The Ultimate Chocolate Orange Cake

I don’t often post a lot of recipes on here. I like to eat, I like to cook, but I’m not hugely accomplished in the kitchen and don’t always have a lot of time. But when Valentine’s Day loomed, I knew I had to surprise hubby with something he’d love…welcome The Ultimate Chocolate Orange Cake!

Now as I say, I’m not accomplished, so I totally followed a recipe for this one, but added in my own tweaks to make it to mine and hubby’s taste and maximise on the chocolatey-oranginess (that is a word!).

The bulk of the recipe is based on Mary Berry’s ‘Very best chocolate and orange cake’ but I added the following tweaks:

  • I used 75g of dark chocolate and 75g of milk chocolate for the icing (instead of just 150g dark chocolate) – we like it creamier and milky
  • To dress the cake at the end, I finished it with segments of Terry’s Chocolate Orange, instead of shavings of dark chocolate – again maximising on the chocolatey-oranginess

I won’t bore you by running through every stage of the recipe, because I think Mary Berry does it well enough 🙂

But here is some photographic evidence of my cooking, each step of the way…

the ultimate chocolate orange cake prepared baking tins hollygoeslightly

Baking tins greased with butter and the bases lined with baking/grease-proof paper.

the ultimate chocolate orange cake ingredients hollygoeslightly

I’m a messy cook! But this is the bowl of ingredients mixed together for the sponges.

the ultimate chocolate orange cake orange zest hollygoeslightly

What’s left of my grated orange.

the ultimate chocolate orange cake mixture hollygoeslightlythe ultimate chocolate orange cake cake mixture baking tins hollygoeslightly

Mixture separated into 2 baking tins (20cm tins), just before they went in the oven.

the ultimate chocolate orange cake sponges in tins hollygoeslightly

Here’s what they  looked like when coming out of the over. Now, as my over is fan-assisted, I cooked them for 20 mins. But when I turned them out onto the cooling rack, I realised the cake and mixture was still quite soft. So I think I should’ve put them in for 25 mins. Instead I popped them back in as they were for 5 mins.

the ultimate chocolate orange cake cooked sponges hollygoeslightly

Whilst they cooled, I prepped my chocolate for the icing – 1/2 milk, 1/2 dark.

the ultimate chocolate orange cake chocolate hollygoeslightlythe ultimate chocolate orange cake chocolate pieces hollygoeslightly

Then disaster struck! The sponges didn’t seem cooked all the way through, despite me popping them back in the oven for 10 mins…perhaps my mixture was slightly out?! So I could only salvage one sponge…

the ultimate chocolate orange cake disaster hollygoeslightlythe ultimate chocolate orange cake cooked sponge hollygoeslightly

Which, with my head held high and my chin up, I proceeded to spread with apricot jam! I would salvage this bloody cake if it’s the last thing I’d do…

the ultimate chocolate orange cake apricot jam hollygoeslightly

 

Finishing off with the lovely icing and segments of Terry’s Chocolate Orange, here is the finished result (I made an eton-mess-style concoction with the destroyed half!). the ultimate chocolate orange cake hollygoeslightly

 

Why is baking so blimmin’ hard?!

Let me know if you are more successful with your recipe.

 

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