Chocolate Orange Cake

A fluffy chocolate orange cake slice with a candied orange on the top.

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4.67 from 6 votes

A super moist, rich chocolate orange cake recipe that is perfect to serve year-round.

Prep Time10

Cook Time30

Total Time1 5

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: American

Servings: servings

Author: Eden

Cost: $15

Ingredients

Chocolate Orange Cake Batter

2 cups granulated sugar
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 tsp vanilla extract
1/2 cup orange juice
5 tbsp orange zest
3/4 cup boiling water

Chocolate Sour Cream Frosting

4 ounces unsalted butter
4 ounces bittersweet chocolate
1 1/2 cups powdered sugar confectioners sugar
4 ounces sour cream
2 tbsp orange zest
1 tbsp orange juice

Instructions

Chocolate Orange Cake

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Measure the dry ingredients (including the sugar) into a mixing bowl. If using a stand mixer, use the fitted bowl for the dry ingredients.
In another bowl or liquid measuring cup add all of the wet ingredients (including the orange zest and juice) except the boiling water which gets added at the end.
With the mixer on low, slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is mixing. Turn the mixer to medium for about 30 seconds, then back to low.
With the mixer on low, slowly add 3/4 cup of boiling water. The batter will have a liquid texture to it and that’s how you want it to be.
A 9×13 baking pan is perfect for this cake. Oil it well and use some parchment paper on the bottom so the cake will be easy to remove.
Bake for 30 minutes until the cake has risen in the center.

Chocolate Orange Sour Cream

Over low heat, melt the butter and chocolate together in a small saucepan until the chocolate is melted.
Pour into an electric mixer with the whisk attachment on low speed.
Add in the vanilla and powdered sugar and whisk. It will get really thick, but keep whisking. Make sure to scrape the bottom of the bowl, so you don’t have lumps of chocolate in your finished frosting.
Add in the sour cream, orange juice, and zest, and continue to whisk until smooth. It might curdle but whisk through the curdle to get a smooth texture.
Once the cake is cooled, you can add this decadent frosting over the top.

Video

Notes

Eden's Tips

Use whole, organic ingredients when possible. It does make a difference in the flavor and outcome of the cake.

Oil and grease your pans well; use parchment paper for easy removal.

Mix well, but don't overmix. Keep the mixer on low most of the time, and scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl.

If you want to make a dark chocolate orange cake, use Hershey's special dark cocoa powder. If the chocolate powder has clumps, sift it into the flour using a sieve.

Baking times will vary, so set your timer for 10 minutes less and check the cake.

Pair this cake with our creamy chocolate buttercream frosting.

Cake to Cupcakes

If you want to make this recipe into cupcakes, here's how you can do it:
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line a cupcake tin with paper liners.
Follow the exact instructions for making the cake batter.
Fill each cupcake liner 2/3 full with batter and bake for about 15 minutes.
Let the cupcakes cool completely before frosting them.

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