Chocolate Orange Cake
This Chocolate Orange Cake is rich, moist, and bursting with citrusy brightness. Topped with a dreamy chocolate-orange frosting, it’s the perfect balance of indulgent and refreshing.
Equipment
- 8-inch Round Cake Pan or Loaf Pan
- Hand or Stand Mixer
- Mixing bowls
- Whisk
- Spatula
- Parchment paper
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 6 tbsp butter room temperature
- 0.75 cup brown sugar
- 2 tbsp white sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 tsp orange zest zest of ½ large navel orange
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 0.5 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 0.75 tsp baking powder
- 0.25 tsp baking soda
- 0.5 tsp fine sea salt
- 0.75 cup whole milk
- 0.5 tsp white vinegar
For the Frosting
- 8 tbsp unsalted butter softened
- 0.5 tsp fresh orange zest
- 1 tbsp fresh orange juice
- 0.5 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1.5 cups powdered sugar
- 2 oz semisweet chocolate melted and cooled slightly
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and line an 8-inch round cake pan or loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Cream butter, brown sugar, and white sugar with a mixer until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
- Mix in egg, egg yolk, and orange zest, scraping bowl to incorporate fully.
- Whisk flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in another bowl.
- Make buttermilk: stir milk and vinegar together, let sit 2 minutes.
- Alternately add dry ingredients and milk mixture to butter mixture, beginning and ending with dry. Mix just until smooth.
- Pour batter into prepared pan. Bake 28–35 minutes, until a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs. Let cool completely before frosting.
- For the frosting: beat softened butter with orange zest and juice until creamy. Add cocoa powder and powdered sugar, mixing until smooth. Blend in melted chocolate. Spread over cooled cake.
Notes
For extra indulgence, decorate with chocolate shavings or candied orange peel. Keeps well covered at room temperature for up to 3 days.