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    Home » Recipes » Desserts and Sweet Treats

    Chocolate Orange layer cake

    Published: Jul 20, 2011 · Updated: Aug 17, 2021 · by Nicole · This post may contain affiliate links.

    Jump to Recipe Print Recipe
    Chocolate Orange layer cake
    Chocolate Orange layer cake
    Chocolate Orange layer cake
    Chocolate Orange layer cake
    Chocolate Orange layer cake
    Chocolate Orange layer cake
    Chocolate Orange layer cake
    Chocolate Orange layer cake
    Chocolate Orange layer cake
    Chocolate Orange layer cake

    Chocolate Orange layer cake

    Chocolate is great on it's own but add a touch of orange and, in my opinion you have a truly magical combination.

    Vegan Chocolate Cake recipe
    Looking for a vegan chocolate cake? Look no further than this divine and not to mention easy one bowl vegan chocolate cake.

    I had a craving for a chocolate orange hit recently, so I decided to make this chocolate orange cake.   For the cake base, I adapted Ina Garten's delicious Beatty's Chocolate cake recipe, which is deliciously dark, rich, moist and almost sticky cake.  I then made a tart orange curd which I spread in the middle of the cake and covered it in a dark chocolate and orange buttercream. Looking for a vegan chocolate cake? Look no further than this divine and not to mention easy one bowl vegan chocolate cake.

    So you have a rich,moist and sticky chocolate cake with that sweet tart orange hit in the middle, which provides somewhat of a break from the richness of the chocolate.  What could be better than that?

    While the outer layer of frosting wasn't as smooth and perfect as I had hoped (I obviously need lots of practice frosting cakes), the flavours are all there.  So don't let it's imperfect looks deceive you.

    Are you a chocolate orange fiend like me?

    How to make Chocolate orange layer cake

    How to make Chocolate orange layer cake

    Chocolate Orange layer cake

    Chocolate orange layer cake

    Recipe adapted from Ina Garten Beatty’s Chocolate Cake
    4.36 from 17 votes
    Print Pin Save Saved!
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: Dessert
    Keyword: chocolate cake, Chocolate Orange layer cake
    Total Time: 30 minutes
    Calories: 319kcal
    Author: Delicious Everyday
    12 servings

    Ingredients

    • Butter for greasing the pans
    • 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
    • 2 cups sugar
    • ¾ cups good quality cocoa powder
    • 2 teaspoons baking soda
    • 1 teaspoon baking powder
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 1 cup buttermilk shaken
    • ½ cup vegetable oil
    • 2 extra-large eggs at room temperature
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
    • 1 cup of freshly squeezed orange juice
    • zest of 1 large orange
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    • Preheat the oven to 175 Celsius (350 degrees Fahrenheit) and butter 1 8-inch/20cm round cake tin and line with baking paper.
    • Sift the flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a paddle attachment and add the sugar and mix on low speed until combined.
    • In another bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, oil, eggs,orange zest and vanilla. With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry.
    • With mixer still on low, add the orange juice and mix until just combined.
    • Pour the cake batter into two 20cm prepared cake tins and bake for 35 to 40 minutes or until a cake tester comes out clean.
    • Cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then turn out onto a cake rack and cool completely.

    Nutrition (Estimated)

    Calories: 319kcalCarbohydrates: 53gProtein: 4gFat: 11gSaturated Fat: 8gCholesterol: 29mgSodium: 409mgPotassium: 213mgFiber: 2gSugar: 36gVitamin A: 115IUVitamin C: 10.3mgCalcium: 53mgIron: 1.8mg
    Shop our Cookbooks!Check out our collection of vegetarian and vegan cookbooks for more tasty meatless recipe ideas.

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Noor says

      August 01, 2016 at 4:43 pm

      Just wondering if the fresh orange juice in the cake can be substituted with packaged orange juice?

      Reply
      • Nicole @ Delicious Everyday says

        August 01, 2016 at 4:47 pm

        You could, as long as it is freshly squeezed and not from concentrate. I hope you enjoy the cake 🙂

        Reply
        • Ravish says

          December 14, 2016 at 11:33 pm

          5 stars
          Hi the recipe mentioned above is only for the cake. The butter cream and the candied orange bit seems to have disappeared. Can it be put back on the page

          Thank you

    2. Rana Bhutta says

      February 01, 2013 at 6:21 am

      Hi Jennifer, I love chocolate orange so I HAD to make this when I saw your post. I adapted mine slightly, filling it with Italian meringue buttercream and covering it with a chocolate orange ganache. I absolutely loved it, as did everyone else who had a slice, so thank you for sharing your recipe! I posted about my version of it here http://www.cupofteasolveseverything.com/2013/01/chocolate-orange-layer-cake.html.

      Reply
      • Jennifer says

        February 04, 2013 at 4:01 pm

        Love your Italian buttercream adaption. 😀 I've fallen in love with Italian buttercream recently and definitely prefer it over regular old buttercream.

        Reply
    3. Meghan says

      May 03, 2012 at 1:19 am

      Okay, 4 layers from one cake...not sure my cake pans are tall enough. Can I use two rounds instead? Just made the curd, it curdled slightly, but I pushed it through a fine mesh sieve and it seems salvageable. Tastes great! I love curd. I doubled the recipe and plan the serve some with cranberry muffins for breakfast later this week.

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        May 03, 2012 at 10:33 am

        Hi Meghan,

        I make the cake in a 20cm cake tin and the cake does rise quite a lot while baking. However I have also made it using two 20cm cake tins and it works just as well. Also makes it easier to cut too 😀 Just go with whatever is easier for you. I hope you enjoy it. It's my favourite chocolate cake recipe as it's so moist. Just note it is a little sticky, so bear this in mind when cutting it. Enjoy 😀

        Reply
    4. Princess Misia says

      February 04, 2012 at 1:19 am

      Droooooooooooooling... I think I'm in love with your cake!

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        February 04, 2012 at 5:30 pm

        Thanks 🙂 It was pretty delicious 😉

        Reply
    5. Kulsum@Journeykitchen says

      November 06, 2011 at 5:19 am

      ouch I actually didn't like orange chocolate combo a couple of times that I have tried. But you cake makes me give it a try. (Beatty's chocolate cake is my got to chocolate cake too!)

      Reply
    6. Tes says

      October 15, 2011 at 4:16 pm

      This is a fantastic cake. The husband loved it and my 3 little boys. The cake is terrifically moist and the orange in the cake and icing is really more of an aftertaste - far more subtle than I was expecting. The icing is wonderful - will be using this recipe for chocolate cakes too in future. I had no luck with the orange curd - one batch curdled, the other never thickened (and I was worried about curdling it so took it off the heat before it could) so we used it as a sauce. I found it extremely sweet, perhaps Navel oranges weren't the right ones to use. Seville could have been better for my personal taste. Planning to use your other recipe with the chocolate oranges decorating it for the next family birthday shortly.
      Thank you for your fast clarification with the recipes and the excellent photos you provide.

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        October 16, 2011 at 1:03 pm

        Hi Tes, 😀 thank you so much for letting me know how your husbands birthday cake went. I am so glad you all enjoyed it. The chocolate cake is my favourite, I just love how deliciously chocolatey and moist it is. I'm sorry that you had difficulty with the orange curd though. 🙁 I found when the orange curd was sandwiched between the layers you had a contrast of a subtle chocolate orange taste from the cake with a more intense orange hit when you reached the orange curd.

        Let me know how you go with the other chocolate orange cake. That is deliciously moist too 😀

        Thanks again for letting me know how it all went, and happy birthday to your husband. I hope he had a great day!

        Reply
    7. Tes Benton says

      October 13, 2011 at 11:12 am

      Hi. I'm making this cake for my husband's birthday tomorrow and I'm a bit confused. The cake instructions repeat, so does that mean I should double the quantities for two cakes? The first line only says to prepare one pan but the mix is poured into two pans.....
      Please help, thank you

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        October 13, 2011 at 11:23 am

        Hi Tes,

        The repeating cake instructions is my fault. I updated the recipe formatting and accidentally repeated the instructions. All is fixed now, and no, the one cake is enough as it's quite large.

        Let me know if you have any other questions. 😀

        Reply
    8. Maria@Scandi Foodie says

      July 24, 2011 at 5:07 am

      Chocolate and orange is truly a match made in heaven! This cake looks scrumptious!

      Reply
    9. Nina Anushka says

      July 22, 2011 at 5:59 am

      The cake sure looks mouth-watering. I hope you don't make this any less of me but I haven't tasted any chocolate orange before. I guess I was never that adventurous with chocolates, though. I only prefer the dark ones but didn't dare go for flavors like mint chocolate or for this case, chocolate orange.

      But seeing this picture, I sure have regrets now. I guess I must go grab some chocolate orange in the supermarket or something. Thanks for posting! 🙂

      Reply
    10. Not Quite Nigella says

      July 21, 2011 at 3:05 pm

      I'm not much of a chocolate orange kind of person but I do like the way you describe the texture of the cake! 😀
      My recent post Itty Bitty Happy Baby Cookies!

      Reply
    11. aarthi says

      July 21, 2011 at 5:23 pm

      Hai Dear

      This looks yummy....you have a lovely blog… You have so many wonderful recipes..I have bookmarked you blog and some recipe from that to try..Please check out my blog.I am having a Giveaway in my blog..Please check it out and partcipate in that..

      Aarthi

      Reply
    12. naomi says

      July 21, 2011 at 1:24 pm

      Beautiful cake! I love chocolate and orange combined.
      My recent post Mudslide Ice Cream Cake

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        July 22, 2011 at 9:31 am

        Thanks Naomi 😀

        Reply
    13. Sara says

      July 20, 2011 at 3:27 pm

      Divine. I can't wait to bake this cake! Orange and chocolate are such a beautiful combination, and one of my favorites 🙂
      My recent post Cloverleaf Rolls

      Reply
    14. Lisa @ Tarte du Jour says

      July 21, 2011 at 2:25 am

      This chocolate cake looks stunning! Rich, unique and decadent... lovely!
      My recent post Tropical lime curd tart... made from backyard fruit trees

      Reply
    15. Sylvie@GITK says

      July 21, 2011 at 12:38 am

      Oh what a gorgeous cake! I love that chocolate orange combination. My favorite are the orangettes from Valrhona.
      My recent post the language of photography part 1 | learning the visual elements of design

      Reply
    16. anh says

      July 20, 2011 at 10:31 am

      the cake looks PERFECT!!

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        July 20, 2011 at 10:32 am

        Thanks so much Anh 😀 The frosting was messier than I hoped. I guess I need to work on that.

        Reply
    17. Sasha says

      July 20, 2011 at 11:34 pm

      oh myyyyy, this sounds like my perfect cake, i cannot resist the chocolate orange combo! If im feeling adventurous i might well give this beauty a go 🙂 Gorgeous recipe indeed!
      My recent post Raspberry Cheesecake Stuffed Chocolate Cookies

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        July 21, 2011 at 8:14 am

        Thank you so much Sasha 😀 I can't resist chocolate orange too.

        Reply
    18. Joyti says

      July 20, 2011 at 5:02 pm

      That chocolate-orange looks divine. I can't remember having just chocolate and orange together - but I've had an artisan chocolate bar of dark chocolate, cardamom, and orange peel. Which is delicious. Just as I'd imagine this cake is.
      My recent post Salted ~ Caramel Ice Cream and Lavender

      Reply
    19. Kulsum says

      July 20, 2011 at 4:18 pm

      Ah! This recipe by Ina is my go to chocolate cake and love it to bits! Fruit curds are fabulous. I love them though lemon curd seems to be my favorite 🙂
      My recent post Murgh Mughlai - Mughlai Chicken

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        July 20, 2011 at 4:38 pm

        It's my go to chocolate cake too! I love Ina, she's a genius!

        Reply
    20. Jeannie says

      July 20, 2011 at 3:56 pm

      Drooling over your piece of cake at Foodgawker and just have to hop in:D
      My recent post Black Sesame Macarons

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        July 21, 2011 at 8:13 am

        Thank you so much Jeannie 😀

        Reply
    21. Sukaina says

      July 20, 2011 at 3:33 pm

      You bet I'm a chocolate orange fiend! I ahve a staple recipe I use for chocolate cake but when you described this one as sticky, I'm now really tempted to try it!
      My recent post Guest Post- Deeba Rajpal of Passionate About Baking Presents Apricot and Plum Cobbler

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        July 20, 2011 at 4:37 pm

        The cake really does have an almost sticky texture because it's so moist. Honestly, its the best chocolate cake recipe I've tried. It also lasts well too, that is if you don't eat it all 😀

        Reply
    22. Nadia says

      July 20, 2011 at 3:01 pm

      I'm still trying to create the perfect chocolate cake for us... but it's not easy sticking with the vegan ingredients only 🙂

      This one looks gorgeous though! And beautiful photos as always 🙂

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        July 20, 2011 at 4:37 pm

        Thanks so much Nadia. 😀 I am sure you will come up with a wonderful chocolate vegan cake soon.

        Reply
    23. Jess says

      July 20, 2011 at 2:05 pm

      Chocolate and orange truly is pretty much the greatest combination ever. When I was a kid, the most fantastic thing I could ever be given for a treat was a few pieces of Terry's Chocolate Orange. They're way too sweet for me now, but I still adore the flavour combination so much. So... I want that cake! 🙂

      Reply
      • delicieux says

        July 20, 2011 at 4:36 pm

        I used to love Terry's Chocolate orange too. My favourite now is a block of Haigh's chocolate orange, when I can get my hands on it.

        Reply
    24. cc11 says

      July 20, 2011 at 12:12 pm

      I am also loving the choc orange combo atm - your cake loooks so yummy!

      Reply

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    Nicole - Vegetarian Food Blogger

    Nicole is a 25+ year vegetarian, and author of a vegan cookbook. She shares her recipes on Delicious Everyday, an award-winning vegetarian and vegan food blog.  About Nicole

    the one pot vegan cookbook, by nicole malik
    5 day vegetarian challenge

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