.
Baking powder: You’ll need 1 teaspoon of baking powder. This leavener gives our cake a nice light texture.
Eggs: 3 Large eggs are used in this recipe.
Milk: I use 1 cup of whole milk for this recipe.
Salted butter: 1 cup of salted butter is used for the making of this moistest cake. The salt in the butter balances the sweetness in the cake.
Vanilla Extract: I always love using a little vanilla. It just softens the harshness of other flavors in the cake. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract is used in this recipe
Orange Zest: Zest of 1 orange is used in this recipe. This is where our bold orange flavor comes from.
Orange Juice: juice of 1 orange is also added for flavor. I would recommend using fresh-squeezed orange juice. It also adds to the moisture of the cake

For the glaze :

Powdered sugar: The sweetness of the glaze comes from the powdered sugar. Make sure to use sugar in powdered form or icing sugar.
Orange Zest: This is where our bold orange flavor of the glaze comes from.
Orange Juice: 3 teaspoons of orange juice is added to the powdered sugar to make the glaze. Add 1 teaspoon at a time and mix to bring the glaze together. It should not become very runny; if it is, add more powdered sugar.
Orange food colour: 4 to 6 drops of orange food colour is added to the glaze to give it a bright orange colour. This is optional.

How to make it

Make the Batter. First, you’ll combine the butter, sugar, orange zest, orange juice, milk, cocoa powder, baking powder, and all-purpose flour. Mix just to combine. Beat the ingredients for a couple of minutes after each addition. Do not over mix the batter.

Bake. Next, you’ll pour the batter into a prepared loaf pan. I line the pan with parchment paper, so the cake comes off easily after baking. Bake for about 55-60 minutes.

Prepare the glaze. Combine the powdered sugar, orange juice and zest to make the orange glaze. Add orange food colour if you please. The orange juice must be poured 1 teaspoon at a time and checked for the right consistency. Add more juice to make it thin. If it gets thinner, add more powdered sugar to thicken the glaze.

Cool and frost. Last, let the cake cool in the pan for 5 minutes before transferring it to a cooling rack. Spoon the orange glaze on top of the cake and serve.

Loved the cake? You might want to try these too:

The best Walnut Brownie

The best Cinnamon coffee cake

Lemon Drizzle loaf cake