Description
Ina Garten’s chocolate orange cake melds rich chocolate with zesty citrus notes. Dense layers combine deep cocoa and bright orange flavors, creating a luxurious dessert you’ll savor with each indulgent bite.
Ingredients
Scale
- 8 tbsps (1 stick; 113 grams) unsalted butter, softened
- 6 tbsps (85 grams) butter, at room temperature
- 1 large egg + 1 egg yolk
- 2 oz semisweet chocolate, melted and slightly cooled
- 1 cup (130 grams) flour
- ¾ cup (145 grams) brown sugar
- ½ cup (40 grams) cocoa powder
- ½ cup (40 grams) cocoa powder
- 2 tbsps (25 grams) white sugar
- ¾ cup whole milk
- 1 ½ cups (168 grams) powdered sugar
- 1 tbsps fresh orange juice
- Zest of half a large navel orange (~1 tsp)
- ½ tsp fresh navel orange zest
- ½ tsp white vinegar
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- ¼ tsp baking soda
Instructions
- Preheating and Preparation: Set the oven to 350°F (175°C) and thoroughly grease an 8-inch baking pan to prevent sticking.
- Creating the Base Mixture: Cream butter, brown sugar, and white sugar until light and fluffy, then integrate whole egg, extra egg yolk, and fresh orange zest, blending until thoroughly combined.
- Incorporating Dry Ingredients: Gently sift flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt over the wet ingredients, mixing minimally to avoid overmixing.
- Liquid Integration: Combine milk and vinegar to create a slight curdling effect, then fold into the batter, stirring until just incorporated and maintaining a smooth consistency.
- Baking Process: Pour batter into the prepared pan, spreading evenly, and bake for 20-22 minutes. Verify doneness by inserting a toothpick that comes out clean or with minimal crumbs.
- Cooling and Frosting Preparation: Allow cake to cool completely at room temperature. Whip softened butter with orange zest, fresh orange juice, cocoa powder, and powdered sugar until achieving a smooth, creamy frosting texture.
- Final Assembly: Spread frosting evenly across the cooled cake surface, optionally garnishing with additional orange zest for enhanced visual appeal and flavor complexity.
Notes
- Zest with Care: Grate orange zest carefully to avoid bitter white pith, using only the bright orange outer layer for maximum flavor intensity.
- Prevent Overmixing: Stir batter minimally to keep cake tender, stopping just when ingredients are combined to maintain a light, delicate texture.
- Temperature Matters: Use room temperature ingredients, especially butter and eggs, to ensure smooth blending and consistent cake structure.
- Moisture is Key: The milk-vinegar mixture creates a subtle tanginess and helps produce an incredibly moist, soft chocolate cake that stays fresh longer.
- Prep Time: 30 minutes
- Cook Time: 22 minutes
- Category: Desserts
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 8
- Calories: 370
- Sugar: 37 g
- Sodium: 180 mg
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated Fat: 11 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 0 g
- Carbohydrates: 52 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Cholesterol: 70 mg