Chocolate Orange Cake
Indulge in the wild fusion of citrusy zest and velvety cocoa through this divine Chocolate Orange Cake! This vegan delight harmonizes the tangy brilliance of fresh oranges with the rich decadence of chocolate. Every bite will be leaving you craving more of this delightfully mischievous dessert.
Servings: 16 servings
Calories: 655kcal
Equipment
- 3 round cake pans (Ø20cm / 8")
- electric mixer with paddle attachment (or whisk)
- cake board (or parchment paper)
- cake platter or
- cake stand to serve
Ingredients
- 6 tablespoons flax meal
- 6 tablespoons water
- 600 mililiters plant milk (we used Ripple's shelf-stable non-dairy original milk)
- 120 mililiters orange juice
- 360 mililiters vegetable oil
- 450 grams organic cane sugar
- 3 teaspoon orange extract
- 2 teaspoon almond extract
- 375 grams unsweetened applesauce
- 450 grams unbleached all-purpose flour
- 105 grams unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¾ teaspoon salt
- 1 batch vegan chocolate buttercream (around 4 cups / 950g)
Instructions
Prepare cakes
- Preheat the oven to 355°F (180°C). Prepare your cake pans: grease or lightly spray with a neutral-flavored oil or vegan butter and flour it lightly. Prepare your flax egg, Set aside.
- To prepare flax egg: Combine the flax seeds with water in a small bowl or cup. Mix well and set aside for 5 minutes to allow the flax to bind.
- Whisk together the Ripple milk, orange juice, oil, sugar, orange extract, almond extract, and applesauce in a large mixing bowl. Add flax meal egg and mix again.
- Sieve your dry ingredients (cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, salt, flour) into the mixing bowl.
- Beat with an electric mixer with the paddle attachment until everything is combined (do not overmix). Alternatively, you can beat it with a whisk by hand. The batter will be looking a bit textured due to the applesauce and flax meal.
- Pour batter into the prepared pans. Bake for 60 minutes, or until cooked through. The cakes will be done when there is no wiggle in it. Let the cake cool completely before frosting.
Assembling and frosting the cake
- Before frosting, you need to prepare a buttercream or frosting. You can use our chocolate buttercream recipe. In addition, if cooled cakes are domed on top, use a large serrated knife to slice a thin layer off the tops to create a flat surface. This is called “leveling” the cakes. Discard the tops, or crumble them over the finished cake as decoration.
- Place parchment or cake board on your rotating cake stand. Dollop a tablespoon of buttercream onto it and flatten it out. Then add 1st cake layer. Evenly cover the top with frosting.
- Top with 2nd layer and spread more buttercream evenly all over the top. I always use an icing spatula and bench scraper for the frosting. Do the same for the 3rd cake layer.
- Spread buttercream all over the top and a thin first layer onto the sides, also known as a crumb coating. Chill the cake for at least 60 minutes in your fridge. If you need more visual assistance watch this video about how to layer and frost a cake.
- Once the crumb coat is set, you are ready to continue icing and decorating. At this point, continue icing the cake as you normally would. We like to add some candied or fresh orange slices as decoration, as well as orange zest and dark chocolate shavings. Then refrigerate the uncovered cake for at least another 60 minutes before slicing to help set the shape. After that, you can serve the cake or continue refrigerating for up to 4-12 hours before serving.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 frosted slice with buttercream | Calories: 655kcal | Carbohydrates: 82g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 37g | Saturated Fat: 6g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 17g | Monounsaturated Fat: 11g | Trans Fat: 2g | Sodium: 513mg | Potassium: 234mg | Fiber: 5g | Sugar: 52g | Vitamin A: 153IU | Vitamin C: 4mg | Calcium: 158mg | Iron: 3mg