If you’re someone who loves those foil-wrapped chocolate oranges in your Christmas stocking, you’re going to fall hard in love with this tasty dessert recipe. My Orange Chocolate Cake with Blood Orange Buttercream frosting is moist and deeply chocolatey with a swoosh of brightly acidic, decadent icing for a treat that just might be better than the candy it was based on.
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About This Recipe
If you have been following the blog for a while now, you already know that I have an affinity for playful flavor pairings - Vanilla Bean & Rose, Banana & Brown Butter, Black Sesame & Matcha to name a few. This Blood Orange Chocolate Cake recipe is yet another fun twist on a classic combination.
To start, I took inspiration from my One-Pan Double Chocolate Cake recipe. This simple chocolate cake is my go-to base recipe because it is super moist, perfectly tender, easy to execute, and extra chocolatey. I also love having single-layer cake recipes in my back pocket since ours is just a two-person household.
From there, I wanted to impart the sweet citrus flavor of blood oranges. Adding orange zest to the sugar included in the cake batter was merely the beginning. I then created an extravagant blood orange swiss meringue buttercream to pile onto the moist orange chocolate cake base.
Using dried citrus slices alongside edible flowers as my garnish atop the pillowy frosting gives the final cake an air of sophistication. And while this show-stopper may look like it took all day to create, the reality is you only need about 2 hours before you have it ready to eat.
Ingredients
Most of the ingredients you’ll need for this blood orange chocolate cake are probably already in your pantry. Here are a few notes to keep in mind:
- Brown Sugar - Either light or dark will work well here. Dark will lend more caramel and burnt toffee notes to the final flavor.
- Cocoa Powder - I almost always prefer to reach for Dutch-processed cocoa powder because it is less bitter than other alternatives.
- Buttermilk - This ingredient can do some wondrous things in the kitchen, especially when it comes to baking. If you don’t have any on hand, feel free to make your own by adding a teaspoon of acid (e.g. lemon juice or white vinegar) to each cup of milk (dairy or plant-based). Stir, then let sit for about 5 minutes to curdle before using.
- Egg & Egg Whites - You’ll need whole eggs for the cake and just egg whites for the blood orange buttercream. Eggs are easiest to separate when they are still cold from the fridge, but you should let the whites come to room temp before using them in the recipe.
- Dark Chocolate - Be sure to use high quality chocolate here; Lindt, Scharffen Berger, Guittard, or Valrhona are all excellent brands.
- Espresso - For whatever reason, the addition of espresso (or coffee) to chocolate desserts makes them taste more chocolatey. I usually keep instant espresso in my pantry for such occasions, but feel free to use any coffee (instant or otherwise). If you are sensitive to caffeine, be sure to use a decaf option.
- Fresh Oranges and Blood Oranges - Whenever possible, reach for fresh citrus; the flavor is always superior to bottled juices. I also love that fresh fruit opens up the opportunity for using the essential oil-packed zest for an added boost of bright, sunshiney flavor which will be added to both the buttercream and chocolate cake base!
Equipment
This simple single-layer orange chocolate cake recipe doesn’t require a whole lot of kitchen equipment to create. Here’s what you’ll need:
- Stand Mixer with Paddle and Whisk Attachment - This blood orange chocolate cake recipe requires a lot of mixing. Do your arms a favor and invest in a stand mixer; you’ll be so happy you did!
- 8-inch Cake Pan - This is an incredibly versatile recipe - instead of using a single 8-inch cake pan, you could turn this chocolate cake into two 6-inch cakes or cupcakes! Due to the different vessel sizes, you’ll need to adjust the times depending on the type of pan that you use. Here are some tested bake times and pan sizes:
2 6-inch cake pans: Bake for 35-40 minutes
Cupcake Tins: Bake for 25-30 minutes
- Parchment Paper -The easiest, most foolproof way I know to get a professional looking cake every single time is to line my baking tins with parchment. It takes just a few extra seconds and will save you from a whole lot of heartache.
How to Make/The Method
This single layer blood orange chocolate cake is pretty straightforward. Simply make the cake, make the blood orange buttercream frosting while it cools, then assemble! Here’s how it’s done:
Make the Dark Chocolate Orange Cake
Make Cake Batter: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Whisk together the flour, orange zest brown sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt in a mixing bowl. In a separate bowl whisk together the buttermilk, oil and egg until smooth. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until fully incorporated. Add the melted dark chocolate and coffee - then mix to combine.
Bake & Cool: Pour batter into a greased 8-inch cake pan and bake for 30-35 minutes. Make sure to check that the cake is fully baked with a toothpick before removing it from the oven. Allow it to cool for about 5-10 minutes in the pan before inverting onto a cooling rack and allowing it to cool completely.
Make Blood Orange Buttercream
Heat the eggs and sugar. Add the granulated sugar and egg whites into the bowl of a stand mixer. Place the bowl over a saucepan of simmering water and whisk until the sugar dissolves. Move the bowl back to the stand mixer and whisk until medium peaks form.
Add the butter and eggs. Mix in one butter knob at a time before slowly incorporating each egg.
Add the flavor. Once the buttercream turns glossy and smooth, add the vanilla extract, blood orange juice, and blood orange zest.
Assemble
Once your orange chocolate cake is fully cooled, dollop on the blood orange buttercream frosting. Using the back of a spoon or an offset spatula, swoosh and swoop it into a pretty design. Top with edible flowers and dried citrus slices for a stunning garnish. Now tuck in and enjoy!
Expert Tips
- Remember to preheat your oven before making your batter. Both baking soda and baking powder begin to react as soon as they touch liquid. If you wait too long before putting the cake in the oven, you’ll lose out on some of their lifting powers, resulting in a denser, chewier cake.
- Layer on the garnish. Just because the cake itself isn’t layered doesn’t mean your decorations can’t be. I added a couple of different layers of toppings, starting with some finely chopped dark chocolate sprinkled around the edge. Then I added some dried orange slices of different colors and edible flowers for visual interest.
- Roll your citrus before cutting. To ensure you get the most blood orange juice from your fruit, first give it a firm roll on the countertop for about 10-15 seconds before cutting into it.
Frequently Asked Questions
Generally speaking, blood oranges are less tart and more floral than their standard orange counterparts. If you are unable to find blood oranges, feel free to swap in another heirloom variety like Cara Caras, or simply use navel orange instead.
Swiss meringue is made from butter, sugar, and egg whites whereas regular buttercream is made from butter, powdered sugar, and the flavor of your choice (like vanilla extract or raspberry sauce).
I find that the texture of swiss meringue is incredibly smooth and velvety, and the flavor is not overly sweet. Regular buttercream, while still very smooth and creamy, has a heavier texture and is rich in flavor.
Absolutely! The orange chocolate cake can be made, cooled, wrapped well in plastic, and frozen for up to a month. The blood orange swiss meringue buttercream can be made up to a week in advance and refrigerated; just be sure to give it a good whip before frosting the cake.
Absolutely! Feel free to make your own plant-based buttermilk by using your favorite non-dairy milk and adding about ⅓ of a teaspoon of lemon juice or light vinegar. Stir and let sit for 5 minutes before using. Also, use a cultured non-dairy butter for the buttercream, and you should be good to go!
More Blood Orange Recipes
- Cardamom Blood Orange Italian Soda with Cream
- Blood Orange Pisco Sour
- Clementine and Blood Orange Gin Sour Cocktail
As always, I love seeing your creations and hearing from you! If you try this Orange Chocolate Cake with Blood Orange Buttercream recipe, please share your creation with me on social media! You can find me on Instagram, Facebook, Youtube and Pinterest - for more delicious recipes sent straight to your inbox, sign up for my newsletter!
Orange Chocolate Cake with Blood Orange Buttercream Frosting
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with Paddle and Whisk Attachment
- Saucepan
- 8 inch Cake Pan
- Parchment Paper
- Cooling Rack
- Bowls
- Spatula
- Whisk
Ingredients
Dark Chocolate Orange Cake
- ⅔ Cup (84 g) All Purpose Flour
- ½ Cup (43 g) Cocoa Powder
- ⅔ teaspoon Baking Soda
- ⅓ teaspoon Baking Powder
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ⅓ Cup (80 g) Buttermilk
- 2 tablespoon (30 g) Neutral Oil, grapeseed, Olive or Avocado Oil
- 1 Large Egg, room temperature
- ⅔ Cup (140 g) Brown Sugar , packed
- 3 Tablespoons Orange zest
- ¼ Cup (44 g) Dark Chocolate, melted & cooled
- ⅓ Cup (30 g) Espresso, or coffee
Blood Orange Buttercream
- 3 (100 g) Egg Whites
- 1 Cup (200 g) Granulated Sugar
- 1 ⅓ Cup (300 g) Unsalted Butter , room temperature
- ¼ Cup (60 g) Cooled blood orange juice reduction, (simmer ½ cup of juice on medium low until ¼ remains)
- Zest of 2 blood oranges
Garnish
- Dried orange slices
- Fresh organic & food safe flowers
Instructions
Dark Chocolate Cake
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder and salt into a mixing bowl.⅔ Cup All Purpose Flour, ½ Cup Cocoa Powder, ⅔ teaspoon Baking Soda, ⅓ teaspoon Baking Powder, ½ teaspoon Salt
- In a separate bowl whisk together the buttermilk, oil, brown sugar, egg and orange zest until smooth. Pour the wet ingredients into the dry and mix until fully incorporated.⅓ Cup Buttermilk, 2 tablespoon Neutral Oil, 3 Tablespoons Orange zest, 1 Large Egg, ⅔ Cup Brown Sugar
- Add the melted dark chocolate and coffee – then mix to combine.¼ Cup Dark Chocolate, ⅓ Cup Espresso
- Pour batter into a greased 8-inch cake pan and bake for 25-30 minutes. Make sure to check that the cake is fully baked by testing with a toothpick before removing it from the oven and allowing it to cool completely.
Blood Orange Buttercream
- Add your sugar and egg whites to the bowl of a stand mixer and place over a saucepan of boiling water.3 Egg Whites, 1 Cup Granulated Sugar
- Make sure that your bowl is not touching the hot water! Your goal is to simply whisk the egg whites and sugar together over a gentle heat until the sugar has completely dissolved, then attach your bowl back to the standing mixer. The temperature should read 165 F before it’s ready to be removed from the heat.
- Whisk mixture starting at a medium speed and gradually increase until soft peaks form and the mixture has cooled. Switch to using your paddle attachment, then start adding your butter one tablespoon at a time.1 ⅓ Cup Unsalted Butter
- When you’ve reached the point where the buttercream is glossy and smooth, turn the mixer speed back to low. Add blood orange reduction, and mix on low until combined, before finally mixing in the zest. Spread across the top of your cake, top with dried orange slices and flowers, and enjoy!¼ Cup Cooled blood orange juice reduction, Zest of 2 blood oranges, Dried orange slices, Fresh organic & food safe flowers
Notes
- Remember to preheat your oven before making your batter. Both baking soda and baking powder begin to react as soon as they touch liquid. If you wait too long before putting the cake in the oven, you’ll lose out on some of their lifting powers, resulting in a denser, chewier cake.
- Layer on the garnish. Just because the cake itself isn’t layered doesn’t mean your decorations can’t be. I added a couple of different layers of toppings, starting with some finely chopped dark chocolate sprinkled around the edge. Then I added some dried orange slices of different colors and edible flowers for visual interest.
- Roll your citrus before cutting. To ensure you get the most blood orange juice from your fruit, first give it a firm roll on the countertop for about 10-15 seconds before cutting into it.
- Can I make this cake ahead of time? Absolutely! The orange chocolate cake can be made, cooled, wrapped well in plastic, and frozen for up to a month. The blood orange swiss meringue buttercream can be made up to a week in advance and refrigerated; just be sure to give it a good whip before frosting the cake.
Laura
Hi Emily, I'm thinking of using this recipe to make a small 2 tier wedding cake for friends 8"x2 6"x2. Is this cake too heavy/ dense to layer?
Thank you!
Emily
Hi there Laura! Great question - I've actually used this cake to make a wedding cake as well and it worked beautifully. The cake I made was a bit larger so I used supports (thick straws) to help support the two tiers for extra insurance but it should be perfectly fine!