Chocolate Orange Cake

Prep/ Cooking Time: 1 hour and 20 minutes

Serves: 8-10 

Ingredients:

• 200g Dark Chocolate, chopped 
• 200g Plain Flour 
• 2 tbsp Cocoa Powder 
• 1 Orange Zested 
• 1 tsp Baking Powder 
• ½ tsp Bicarbonate of Soda 
• 225g Unsalted Butter, softened 
• 1 cup Caster Sugar 
• 4 Eggs 
• 1 tsp Vanilla Extract 
• ½ Cup of Milk  
• ½ tsp Sea Salt Flakes
  
  

• 250g Dark Chocolate, chopped 
• 400g Unsalted Butter, softened 
• 2 ⅓ cups Icing Sugar, sifted 
• ½ Orange Zest
• Extra Oranges to decorate top of cake

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 160°C.
   
   
2. Grease and line a 23cm springform cake pan with baking paper. Place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water (don’t let the bowl touch the water), stirring until melted and smooth. Set aside to cool. 
   
   

3. Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder, orange zest, bicarbonate of soda and a pinch of salt into a bowl. Set it aside.

4. Place the butter and caster sugar in a separate bowl and beat with electric beaters until thick and pale. Add the eggs, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition.

5. Add cooled chocolate and vanilla and beat well to combine. Fold in the flour mixture, then add the milk and gently stir to combine. 
   

6. Spread the batter into the cake pan and bake for 45–50 minutes until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. 

7. For the icing, place the chocolate in a heatproof bowl set over a saucepan of gently simmering water (don’t let the bowl touch the water), stirring until melted and smooth, then cool.

8. Place butter and sifted icing sugar in a separate bowl and beat with electric beaters for 6-8 minutes until it's very thick and pale. Carefully fold in the cooled chocolate.

9. Slice the cake in half and add 1/2 the icing on top of the bottom layer with 1/2 orange zest. 

10. Place the top layer on top of the bottom layer and spread the icing over the cooled cake, add sliced oranges to decorate and serve. It serves 8-10 people.