Chocolate Orange Cake
Chocolate orange sponge, chocolate orange buttercream and Terry's chocolate orange pieces
Ingredients
To make Chocolate Orange Cake you will need :
For the sponge
- 350 g Butter or baking spread unsalted, softened
- 350 g Caster sugar
- 6 Eggs large
- 2 tsp Orange extract
- 1 tbsp Milk
- 300 g Self raising flour
- 50 g Cocoa powder
- ½ tsp Baking powder
For the buttercream
- 250 g Butter unsalted, softened
- 450 g Icing sugar
- 50 g Cocoa powder
- 2-3 tbsp Milk
- 2 tsp Orange extract
For decoration
- 1 Terry's Chocolate Orange
- Orange sprinkles optional
Instructions
Pre-heat your oven to 160C Fan/350F/Gas Mark 4, and grease and line two 8" cake tins (that are at least 2" deep).
Make the sponge by mixing the butter (or baking spread) and caster sugar together in a mixing bowl until fluffy (around 3 minutes), ideally using an electric mixer
Add the eggs, orange extract and milk, and mix until fully incorporated
Add the self raising flour, cocoa powder and baking powder and whisk or fold in gently just until you can't see any flour anymore.
Divide the mixture between the tins, use scales for accuracy if you like.
Bake them for 30-35 minutes or until a skewer inserted in the middle comes out clean. Leave them to fully cool either in the tins or remove from the tins and place on cooling racks.
Chocolate Buttercream
To make the chocolate buttercream mix the butter on it's own until it's smooth and creamy. Use an electric whisk or stand mixer with the paddle attachment for best results.
Add the cocoa powder, icing sugar, orange extract and milk. Mix until smooth. If the buttercream is too stiff then you can add a little more milk.
If the cakes have domed on top, level them off with a cake leveller or a sharp knife.
Put one of the sponges on your plate or cake stand and pipe or spread some of the buttercream onto it.
Add the other sponge on top and pipe or spread the remaining buttercream on top
Decorate with the Terry's Chocolate Orange pieces, and orange sprinkles if using
Leftovers will keep in an airtight container in a cool place for 2-3 days
Notes
Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the butter and eggs) are at room temperature before you start baking.
For the best flavour, make sure to use a good quality orange extract and not an essence.
I used a baking spread for the cake and unsalted butter for the buttercream.
You can use any cocoa powder for this cake, of course the better quality it is, the better flavour it will have. Also do make sure you are using cocoa powder and not a hot chocolate powder.
Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales*. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons* and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.
