The Best Chocolate Orange Cake (Perfect for Holidays!)
This holiday-favorite chocolate orange cake features rich orange cake layered with chocolate buttercream frosting for an irresistibly moist and flavorful cake.
Begin by preheating your oven to a temperature of 350 degrees Fahrenheit. You'll then need to prepare a large, specifically a 16x22 inch cake pan. To do this, lightly grease the pan and line it with a sheet of parchment paper for easy removal of the cake later on.
Next, sift together your dry ingredients. This should include all-purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder, and a pinch of salt. This process will help to remove any lumps and allow for a smoother batter.
Using an electric mixer, beat together the eggs and sugar on a high setting for about five minutes. The result should be a mixture that is light, fluffy, and pale yellow in color.
At this point, reduce the mixer speed to medium or low and add in the vanilla and orange extracts, orange zest, and buttermilk. Continue to blend these ingredients for another minute. The consistency of the batter will be somewhat thin, which is exactly what we want.
Once you have mixed these ingredients well, remove the bowl from the mixer stand. Gradually add the dry ingredients you sifted earlier into the egg mixture, about half a cup at a time.
Use a whisk or a silicon spatula to gently incorporate the dry ingredients with each addition, taking care not to deflate the air pockets as much as possible.
How to Bake the Orange Cake Layers
Pour the prepared cake batter into the greased and lined cake pan. Let it bake in your preheated oven for about fifteen minutes.
After baking, remove the cake from the oven and let it cool on the baking sheet for approximately ten minutes. Then, transfer it from the baking sheet onto a cooling rack for further cooling.
Repeat this process to make another sheet cake using the same ingredients. You will need two sheet cakes for this recipe, so make sure that both are completely cool before moving on to the frosting stage.
How to Make the Orange Cake Frosting
The frosting for this cake involves a chocolate ganache, which you should prepare first and allow it to cool completely.
To make the frosting, beat room temperature butter until it becomes creamy and smooth. Then, add cream cheese and continue to beat until both ingredients are well combined.
While the mixer is running on low speed, add in the vanilla extract and a shot of espresso coffee. Next, stir in the cooled chocolate ganache and continue mixing until it is well combined.
Add in the unsweetened cocoa powder, followed by powdered sugar in increments of half a cup at a time. Once the powdered sugar is well blended in, increase the speed of the mixer to high and beat for another minute.
How to Assemble the Orange Cake
Once your cake layers are completely cooled, it is time to assemble the cake.
Start by splitting each sheet cake in half vertically to create four separate cake layers. Spread an even layer of frosting over each cake layer.
Roll the first layer as you would a jelly roll and make sure that the cake doesn't break. Continue this process with the remaining layers, lining them up with the previous roll.
Once all layers are rolled and frosted, wrap the entire cake in parchment paper and refrigerate for at least eight hours, or ideally overnight.
Decorating the Orange Cake
The next day, prepare another batch of frosting. Carefully remove the parchment paper from the cake and frost the top and sides.
Create a swirl design on the top and sides of the cake using an offset spatula or a cake decorating comb.
Decorate the cake with fresh pine tree stems and frosted orange slices for a festive touch. Return the cake to the fridge for a couple more hours before serving.