Chocolate and Orange Cake

The chocolate and orange cake is a delicious and fragrant dessert, combining the sweetness of chocolate with the citrusy freshness of orange. Here’s how to make it:

Ingredients

• 200 g of all-purpose flour
• 200 g of sugar
• 100 g of melted butter
• 150 g of dark chocolate
• 100 ml of fresh orange juice
• Grated zest of 1 untreated orange
• 3 eggs
• 1 packet of baking powder
• A pinch of salt

Preparation

1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C.
2. Break the dark chocolate into pieces and melt it in a double boiler or in the microwave, taking care not to burn it. Once melted, add the melted butter and mix until smooth.
3. Separate the yolks from the whites. Beat the yolks with the sugar until you have a light and fluffy mixture.
4. Add the chocolate and butter mixture to the yolk and sugar mixture. Then add the sifted flour, pinch of salt, and baking powder. Mix everything to combine the ingredients.
5. Fold in the orange juice and grated zest into the mixture.
6. Beat the egg whites until stiff and gently fold them into the batter using a spatula and movements from the bottom up, to not deflate the mixture.
7. Line a cake tin with parchment paper and pour the batter into it.
8. Bake for about 40 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
9. Allow the cake to cool before unmolding and serving it.

If you want to add an extra touch to your chocolate and orange cake, you could also prepare a chocolate and orange glaze to spread over the cooled cake’s surface or simply dust it with powdered sugar.

Curiosity

The combination of chocolate and orange is very common in patisserie, especially in France, where it is known as “chocolat à l’orange.” Its popularity is due to the contrast between the intense aroma of chocolate and the citrus freshness, which pair perfectly together.