Chocolate Orange Cake

This Chocolate Orange Cake is a moist, chocolatey layer cake with a tang of fresh orange flavor and a delicious, fluffy buttercream. It’s easy to make, using basic ingredients, and tastes incredible!

Choc-orange is a classic flavor that is adored the world over particularly at Christmas and during the holiday season. The citrusy tang adds brightness to the intense richness of the chocolate. But the best part about this Chocolate Orange Cake is that it’s a cinch to make!

While plain chocolate cakes are popular, how do you make chocolate cake better? As well as this chocolate orange cake recipe, I have a few wonderful variations. Try my Chocolate Caramel Cake, Chocolate and Peanut Butter Cake, or this decadent Torta Caprese that combines chocolate and almonds.

While in orange season, be sure to make my Orange and Fennel Salad. It’s freshness and brightness is ideal at this time of the year!

Why you’ll love this recipe

• Intense Orange Flavor: The finely grated orange zest in both the cake and the frosting provides an amazing orange tang courtesy of all the fragrant oils in the orange skin. But the natural orange flavor is doubled up with freshly squeezed orange juice for extra zing!
• Moist: A really good cake is not just about the flavor; a cake has to be moist and this one certainly is! This cake recipe uses both butter and oil for a very good reason. Lots of cake recipes rely on butter for taste and flavor. 
• Light: Adding oil to cake batter (like in my Cannoli Cake) creates a lighter and more even texture than just butter. Plus butter solidifies when cooled, whereas oil remains liquid which means the cake will be more tender even when chilled. This Chocolate Orange cake is so flavorful, that compromising a little buttery flavor by adding oil isn’t a problem.
• Classic Combination: This orange chocolate cake recipe is, in my opinion, one of the BEST chocolate cake variations. It’s soft and moist with a zing of freshly squeezed orange juice and a richness of chocolate. The chocolate orange buttercream is creamy and the ideal combination of the two main flavors. If you’re a choc-orange fan then this is the cake for you! 

Ingredients

• Unsalted Butter – Be sure to have the butter at room temperature so that it will combine well. Use salted butter if that’s all you have. However, omit added salt.
• Light Flavored Oil – My preference is light olive oil but you can use sunflower or canola oil. 
• Oranges – You’ll need two large oranges for this Chocolate Orange Cake. If the oranges are small, you may need more. Finely zest the oranges before juicing. I prefer fresh oranges rather than orange extract but at a pinch use a few drops of pure orange oil in place of the zest.
• Eggs – The most important thing is to have the eggs at room temperature. I do like free-range eggs but use whatever you have.
• Granulated White Sugar – I like to use superfine because it dissolves so easily but use regular if that’s all you have.
• All-Purpose Plain Flour – Regular wheat flour is what you need for this recipe. A little baking powder and baking side will be added to leaven the cake.
• Unsweetened Cocoa Powder – Natural cocoa powder is what I have used in the Chocolate Orange Cake as opposed to Dutch-processed cocoa. It will work with the baking soda as well as the buttermilk to create a perfectly risen cake. Be sure to use quality cocoa powder.
• Rising Agents – Baking powder and baking soda (bicarbonate of soda) are easily available at grocery stores. If you haven’t used it in over a year, replace them.
• Buttermilk – If you don’t want to (or can’t) purchase buttermilk, substitute ¾ of whole milk to which you’ve added 2 teaspoons of lemon juice or white vinegar. Just let it sit for 10 minutes and you have homemade buttermilk!
• Powdered Sugar – Be sure to sieve it if it’s clumped.

Instructions

Before preparing the cake batter, preheat the oven to 340ºF or 170ºC.  Butter two 8-inch (20cm) round cake pans, line the bases, then flour the sides. Tap out any excess flour.

If necessary, sieve or whisk any of the dry ingredients that have clumps. Use a stand mixer or hand-held electric mixer to prepare the cake batter and frosting chocolate orange buttercream.

Beat all the cake ingredients slowly with an electric mixer to incorporate. Then scrape the sides of the bowl and beat on medium-high until light and creamy.

Divide evenly among the two prepared cake pans and bake for 30-35 minutes in the preheated oven. When baked, allow to cool.

Beat the butter until creamy.  Add the orange zest and beat again.

Add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, and water. Beat to combine on low speed then increase speed and beat until light and fluffy.

Level the tops of the cakes by cutting the domed top with a serrated knife.

Sandwich the cakes together with frosting, then frost the entire cake.

Decorate with orange chocolate, chocolate flakes, orange slices, or orange zest. Pipe leftover buttercream in swirls and top with orange zest or slices. To arrange orange slices, slit from the edge to the middle and twist then hold it in place by pressing slightly into the buttercream.

Marcellina’s Hint: To make frosting easier, refrigerate the unfrosted cakes overnight. If you don’t have time it’s not critical but it will make your life easier. The cakes will be firmer, you’ll be able to trim the tops and frost more easily.

Storage

The unfrosted cake layers can be frozen. Wrap them well in plastic wrap, then slip them into large zip lock bags and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight then frost as in the recipe.

Place the frosted Chocolate Orange Cake in a sealed container and refrigerate for up to 3 days. If your house is cool, the cake may be stored at room temperature.

To freeze the frosted cake, place the cake in the freezer for 1-2 hours until the frosting is hard. Then wrap it in two layers of plastic wrap and return to the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw in the fridge overnight. Leftover slices of cake can also be frozen. Carefully wrap in two layers of plastic wrap before freezing exactly like the whole cake.

Tips for Success

• Preheat the oven early, understanding how long it takes to reach the right temperature.
• Line 8-inch cake pans with parchment paper to prevent sticking.
• Use ingredients at cool room temperature to create a proper emulsion for a light cake texture.
• Ensure butter is cool but soft for frosting. If cold, slice it thin to speed up softening.
• Measure flour accurately—use scales or fluff the flour and spoon into cups without packing.
• Sieve or whisk cocoa powder and dry ingredients to remove lumps.
• Adjust buttercream consistency with orange juice if too thick, or powdered sugar if too thin.

FAQ

Serving Suggestions

If you’ve stored the Chocolate Orange Cake in the fridge, bring it to room temperature for an hour before serving. The flavors are much more pronounced than if the cake was completely chilled.

This Chocolate Orange Cake is ideal served as part of a delicious celebration meal. Start with Bruschetta with Mozzarella followed by Italian Chicken Cutlets and a fresh Mediterranean Cucumber Salad and complete the meal with slices of this decadent cake and a dollop of Mascarpone Cream.

Related Recipes

Tosca Cake – this cake has a tasty almond, baked-on topping.

Date Nut Bread – a quick, moist bread full of dates and nuts.

Lemon Yogurt Cake – an Italian favorite.

German Plum Cake – a tender coffee cake topped with plums and streusel.

Chocolate Orange Cake Recipe

A moist, chocolatey two layer cake with the tang of fresh orange flavor and a delicious, fluffy buttercream.

5 from 39 votes

Print Pin Review

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 35 minutes minutes

Cooling Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Total Time: 2 hours hours 35 minutes minutes

Servings:12 slices

Author: Marcellina

Ingredients

• ▢ 2 ¼ cups (290 grams) all purpose plain flour
• ▢ 1⅔ cups (340 grams) granulated white sugar can be increased to 2 cups if you prefer more sweet
• ▢ ⅔ cup (57 grams)unsweetened cocoa powder
• ▢ 1½ teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ ½ teaspoon baking soda
• ▢ Pinch salt
• ▢ 6 tablespoons (3 ounces/85 grams) unsalted butter at room temperature
• ▢ ⅓ cup (70 mls) light flavored oil
• ▢ 3 eggs at room temperature
• ▢ ¾ cup (180 mls) buttermilk at cool room temperature
• ▢ ½ cup (120 mls) fresh orange juice
• ▢ 2 tablespoons finely grated orange zest

Chocolate Orange Buttercream

• ▢ 1 cup (2 sticks/230 grams) unsalted butter at room temperature
• ▢ 1 teaspoon finely grated orange zest
• ▢ 4 ½ cups (540 grams) powdered sugar
• ▢ ⅔ cup (57 grams) unsweetened cocoa powder Dutch processed is best
• ▢ 4 tablespoons orange juice
• ▢ Candied orange slices and orange chocolate to decorate

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Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 340ºF/170ºC. Butter two 8 inch (20cm) round cake pans, line the bases and flour the sides. Tap out any excess flour.
• In the bowl of a stand mixer, place the flour, granulated white sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Whisk to combine and break up any lumps. If the cocoa is particularly lumpy, pass it through a sieve beforehand.
• Add the remaining ingredients to the bowl.
• Turn the mixer on to a low speed to just combine all the ingredients.
• Stop the mixer and scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl.
• Turn the mixer on medium speed and beat for 3 minutes or until light in color and creamy.
• Divide evenly among the two prepared cake pans and bake for 30-35 minutes in the preheated oven. The cakes will be ready when slightly risen, just coming away from the sides and a skewer inserted comes out clean.
• Cool in the pans for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack. Use a second wire rack to flip each cake so that the top is the right way up and allow to cool completely before frosting.

Chocolate Orange Buttercream

• Beat the butter until creamy then add the orange zest and beat until fluffy and light – about 2 minutes.
• Sieve the powdered sugar and cocoa and add to the creamed butter along with the orange juice.
• Beat on low speed for 30 seconds, then increase to high speed and beat for 1-2 minutes or until fluffy.

Assemble the Chocolate Orange Cake

• Once the cakes have cooled completely, use a serrated knife to level the cakes if they have domed on top.
• Place the first cake on a serving plate the right side up.
• Spread about a generous cup of the frosting on top of the cake, spreading it evenly and pushing it so that it just goes over the edge.
• Place the second cake upside down on the frosting so that the top is perfectly flat.
• Use a long metal spatula to spread the remaining frosting evenly all over the cake. You can smooth the frosting or give it a textured look like I have.
• Decorate the top with alternate candied orange slices and chocolate orange wedges or your choice of topping. To twist the orange slices as in the photos, make a slit from the edge to the middle of the slice then twist and press into the frosting.
• Serve immediately or cover and store in the fridge for up to 3 days. For best taste and texture, allow the cake to come to room temperature for an hour before serving.

Notes

Tips for Success

• Always preheat your oven properly.
• Line the bases of the cake pans with parchment paper.
• Have ingredients at a cool room temperature.
• Measure the flour correctly is very important. See the information above for details.
• Sieve or whisk dry ingredients if necessary.
• If the buttercream is too thick, adjust with a little more orange juice. If it’s too thin, add a little more powdered sugar.
• Cool the cake completely before frosting.
• Bring Chocolate Orange Cake to room temperature for an hour before serving.

Remember that fresh squeezed orange juice makes all the difference to the flavor!

For more Tips and FAQ’s see the post above.

Tried this recipe? Give it a star rating and leave a comment below!

Nutritional Estimate Per Serving

Calories: 559kcal | Carbohydrates: 72g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 31g | Saturated Fat: 15g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 98mg | Sodium: 84mg | Potassium: 324mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 46g | Vitamin A: 771IU | Vitamin C: 10mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 3mg

Nutritional Disclaimer

Nutritional information is an estimate provided by an online nutrition calculator. For accurate results, it is recommended that the nutritional information be calculated based on the ingredients and brands you use.