Chocolate Orange Cake

Easy homemade chocolate cake with lush refreshing chocolate and orange buttercream frosting covered with chocolate ganache and candy oranges.

A slice of home-baked cake is a natural stress reliever (based on experience). Sometimes I feel like most chocolate cake recipes are missing something. When the whole family still lived in one house, I’d grab some fresh oranges and make a chocolate orange cake for Sunday. It is oh-so worth it!

Making cakes from scratch can be intimidating and gladly we can often resort to cake mixes.

Yet, the good old baked cake recipes still exist and this is one of them.

And trust me, it is not that complicated or much longer to make the batter yourself versus using a mix.

Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Orange Cake Recipe

• An indulgent flavor combination of sweet and citrusy oranges and rich chocolate.
• Although everything is made from scratch it takes 1 hour maximum to prep and bake this classic layered cake.
• Chocolate and orange flavors are infused in the whole cake: in batter, frosting, and ganache.
• Perfect cake recipe for chocolate lovers bored with chocolate-only cake recipes.

Ingredients Notes

For Orange Chocolate Cake Layers

• All-purpose flour (cake flour or gluten-free flour works too)
• Granulated sugar or a mix of white and brown sugar. Brown sugar makes a tender cake and adds a subtle toffee-like flavor.
• Unsweetened cocoa powder. Choose high-quality natural cocoa powder as its quality really affects the chocolate flavor of the cake layer. Dutch-processed cocoa powder is a no-brainer.
• Leavening agents: baking powder and baking soda will help the cake rise and make sure you bake a fluffy cake with nice chewy crumb and slightly crispy edges. You can always use self-raising flour too to skip baking soda and baking powder.
• Zest of 2 oranges. So I use a total of 3 fresh oranges. Zest of all plus I juice them. To replace oranges you can use clementines.
• Freshly squeezed orange juice. Juice and zest add natural orange flavor. If fresh orange juice is not an option, buy 100% orange juice without additives or sugar.
• Buttermilk (storebought or homemade, see the tips section). Thicker dairy makes a softer, moister cake. You can easily use sour cream or plain yogurt.
• Vegetable oil to make an amazing moist cake. Avocado, canola, and olive oil will do.
• Large eggs
• Vanilla extract
• Chocolate chips (optional)

Chocolate Orange Buttercream

• Unsalted butter, softened – (2 sticks).
• Confectioner’s sugar (3-4 cups – adjust for desired sweetness and consistency). Powdered sugar will be good to use too.
• Unsweetened cocoa powder
• Zest of 1 orange
• Fresh orange juice
• Pure vanilla extract or vanilla bean paste.

Garnish

• Chocolate ganache (of your choice: dark chocolate ganache or sweeter chocolate glaze), use 50-70% chocolate for ganache. However, why not use white chocolate ganache? Everyone uses milk or dark chocolate, so you can make something special.
• Sliced or candy oranges, chocolate shavings, candied oranges dipped in chocolate, or leftover orange zest.

Kitchen Equipment

• Two 9” round cake pans. You can use bundt pans too for one-layer cake. Line with parchment paper and grease.
• Optional, I mix mostly by hand, but you can use a stand mixer.
• Optional, offset spatula – easier to spread the frosting with it.
• Microplane grater to zest oranges.

How To Make A Chocolate Orange Cake

1: Bake The Cake

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F.
2. Prepare two 9” round cake pans by greasing and then dusting with either flour or cocoa powder. Shake out the excess. Set aside.
3. Combine the dry ingredients: sift the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large mixing bowl. Stir in the orange zest.
4. Whisk the wet ingredients: the orange juice, buttermilk, oil, eggs, and vanilla together in a large bowl until well-mixed.
5. Slowly mix the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, whisking until just incorporated.
6. Fold in the chocolate chip if using.
7. Evenly divide the cake batter between the two prepared pans. Give them a soft tap on the counter to shake out any air bubbles.
8. Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the toothpick test returns clean or with just a few crumbs. You can also gently press the center of the cake with your finger. If it springs back, the cakes are done.
9. Remove and allow the cakes to cool in the pans for at least 20 minutes at room temperature. 
10. Remove from the pans and let the cake cool completely on a wire rack before decorating.

2: Prepare Chocolate Orange Buttercream Frosting

1. While the baked cake is cooling, work on the chocolate frosting.
2. Beat the softened butter in a mixing bowl with the paddle attachment until it is creamy.
3. Slowly sift the cocoa powder and salt into the butter as it is mixing.
4. Gradually mix in the confectioner’s sugar, working one cup at a time and mixing well after each addition. You can adjust the sweetness during this time, adding more or less sugar.
5. Once combined, stir in the orange zest and orange juice. If the frosting is too thick, you can add more orange juice until it reaches your desired consistency. (more sugar will thicken the frosting)
6. Increase the speed and beat the frosting for several minutes to give it a good whip and make it lighter in consistency. You can add the vanilla during this time while it is whipping at high speed.

3: Assemble And Decorate The Cake

1. Place one layer of cooled cake on the cake plate. Top it with a dollop of the frosting and spread it into an even layer.
2. Add the second cake layer on top of the frosting/filling. Add more frosting on top and smooth it out. Add more to smooth out the sides of the entire cake. Continue adding more frosting to the sides and the top, smoothing into an even layer until all of the cake is coated in the frosting.
3. Garnish with chocolate ganache, fresh orange slices, candied oranges, orange zest, or chocolate curls or shavings.

Storage

If you didn’t eat it all, you can store the leftover cake at room temperature in an airtight container. If you made a frosted cake, store it in the fridge for 3-4 days. You can make the cake ahead 1 day before the celebration.

Freezing. You can freeze individual slices of the cake wrapped in one layer of plastic wrap and a layer of foil for 1-2 months. You can also freeze baked cake layers without the frosting for 3 months.

Substitutions & Variations

• Vanilla extract is not mandatory. You can easily use the orange extract to enhance the orange flavor in the cake.
• Chopped nuts make a great addition to the batter and for crunchy topping.
• Chocolate ganache. Use melted chocolate (semisweet or dark chocolate) and heavy whipping cream, simmer them together until smooth, let the mixture cool, and coat the cake. Chocolate to cream ratio is 1:1.
• Buttercream frosting can be spread or piped. It is more tedious to pipe equal blobs but you can only make it around the edge – looks absolutely stunning. You can also divide the buttercream and make one with chocolate and to the second one add some orange food coloring to really highlight the orange presence in the cake.
• Add marmalade in between the filling and the second cake layer.
• Make candied orange zest for decoration. In a small saucepan, simmer orange zest, 1 oz of caster or powdered sugar, and 2 oz of water for about 5 minutes. The zest should soften and the sugary water reduced to thick syrup coating the zest. Transfer zest to a baking sheet and let it cool and set for at least 1 hour.
• Make cupcakes! They take less time to bake- around 15 to 20 minutes for regular-size cupcakes.

Expert Tips To Make The Best Chocolate Orange Cake

• Homemade buttermilk. Add 1 tbsp lemon juice or vinegar to the whole milk and let it sit for 10 minutes. Done!
• Room temperature ingredients. Room-temperature butter, eggs, and dairy are easier to properly combine without lumps.
• To make even cake layers, you can cut off the domes with a sharp knife once the cake layers are cooled completely.
• Make sure to only buy organic oranges or scrub them really well before peeling the zest. Many oranges can be waxed.

Popular Questions

Do Orange And Chocolate Go Together?

Orange and chocolate are great flavor combinations with sweet, citrusy, and tart notes making an interesting and refreshing taste.

Can I Substitute Milk For Orange Juice In A Cake?

In the chocolate orange cake recipe, you can use both dairy and fresh orange juice to make a moist cake infused with refreshing sweet, and zesty orange flavor.

Can I Put Orange Juice In the Ganache?

Yes, when making ganache to top chocolate orange cake, you can add some orange extract or fresh orange juice. 

If you love this cake recipe, you’re going to love these other cake ideas too. Please click each link below to find the easy, printable recipe!

More Chocolate Cake Recipes

Chocolate Pudding Chocolate Cake

Naked Chocolate Cake

Espresso Chocolate Cake

World’s Best Chocolate Cake

---

---