Ultimate Chocolate Orange Cake

I’m not going to give much preamble for this, since it’s a bit of a mammoth recipe, but definitely worth it, if you’re a fan of chocolate orange. All I am going to say is: take a deep breath; take one step at a time; and remember that it will all be worth it in the end… also, please ignore my appalling decorating skills. As my sister always points out, it’s just going to get eaten, anyway!

Chocolate Orange Cake

Ingredients

• 1 medium orange
• 175g soft margarine
• 175g sugar
• 3 eggs
• 2 tbsp cocoa powder
• 2 tbsp warm water
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 200g wholemeal flour (or plain flour with 1 tsp bran flakes)
• 5 tbsp plain natural yoghurt

Method

1. Preheat the oven to 170°C and grease an 8” cake tin, lining the bottom.
2. Grate the rind of the orange and juice it, keeping the rind and juice separate.
3. Beat the margarine until it is soft and smooth, before adding the sugar and orange rind and continue beating until it is light and fluffy.
4. Crack the eggs into a small bowl and lightly beat. Add the beaten eggs into the margarine mixture a little at a time, beating well between each addition.
5. Put the cocoa powder and warm water into a small bowl and stir it to make a smooth paste. Then, add the cocoa powder mixture to the margarine and stir it in
6. Sift together the flour and baking powder (be sure to add and trapped bran flakes back in) and add half to the mixture. Add half of the yoghurt and gently fold the ingredients together. Repeat the process with the other half of the ingredients.
7. Add in the orange juice and fold it in.
8. Pour the batter into the cake tin and bake for 1 hour. If the cake does not feel firm at this point, put it back in the oven until it is firm. If it is baked, remove it from the oven and allow to cool completely before removing it from the tin.

Marmalade glaze

Ingredients

• Marmalade
• 240g dark chocolate
• 150ml plain natural yoghurt

Method

1. Heat approximately 2 tbsp of marmalade in a small pan over a low heat, stirring constantly. When the marmalade is fully melted, place it through a sieve to remove any peel.
2. Spread the glaze over the top of the cake, making sure that it does not run down the sides.

Note: this part is subjective. I’ve been told that I have a tendency to turn things into Jaffa Cakes, which for some reason is not always appreciated, hence the 2 tbsp limit, and there are people in my life who do not like chunky marmalade (I know that they are heathens, but they are not to be reasoned with). My point is that you can tailor this step to your own tastes. If you just want a mild glaze, then 1 tbsp might suit you better… or you can follow my example and melt an entire jar and just slather it on!

Chocolate Topping

Ingredients

Method

1. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler (a pan of boiling water with a heatproof bowl over it).
2. When the chocolate is melted, remove it from the heat and whisk in the yoghurt.
3. When it is cool, spread it over the cake.

Note: the yoghurt cools this mixture very quickly and you can’t let it get too hard otherwise it will be difficult to spread, as the photo of my cake proves!

Orange Mousse Chocolates

Ingredients

• 1 medium orange, juiced and zested
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 2oz butter
• 75g sugar
• 150ml double cream
• 1 tbsp sugar
• 1 tsp orange essence
• 1 tbsp condensed milk
• 200g orange chocolate, or as needed

Method

1. Make an orange curd: place the juice of 1 medium orange, the butter and sugar in a double boiler and heat until melted. When they have melted and combined, reduce the heat to low and start slowly adding the eggs, stirring constantly. Keep stirring until the custard has thickened. Remove from the heat and put aside to cool completely.
2. Whip the cream and 1 tbsp sugar to soft peaks (about 50%) and add in all the curd, the essence and the condensed milk. Whisk until thick and holding its own shape.
3. Set aside.
4. Melt the orange chocolate of your choice. There are different tempering techniques depending on if you are using white, milk or dark chocolate, so if you want to check that out, I’m going to have to suggest you look up better instructions than I can offer for your specific chocolate type.
5. Fill chocolate moulds with the melted chocolate (bonus points if they are in the shape of citrus segments), make sure all the sides are covered and then tip all the chocolate you can back into the bowl, leaving you with space to put your filling. Clean off the top of the mould to try and stop them all sticking together.
6. Once the moulds are set, fill a piping bag with your ‘mousse’ and fill the moulds, being sure not to fill them all the way, or sealing them off will be difficult.
7. Put the filled moulds in the freezer for 20 minutes, as this will make sealing them a lot easier.
8. Remelt your remaining chocolate and cover the openings, sealing in your chocolates.
9. Refrigerate until solid and then remove them from the moulds.

Decorating

Finely grate white chocolate over the top of the cake. Arrange the filled chocolates decoratively. Scatter candied orange peel for some colour. If you have any of the chocolate orange left, rather than throwing it away, fill moulds with it completely and add to the decorations! Go wild!

Serve with

Rum spiked orange and cinnamon hot chocolate.

• 80g Dark Chocolate
• 1 medium orange (zest of the whole orange and juice of half)
• 1 cinnamon stick
• 400ml milk
• Grumblebee Honey Spiced Rum to taste (at least 1 tbsp) https://courtneys.online/rum/grumblebee-honey-spiced-rum-70cl/
• Double cream
• 1 pinch powdered cinnamon

Method

1. Gently heat the milk over a low heat and add the orange zest and cinnamon stick. Stir continuously to prevent the milk from burning. Simmer for a minute to let the oils infuse.
2. Remove the cinnamon stick and add the chopped up dark chocolate. When the chocolate is completely melted, add the orange juice.
3. Add the rum and increase the heat to medium, stirring until the mixture is bubbling. Remove immediately.
4. Serve with soft whipped cream sprinkled with powdered cinnamon.