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chocolate orange cake on a plate with orange twist on top
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Chocolate Orange Cake

This chocolate orange cake is moist, decadent, and bursting with chocolate and natural orange flavor in the cake and in the chocolate orange buttercream. Easy to make too!
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Prep Time 25 minutes
Bake 22 minutes
Total Time 47 minutes
Servings 16 slices
Calories 383kcal
Author Gabby

Ingredients

Chocolate Orange Cake

  • cup all-purpose flour
  • ½ teaspoon salt
  • teaspoon baking soda
  • ½ teaspoon baking powder
  • ¾ cup unsweetened Dutch processed cocoa powder
  • ½ cup canola oil (or other neutral oil)
  • cup granulated sugar
  • 2 tablespoon orange zest
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
  • 2 eggs
  • ¼ cup orange juice
  • ½ cup milk (regular or dairy free)
  • ¾ cup hot water

Chocolate Orange Buttercream

  • ¾ cup butter, softened (regular or vegan)
  • ¼ cup + 2 tbsp vegetable shortening (or butter if not dairy free, SEE NOTES)
  • tablespoon orange zest
  • ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
  • ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
  • 2½-2¾ cup powdered sugar (icing sugar/confectioner's sugar) SEE NOTES
  • ½-1½ tbsp milk, if needed (regular or dairy free)

Instructions

  • Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare two 8 inch round cake pans. Spray the inside with cooking spray, then cut round pieces of parchment paper so that they fit in the bottom of each pan (do not skip the parchment paper lining!)
  • Whisk flour, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda together in a large bowl.
  • Add in the eggs, vanilla, oil, orange zest, orange juice, and milk. Pour in the hot water and mix until smooth.
  • Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 20-26 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cakes comes out clean.
  • Let the cakes cool in the pans, then run a butter knife around the outside of the cake to loosen it from the pan and flip upside down onto a cooling rack.
  • Make the buttercream. In the bowl of a standing mixer or handheld mixer, beat butter and shortening together until combined. Skip if using all butter. Beat in the cocoa powder until smooth.
  • Add in the orange zest, then add the icing sugar, ¼ cup at a time until desired consistency is reached. If the buttercream is too thick, add in milk 1 tablespoon at a time to thin it out to the consistency you want. If it's too thin, add in more confectioner's sugar (powdered sugar) ¼ cup at a time.
  • Once the cakes have cooled completely, frost them and enjoy!

Notes

PLEASE NOTE: I highly recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh your dry ingredients. Metric measurements are found above under the "Metric" tab.
MEASURING FLOUR: Properly measure your flour and cocoa powder using either a kitchen scale or using the scoop and level method.
POWDERED SUGAR: When making the buttercream, start with 2 ½ cups of powdered sugar. After adding in the cocoa powder, add in more powdered sugar if the buttercream is too thin. 
MILK: For the buttercream, you can add in ½ tablespoon or more if it seems too thick.  Add the milk a little at a time until you've reached your desired consistency.
ORANGE EXTRACT: If you don't have enough oranges for the amount of zest required, or if you want a really strong orange flavor, add ¼ - ½ teaspoon of orange zest into the cupcakes.
VEGETABLE SHORTENING: Vegetable shortening can be replaced at 1:1 ratio with more butter. Note that if you are using a soft dairy free butter, the shortening helps keep it firmer.
Cake Pan Adjustments:
9 Inch Round Cake Pans: Cake layers will be slightly thinner and bake quicker. Start checking on them after around 16 minutes in the oven.
9x13 Rectangular Pan: Bake for around 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. You will only need around half of the amount of buttercream since there aren’t any layers.
3 Layer Cake: Whenever I want to convert a two layer cake into a three layer cake, I find it easiest to just divide the batter between three cake pans. You will have thinner cake layers using this method, since the cake batter is divided between three pans. Alternatively, you can also multiply the ingredients in the recipe by 1.5.
Storage and Freezing Instructions:
The cake can be stored covered at room temperature for 3-4 days (I use a cake carrier)
To freeze the cake layers: Once completely cooled, tightly wrap each individual layer in plastic wrap, then wrap with aluminium foil. Put the cakes into a large ziploc bag for up to 3 months, then thaw at room temperature.
To freeze individual cake slices: Same method as above.
To freeze buttercream: Leftover buttercream can be stored in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months. Thaw in the fridge when ready to use. Once thawed, you can use a handheld or standing mixer to re-whip it back to its fluffy consistency.

Nutrition

Calories: 383kcal | Carbohydrates: 49g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 21g | Saturated Fat: 5g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Monounsaturated Fat: 10g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 21mg | Sodium: 271mg | Potassium: 166mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 35g | Vitamin A: 457IU | Vitamin C: 3mg | Calcium: 33mg | Iron: 2mg