Description
This Orange Chocolate Cake with Blood Orange Buttercream Frosting is a moist, deeply chocolatey dessert infused with bright orange zest and complemented by a tangy, creamy blood orange buttercream. It's a perfect blend of rich chocolate and citrus, adorned with dried orange slices and edible flowers for an elegant finish.
Ingredients
Scale
Cake Ingredients
- ⅔ cup all purpose flour
- ½ cup cocoa powder
- ⅔ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅓ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup buttermilk
- 2 tablespoon neutral oil (grapeseed, olive, or avocado oil)
- 1 large egg (room temperature)
- ⅔ cup brown sugar (packed)
- 3 tablespoons orange zest
- ¼ cup dark chocolate (melted and cooled)
- ⅓ cup espresso (or coffee)
- 3 egg whites
- 1 cup granulated sugar
Buttercream Frosting Ingredients
- 1 ⅓ cup unsalted butter (room temperature)
- ¼ cup cooled blood orange juice reduction (simmer ½ cup juice on medium low until ¼ remains)
- Zest of 2 blood oranges
Decoration
- Dried orange slices
- Fresh organic and food safe flowers
Instructions
- Prepare the Cake Batter: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit (175 degrees Celsius). In a bowl, sift together the all purpose flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In another large bowl, whisk the buttermilk, neutral oil, large egg, brown sugar, orange zest, melted dark chocolate, and espresso until fully combined.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Gradually add the dry ingredient mixture into the wet ingredients, stirring just until combined. Be careful not to overmix to keep the cake tender.
- Whip Egg Whites: In a separate clean bowl, beat the 3 egg whites until soft peaks form. Slowly add granulated sugar while continuing to beat until stiff peaks are achieved, forming a glossy meringue.
- Fold Egg Whites into Batter: Gently fold the whipped egg whites into the cake batter in thirds, carefully incorporating without deflating the mixture to maintain a light texture.
- Bake the Cake: Pour the batter evenly into a prepared 8-inch round cake pan lined with parchment paper and lightly greased. Bake in the preheated oven for 35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Cool the Cake: Remove the cake from the oven and allow it to cool in the pan for 10 minutes. Then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before frosting.
- Make Blood Orange Buttercream: In a bowl, beat the room temperature unsalted butter until creamy and fluffy. Gradually add the cooled blood orange juice reduction and blood orange zest while continuing to beat until smooth and spreadable.
- Assemble the Cake: Once the cake is completely cooled, spread the blood orange buttercream evenly over the top and sides of the cake using an offset spatula.
- Decorate: Garnish the frosted cake with dried orange slices and fresh organic, food-safe flowers for an elegant presentation.
- Serve: Slice into 8 equal pieces and enjoy this rich and citrusy chocolate cake.
Notes
- Use freshly zested oranges for the best citrus flavor.
- Make sure egg whites are whipped to stiff peaks to give the cake a light texture.
- If you don't have blood oranges, regular oranges can be used for the buttercream but with a milder flavor.
- The blood orange juice reduction can be prepared in advance and stored in the refrigerator.
- Allow the cake to cool completely before frosting to prevent melting of the buttercream.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 serving
- Calories: 303 kcal
- Sugar: 45 g
- Sodium: 300 mg
- Fat: 8 g
- Saturated Fat: 2 g
- Unsaturated Fat: 5 g
- Trans Fat: 1 g
- Carbohydrates: 58 g
- Fiber: 3 g
- Protein: 5 g
- Cholesterol: 22 mg
