This delicious Chocolate Orange Cake is so easy to make – simply add all your ingredients in a bowl, whisk and bake. Cover with glossy chocolate orange glaze and decorate with Terry’s Chocolate orange segments – swooooon!
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I have always had a weakness for Terry’s Chocolate Oranges… Even as a child in Greece we used to occasionally have these as a treat, brought over from England whenever anyone went on a trip.
Cracking a Chocolate Orange open and then fighting over the little chocolate segments was part of Christmas as much as presents and gingerbread cookies.
If you love this flavour combo as much as I do, then you will ADORE this easy Chocolate Orange Cake, decorated with – you guessed it! – Terry’s chocolate orange segments 🙂
Take a look at the recipe video to see how to make this lovely indulgent cake – I hope you give it a try!
Chocolate Orange Cake Ingredients
This cake works as a ‘all in one’ provided all the ingredients are at room temperature. Remember to take the butter out of the fridge and cut it into cubes a few hours before you make this cake!
- Plain (all purpose) flour
- Cocoa powder – use unsweetened cocoa powder, preferably a good quality organic one like Green & Black’s
- Baking powder and bicarbonate of soda (a.k.a baking soda) – make sure these are fresh, especially if you don’t bake often
- Sugar – I prefer golden caster sugar
- Unsalted butter at room temperature – you can also use margarine if you like
- Large eggs at room temperature
- Fresh orange juice or from a carton of 100% orange juice with bits (not from concentrate)
- Orange zest and a little orange oil (optional)
Chocolate Glaze
This simple glaze can be used to cover any cakes and bakes. Make sure you allow for the glaze to cool and thicken slightly before pouring over the cooled cake. The glaze will be very shiny while still a bit wet but it will lose some of the shine as it cools.
- Chocolate buttons, or chocolate bar chopped up small – try to find a chocolate orange bar such as Lindt
- A few segments of Terry’s Chocolate orange
- Double Cream
- Golden syrup or honey
- Vanilla extract
How to make Chocolate Orange cake
You can make this cake using a stand mixer, a hand mixer (I use a KitchenAid one in the video) or a food processor. Make sure the ingredients are at room temperature and make sure to stop and scrape the bowl at least once so that the batter is smooth.
STEP 1. Preheat the oven to 170C/ 340F. Spray a 23cm /9 inch cake tin with cake release (PME Cake Release is the one I swear by) or grease with butter. Line the bottom with baking paper.
STEP 2. For best results, sift the flour and cocoa powder into a large bowl. Add the sugar, raising agents and salt then mix together with a balloon whisk.
STEP 3. Add the remaining ingredients: butter, eggs, orange zest and juice.
STEP 4. Start beating on the lowest speed setting until the ingredients start to come together.
STEP 5. Increase the speed gradually, until the batter is completely smooth. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated.
STEP 6. Transfer the batter in the prepared tin and level. Make a small indent in the centre to ensure it rises evenly.
STEP 7. Bake for 50 minutes to an hour, until cake has risen, is springy to the touch and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Cool in the tin for 10 minutes then carefully turn out onto a cake plate or stand. Make sure the cake has cooled down completely before adding the glaze.
STEP 8. Put the chocolate chips and Terry’s chocolate orange segments in a bowl. Heat the cream until small bubbles appear in the edges of the pan and pour over the chocolate. Leave to stand for 2-3 minutes.
STEP 9. Add a tablespoon of Golden Syrup or honey then use a small balloon whisk to slowly stir the glaze, starting from the centre of the bowl and slowly increasing your movement outwards until the chocolate melts and glaze is shiny and smooth.
STEP 10. Leave the glaze too cool slightly so that it drips slowly off a spoon. Pour over the cooled cake to cover, letting it drip down the sides – you might not need to use all of the glaze.
STEP 12. Leave the glaze to set slightly then decorate with segments of Terry’s Chocolate Orange and orange zest.
Cake Tips and FAQs
How do I know if my cake is done?
Set a timer for 5 minutes before the specified baking time. The cake is done when the top is springy to the touch, the cake has just started to pull away from the edges of the tin and a skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean. Avoid opening the oven door too often or it will start losing heat.
I want this cake to be MORE orangey!
To increase the orange flavour to the max, consider adding an orange drizzle over the still warm cake (in same way as you would for a lemon drizzle cake). Stir equal amounts of orange juice and sugar in a pan over low heat until sugar dissolves. Prick the cake with a skewer while still in the tin and pour the orange syrup until it soaks into the cake. Add a little Grand Marnier or Cointreau for a more sophisticated flavour.
I can’t find Terry’s Chocolate Orange what can I use instead?
You can use any chocolate orange bars in the glaze. Consider adding Lindt Chocolate Orange truffles as decorations or perhaps candied orange peel.
I am not a fan of chocolate orange combo! Can I still make this cake?
Yes you can make a simple chocolate cake leaving out the orange zest and oil and replacing the orange juice with whole milk. Use plain dark chocolate chips in the glaze.
Can I make chocolate orange layer cake?
You certainly can. Divide the batter between two 18cm / 8inch tins and bake for 30-35 minutes at 180C / 350F. Use this chocolate mascarpone frosting as filling, using chocolate orange bar instead of dark chocolate. I will update this recipe with photos for a chocolate orange layer cake as I am going to make one for my birthday next week!
How long will this cake keep?
The cake stays lovely and moist for 4-5 days, stored in a cake container. Storing in the fridge is not recommended as it might dry the cake out.
Freezing instructions
You can freeze the cake without the chocolate glaze. Wrap well in two layers of cling film and then a layer of foil. Freeze for up to 3 months, thawing overnight in the fridge before using. You can also freeze individual slices if you like.
MY MOST POPULAR CAKE RECIPES
- Biscoff Layer Cake – one for Lotus Biscoff lovers!
- Chocolate School Cake
- Chocolate Traybake – the easiest chocolate cake you will ever make 🙂
- Salted Caramel Cake – an impressive layer cake, perfect for birthdays
- Easy Ginger Cake – perfect with a cup of tea any time of year!
HAVE YOU MADE MY CHOCOLATE ORANGE CAKE RECIPE? Post a photo on my Facebook page, share it on Instagram, or save it to Pinterest with the tag #supergoldenbakes and make my day!
Chocolate Orange Cake
Ingredients
- 300 g (2 ½ cups) flour plain / all purpose
- 60 g (½ cup) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 330 g ( 1 ⅔) cups caster sugar
- 1 tbsp baking powder
- ½ tbsp bicarbonate of soda
- ½ tsp salt
- 200 g (7/8 cup) unsalted butter cubed (room temperature)
- 3 large eggs
- 180 ml (¾ cup) orange juice
- 3 oranges zest only
For the orange drizzle (OPTIONAL)
- 120 ml (½ cup) orange juice
- 100 g (½ cup) sugar
Chocolate Glaze
- 100 g (⅔ cup) dark chocolate chips
- 3 segments Terry's Chocolate Orange chopped
- 120 ml (½ cup) cream double /heavy
- 1 tbsp golden syrup or honey
To decorate
- 1 Terry's Chocolate Orange
- 1 orange, zest strips only
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 170C (340F). Spray a 23cm (9 in) springform cake tin with cake release or grease with softened butter and dust with flour shaking out any excess. Line the bottom of the tin with baking paper.
- Put the flour, cocoa powder and sugar in large bowl. Add the baking powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt and mix together using a balloon whisk.
- Add the butter, eggs, orange zest and juice.
- Start beating on the lowest speed setting until the ingredients start to come together.
- Increase the speed gradually, until the batter is completely smooth. Stop the mixer and scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is incorporated.
- Transfer the batter in the prepared tin and level. Make a small indent in the centre to ensure it rises evenly.
- Transfer the batter into the prepared cake tin and bake for 50m – 1 hour. If the cake is colouring too rapidly then tent with foil after 25 minutes (but avoid keeping the oven door open for long). Do not place the foil directly onto the cake tin, make sure it is has a gap at the top to allow the cake space to rise properly.
- Check the cake is done by inserting a skewer in the centre – it should come out clean, the cake should be well risen golden and springy to the touch.
Orange Drizzle (optional)
- While the cake is cooling for a few minutes (in the tin), combine the sugar and orange juice in a saucepan and stir over low heat until the sugar is dissolved.
- Use a skewer to poke holes over the whole cake then pour the syrup over the top. It should soon soak into the cake.
- Run a knife along the edge of the tin and transfer onto a cake plate. Leave to cool completely before adding chocolate glaze.
Chocolate Glaze
- Put the chocolate chips and Terry’s chocolate orange segments in a bowl. Heat the cream until small bubbles appear in the edges of the pan and pour over the chocolate. Leave to stand for 2-3 minutes.
- Add a tablespoon of Golden Syrup or honey then use a small balloon whisk to slowly stir the glaze, starting from the centre of the bowl and slowly increasing your movement outwards until the chocolate melts and glaze is shiny and smooth.
- Leave the glaze too cool slightly so that it drips slowly off a spoon. Pour over the cooled cake to cover, letting it drip down the sides – you might not need to use all of the glaze.
- Leave the glaze to set slightly then decorate with segments of Terry’s Chocolate Orange and orange zest.
Rosalind says
excellent recipe, thankyou. clear instructions (though format could be easier but it’s ok) and the result was absolutely delicious. i made this as cupcakes, used a half qty of the orange drizzle. and one of the cupcakes came out too crumbly so i broke it up into crumbs, mixed in a little malden sea salt flakes and some more sugar snd then used it as part of the decoration. have to say im both very impressed with the recipe and proud of myself as im very much not a baker and this was my first time making a glaze and it came out really well! flavour was very close to Terry’s chocolate oranges but of course with dark chocolate in the glaze, it was a little different (nicer in my opinion) but still goes very well with chocolate orange. i used a bag of those mini individual chocolate orange segments rather than breaking up a chocolate orange for decorating as they fit my cupcakes better snd looked better and less messy than the alternative. however, when i opened the bag, they were all a little badhed from being in the bag, not broken, just not shiny and smooth. I’m sure there’s a better technique, but i used a pastry brush with a small amount of unsalted butter which helped them look mucu better for presentation:)
Neha says
Hi , if I don’t get fresh oranges what else can I use in place of juice ..will some kind of tetra pack juice help ..and if I want to make orange chocolate marble cake ..what changes do I need to make in the batter …please help
Lucy Parissi says
You can use juice from a carton (with juicy bits ideally)
Trinidad Sanchezova says
This cake is absolutely delicious, it is very easy to make, it is very large, tasty and wonderful !!!! Really if you love orange chocolate, you have to make and try this cake !!!! This recipe is perfect !!!!