What's Cookin' in Jill's Kitchen: Heavenly Chocolate Orange Cake

Heavenly Chocolate Orange Cake

Being a big fan of anything orange/chocolate (for example, those chocolate oranges my family often enjoys around Christmastime), I've had my eye on this recipe on Smitten Kitchen (adapted from an Ina Garten recipe) for quite awhile. I'm happy to report it didn't disappoint when I finally got around to baking it. I made a couple of adjustments (a tangier, less sweet and more concentrated syrup, a bit of orange extract in the slightly thinner ganache, and a mix of bittersweet and semisweet chocolate in both the batter and ganache) and while it's a little bit involved, this recipe is worth the effort. Moist and full of flavor, it keeps well at room temperature for a couple of days, and it's impressive to offer guests or to take along as a hostess gift.

Heavenly Chocolate Orange Cake

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Batter:

1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter plus 1 tablespoon, at room temperature

2 cups sugar

4 extra-large eggs, at room temperature

1/4 cup grated orange zest (from 4 large naval oranges)

3 cups all-purpose flour plus 3 tablespoons

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon table salt or 1 1/4 teaspoons kosher salt

1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

3/4 cup buttermilk, at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

8 ounces good quality chocolate chunks (I used half bittersweet and half semisweet cut from Ghirardelli baking chocolate bars)

Syrup:
3 tablespoons sugar
1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
juice of 1 lime

Ganache:
8 ounces chopped good quality chocolate (I used half bittersweet and half semisweet cut from Ghirardelli baking chocolate bars)
1/2 cup heavy cream plus 2 tablespoons
1/4 teaspoon pure orange extract

First get everything ready to go and make sure the butter, eggs, and buttermilk are at room temperature, which helps produce a lighter, fluffier cake.

Mise en place


Zesting oranges with a Microplane

Juicing oranges

Preheat the oven to 350°F. Melt 1 tablespoon of the butter and mix in 1 tablespoon of the flour. Brush the resulting paste all over the inside of a 10-inch bundt pan, making sure to coat all the nooks and crannies.

I learned this bundt greasing method from America's Test Kitchen and it's great! Much neater than separately buttering and flouring, and it works better, too.

Making the butter/flour paste

Greasing the pan

Cream the remaining 1/2 pound of butter and 2 cups sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy.

Light & fluffy

Add the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition, and then the orange zest.

Eggs, one by one

Zest

Making it orange-y

Whisk together 3 cups flour, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, combine the orange juice, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately to the creamed butter, beginning and ending with the flour (dry mixture in 3 stages, liquid in 2 stages).

Buttermilk mixture goes in, alternating with the dry mixture

Well incorporated batter, ready for chocolate

Toss the chocolate chunks with the remaining 2 tablespoons flour and add to the batter.

Floured chocolate chunks (keeps them from sinking!)

Mixing in the chocolate until evenly distributed

Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and wipe off any drips.

Ready to bake!

Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, rotating the pan halfway through baking, until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

Beautifully baked!

Clean cake tester (I used a wooden skewer)

Meanwhile, make the syrup. In a small saucepan over medium heat, cook the sugar with the orange and lime juice until the sugar dissolves and the mixture is reduced to about a quarter cup.

Making a juicy simple syrup

Remove the cake from the pan and set it on a rack over a tray. Removing the cake from the pan can be a little tricky, but you just need to be confident and quick. I like to do it this way: place the rack on top of the pan and flip them over together. Then let it rest upside down with the cake pan still on for about 30 seconds before gently pulling off the pan. Worked like a charm! But if your cake does happen to break, don't sweat it. Just cover any mishaps up with the ganache and no one will be the wiser!

Place the rack over the top of the pan...

Invert pan plus rack over a sheet tray...

Let rest about 30 seconds, then gently pull off pan. Voila!

Brush the orange syrup over the warm cake, then allow the cake to cool completely, about 2 hours.

Spooning and brushing syrup into cake

The soaked cake, cooling. This step ensures a moist crumb.

For the ganache, melt the chocolate, heavy cream, and orange extract in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally. If you don't own a double boiler (I don't), just set a heatproof glass bowl over a pan of simmering water and there you have it—homemade double boiler!

Homemade double boiler

Smooth and creamy ganache

Drizzle the ganache over the top of the cake, letting it drip generously down the sides. (You may have a little extra. If you do, save it and try dipping shortbread cookies or fruit into it!)