Chocolate Orange Cake from URBAN BAKES

Hey everyone!

Well, I’m in Minneapolis now spending some time with my sister before we head back home and I have one last fabulous guest post for you! Oh man, I wish I could have a bite of this cake! It’s from Connie from URBAN BAKES. I just guest posted for Connie while she was away on vacation and now she’s doing me the favor! In case you missed that post, here’s more about Connie. We met back in May at BlogHer in Miami. Connie is truly talented, passionate about what she does and is spunky! I love her spirit and her crazy amazing, beautiful cakes, blondies, tarts, cupcakes, frozen treats like this lemon cherry sorbet (this one is gorgeous!) and the list goes on. Connie can bake, yo.

So, if you’re ever in need of a fabulous baked dessert, you must visit Connie’s blog and follow her on social media!! Facebook | Twitter | Pinterest | Google+

Here’s Connie!!

Hi there Hip Foodie Mom readers!  I’m Connie a chocoholic New Yorker and blogger of URBAN BAKES and I’m thrilled to be here guest posting for Alice while she’s on a much needed vacation.  As my blog name implies, I bake… A LOT!  From breakfast to desserts, I get great satisfaction transforming what I’ve made from scratch into something beautiful right from the oven.  I only wish I was half as good as a cook as Alice is!  She’s got skills!

I was introduced to Alice’s blog through a mutual friend a little less than a year ago and have been glued ever since.  Plus, I was lucky enough to meet her in person at the BlogHer Food event earlier this year.  She is one smart, beautiful, selfless gal; always giving a helping hand when she can.  I’m so happy to be able to call her a friend therefore, I baked her a cake.

I really don’t know what in this world cannot possibly go well with chocolate.  Maybe I have a biased opinion here but I do think orange with chocolate is an amazing combination.  While this tender cake is full of rich chocolaty goodness the orange citrus is light in flavor yet remains detectable giving the cake depth of flavor.  Pour ganache over the top and garnish with twisted orange peel and you’ve got yourself one of the easiest cakes sure to impress your friends and family.   I hope you enjoy it!

Print Recipe

Chocolate Orange Cake from URBAN BAKES

NOTES: A slightly greater amount of orange extract may be substituted for orange emulsion. To make orange peel, use a vegetable peeler to peel the skin of the orange. Be sure to not peel into the white flesh as this gives a bitter taste. Cut 2-inch long strands from peel about ¼-inch wide and twist strands around your index finger to create a curl; release.

Course: Dessert

Author: Connie from URBAN BAKES

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 2 oz. unsweetened baking chocolate chopped
• 1 cup unsalted butter softened
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup sour cream
• 2 tablespoons grated orange peel or 1 teaspoon of orange emulsion
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 3 eggs
• 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ¼ teaspoon salt

For the ganache:

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 1/3 cup heavy cream
• ¼ teaspoon orange emulsion optional
• ¼ cup fresh orange peel optional

Instructions

For the cake:

• In a small bowl, melt baking chocolate in microwave on HIGH for 30 seconds, stir. Microwave for an additional 15 seconds until about 75 percent of chocolate has melted. Continuously stir until smooth; set aside to cool.
• Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease and lightly flour a 12-cup fluted tube cake pan; set aside.
• In large bowl, cream butter and sugar using an electric mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in melted chocolate, sour cream, orange peel (or emulsion), vanilla and eggs until just combined.
• On low speed, beat in remaining cake ingredients. Note: You may notice batter may be more airy than most cake batters, this is okay. Spread evenly into pan.
• Bake for 30 to 40 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center of cake comes out clean. Leave cake to cool in the tube pan for 20 minutes, remove and allow additional cooling for about 1 hour.

For the ganache:

• Meanwhile in a small saucepan set on medium heat, melt 1 cup chocolate chips. Stir in cream. Whisk mixture until ganache is smooth and uniform in color.
• Remove from heat. Stir in orange emulsion.
• Once cake has cooled, drizzle ganache over the top and allow it to drip down the sides. Garnish with fresh orange peel. ENJOY!

Chocolate-Orange Cake recipe was adapted from (p. 86) of Betty Crocker: The Big Book of Cakes.

Thank you so much, Connie for this guest post!! See you soon!!