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Orange Chocolate Devil's Food Cake
This recipe is based on a cake in Orange Appeal: Savory and Sweet, by Jamie Schler. Orange and chocolate together are my favorite sweet combination, thanks in large part to my grandfather, John Muzrall, whose story is included in this newsletter. He brought back sweet treats from his many travels, including decadent chocolate oranges from the UK. James made not one, but two of these cakes over the past month, one for my birthday, and one for the birthday of a dear friend. They delicious - rich, sweet, but with a satisfying tang, and worth the extra effort.
For the Chocolate Orange Cake
• 1 3/4 cups (240 grams) flour
• 2 cups (400 grams) sugar
• 3/4 cup (75 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup (250 ml) whole milk
• 1/2 cup (125 ml) vegetable oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon orange extract (can be replaced with 1 teaspoon vanilla extract)
• 1 orange, finely zested
• 1 cup (250 ml) freshly squeezed orange juice, heated but not boiling
For the Chocolate Orange Frosting
• 8 tablespoons (120 grams) unsalted butter, softened
• 3 cups (12 ounces, 350 grams) powdered/confectioner’s sugar
• 5 packed tablespoons (2 ounces or 60 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder
• 4–5 tablespoons hot but not boiling freshly squeezed orange juice
• A few tablespoons fresh mascarpone or whipped cream cheese, optional
Prepare the Chocolate Orange Layer Cake
Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Oil and flour 2 regular (8 1/2 or 9-inch or 22 or 23-cm) round cake pans or 3 smaller (7-inch or 18-cm) cake pans generously; alternately, oil the pans and line the bottoms with parchment paper.
Combine the dry ingredients in a large mixing bowl and whisk together to blend well.
Add the eggs, milk, oil, vanilla and orange extracts, and the fine zest. Using an electric mixer, beat on low until well blended then increase the mixer speed to medium and beat for about 2 minutes.
Carefully stir in the hot orange juice. The batter will be very runny.
Carefully divide the liquid batter between the prepared cake pans.
Bake in the preheated oven for 35–40 minutes or until the center is set (30–35 minutes for the smaller layers). Remove from oven and allow to cool for 10–15 minutes in the pans on cooling racks before running a knife blade around the edges of the cakes to loosen, turning the layers out of the pans, removing and discarding the parchment paper, and allowing the layers to cool completely, top sides up, before frosting.
Prepare the Chocolate Orange Frosting
In a medium mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar together. Add the cocoa powder and 4 tablespoons of hot orange juice and beat, scraping down the sides of the bowl as necessary, until well blended and fluffy; add the additional tablespoon of orange juice only if the frosting is too thick.
Enjoy!
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