“Do you think you could do like a dark chocolate orange cake sometime?
“I don’t THINK, I KNOW I can!!! 😃
What a silly question – I can truly do just about anything when it comes to baking!
And, what a fantastic idea! DARK Chocolate ORANGE Cake. Yum,
But, of course, with my standards, I had to up the ante a notch, using fresh blood orange juice and zest in both the cake and the frosting, a dark chocolate orange bar IN the cake and on the top for garnish, as well as an ultra dark chocolate pudding mix for the whipped frosting. WOWZA!
Ultra rich.
Ultra amazing.
Ultra Chocolate Blood Orange Cake.
**Daylight really does wonder for photos. It’s the best lighting on earth!
It’s too bad my insomnia causes so much of my winter baking to be performed in the wee, dark hours of the early morning.
In any case, ENJOY!
Ultra Dark Chocolate Blood Orange Cake
Dark Chocolate Blood Orange Cake:
ample butter and flour for coating and dusting cake pans
3 cups all-purpose flour
3 cups white sugar
1 1/2 cups unsweetened cocoa powder
1 Tbs. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
1 1/2 tsp. sea salt
4 large eggs
1 cup buttermilk
1/4 cup fresh blood orange juice + zest (1 blood orange)
1 1/2 cups warm water
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp. vanilla extract
8 oz. THEO Orange Dark Chocolate Bar, cut into small chunks
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Butter or grease three 9-inch cake rounds. Dust with flour and tap out the excess. Line with parchment paper.
Mix together flour, sugar, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a stand mixer using a low speed until combined.
Add eggs, buttermilk orange juice and zest, warm water, oil, and vanilla. Beat on a medium speed until smooth. This should take just a couple of minutes. Fold in the chocolate chunks.
Divide batter among the three pans.
Bake for 30-35 minutes in a 350 degree oven, until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool on wire racks for 15 minutes and then turn out the cakes onto the racks and allow to cool completely.
Frost and assemble.
Blood Orange Chocolate Whipped Frosting:
20 oz. heavy whipping cream
juice of 1 fresh blood orange (reserve zest for garnish)
1 pkg. Godiva DARK chocolate instant pudding
1 tsp. vanilla extract
zest of 1 fresh blood orange
1 oz. THEO Orange Dark Chocolate Bar, shaved
Using a stand mixer, whip together the cream, orange juice, pudding, and vanilla, until somewhat stiff. For a DARKER version of this frosting, add up to 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder, realizing that the the frosting will be a little bit stiffer and more difficult to spread!
Slather the frosting over each layer of the cake and then around all sides.
Garnish with blood orange zest, a slice or two, and even shaved chocolate.
