Chocolate Orange cake

Every time we open a box of cadburys Milk Tray, I always pick the orange flavoured chocolate. There's something about the orange flavour that cuts through the extreme creamy taste of chocolate. Its fantastic. It also smells gorgeous!..

Seriously, open up a box of Terry's chocolate orange and just smell it. You won't be able to resist picking up a piece and popping it in to your mouth.

I have loved orange flavoured chocolate as long as I can remember. Many years back in Africa, Cadbury's used to make something called 'Supa Snack'. I LOVED it!!! It was layers of wafer covered in an orange flavoured cream and coated in milk chocolate. Infact, I have a picture of myself as a complete baby holding a half eaten bar and chocolate smeared all over my face.

I don't think they make it anymore :-( I have searched high and low for it the last few times we went back home, but never found it.

Anyway, now that you all know how amazing I find orange flavoured chocolate, you will understand why this is without a doubt my favouritest cake ever!!!

I found the recipe for Dark chocolate and orange cake online on the GoodFood website and was so excited to make it.

This recipe doesn't use only the zest of the orange- oh no!! You have to use the entire orange so you get the lovely bang of flavour when you dig into this cake.

Not only are the results of baking this cake amazing, but the actual process is really fun too.
I'm not one who licks the spoon after mixing up the ingredients of a cake, but this one- I can't resist..it even tastes amazing uncooked!!!!

There's something really satisfying blitzing up a whole orange in the food processor. It may sound crazy but you would know what I mean if you try it yourself :-)

The results?? A moist, fluffy, ultra chocolatey, amazingly orange-y cake filled with tiny chewy bits of orange. 

The recipe includes a chocolate ganache to pour over the cake. It's gorgeous, but that's only if you don't mind the extra intensity of chocolate on top. I found making a milk chocolate ganache or whipping it into a mousse much yummier. I also added some extra orange chocolateyness by chopping up some Orange flavoured chocolate and sprinkling it over the top of the cake.

Also, you don't really have to follow the exact measurements of the ganache, make it according to the consistency that you enjoy.

Hate to break it to the rest of the world, but I ain't sharing this cake with anybody!!! :-P

Try baking it...you'll totally get what I mean!

Ingredients

1 Orange

100g plain chocolate

3 eggs

280g caster sugar

240ml sunflower oil

25g cocoa powder

250g plain flour

1 1/2 tsp baking powder

For the chocolate ganache:

200g plain chocolate

225 ml double cream

Method

Pierce the orange with a skewer (right through). Cook in boiling water for 30 minutes until soft. Whizz the whole orange in a food processor until smooth; let it cool.

Preheat the oven to 180C/gas 4/fan 160C.Grease and line the base of a 23cm/9in round cake tin. Melt the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water or in the microwave for 2 minutes on High, stirring after 1 minute. Let it cool.

In a large bowl, lightly beat the eggs, sugar and oil. Gradually beat in the puréed orange, discarding any pips, then stir in the cooled melted chocolate. Sift in the cocoa, flour and baking powder. Mix well and pour into the tin. Bake in the centre of the oven for 55 minutes, or until the cake springs back when lightly pressed in the middle. (Check after 45 minutes and cover with foil if it is browning too much.) Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the tin, then turn out on to a wire rack to cool completely.

Make the chocolate ganache: put the chocolate into a heatproof bowl. Bring the cream to the boil and pour over the chocolate. Leave for 2 minutes, then stir until smooth. Set aside until firm enough to spread over the cake - up to 1½ hours.

Transfer the cake to a serving plate. Using a palette knife, swirl the ganache over the top.

Have fun :-)

-S