Dark Chocolate Orange Cake

byDalya Rubin Updated:

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When thinking of a heavenly chocolate cake with hints of orange flavor, this is what comes to mind! Get excited to try this Dark Chocolate Orange Cake!

Dark Chocolate Orange Cake
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Dark Chocolate Orange Cake is simple to make, plus this recipe is gluten free & dairy free!

If I told you this Dark Chocolate Orange Cake recipe is a 1-bowl recipe, would that peak your interest? It definitely makes me way more susceptible to make a cake if:

  1. Made in 1 bowl!
  2. Doesn't need an electric mixer!

WooooWoooo! This is definitely a big plus to this recipe & I hope you give it a try this weekend. You can't pass up this easy-to-make Chocolatey Orange Cake.

Best Cocoa for this recipe

I always opt for Hershey's Cocoa Powder! I swear, no other conventional store-bought brand, does this cake justice like Hershey's does.

How to make this cake

It's easy as pie!

  1. Whisk together dry ingredients.
  2. Mix in the wet ingredients.
  3. Fold in the chocolate chunks & orange zest.
  4. Bake!
  5. Add chocolate ganache icing as decoration & enjoy!

Of course, all good things come with time! (I was very tempted to write "thyme"). This cake takes around 50-60 minutes to bake, and you're left with a super moist crumb and airy cake, filled with chocolatey & orange flavors.

Dark Chocolate Orange Cake sliced
Dark Chocolate Orange Cake sliced
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Dark Chocolate Orange Cake

Makes: 10 -15 servings
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Prep Time: 20 minutes
Cook Time: 1 hour
Dark Chocolate Orange Cake is simple to make, plus this recipe is gluten free & dairy free, perfect for your summer baking!
Recipe by Dalya Rubin

Ingredients
 

For the Cake:
  • 1 ½ cups Bob’s Red Mill 1 to 1 Gluten Free Baking Flour
  • 1 ½ cups sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1 teaspoon baking powder
  • ¼ teaspoon salt
  • 6 heaping Tablespoons cocoa powder
  • 2 large eggs
  • ¾ cup vegetable or canola oil
  • ½ cup water
  • ½ cup orange juice
  • ¼ cup semi sweet chopped chocolate, or chocolate chunks/chips
  • 1 tablespoon orange zest, approx zest of 1 large orange or 2 regular sized oranges
For the Chocolate Ganache Icing:
  • ½ cup canned coconut milk
  • 8 oz chopped chocolate or chocolate chips

⭐️ Before you begin! If you make this, will you do me a huge favor afterwards and leave a review and rating letting me know how you liked this recipe? This helps my small business thrive so I can continue providing free recipes and high-quality content for you.

Instructions
 

Make the Cake:
  1. Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease an 8” or 9” circle cake pan with cooking spray. I like to grease a non-stick pan with oil & line with a parchment paper circle. Set aside. 
  2. In a large bowl, whisk together the gluten free baking flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder & salt. Sift in the cocoa powder if it’s clumpy; if not clumpy, mix right in! 
  3. Make a well in the center of the dry ingredients using a mixing spoon and pour in the eggs, oil, water & orange juice. 
  4. Whisk ingredients together until a chocolatey cake batter forms. 
  5. Fold in the chopped chocolate & orange zest. 
  6. Transfer the cake batter to the greased pan and spread evenly. 
  7. Bake in the center rack of the oven for 50-60 minutes. A toothpick should come out mostly clean from the center (keep in mind the melted chocolate chunks may make the toothpick somewhat wet when testing the cake). 
  8. Allow the cake to cool for 15 minutes before flipping onto a wire cooling rack to finish cooling. 
  9. Prepare chocolate ganache frosting (recipe outlined below).
  10. Spread chocolate ganache frosting onto the cooled cake, decorate with orange slices & serve! 
  11.  
Make the Frosting:
  1. Place chopped chocolate into a large bowl. Set aside.
  2. Place the coconut milk in a small pot and bring to a simmer over high heat. 
  3. Once simmering, pour over the bowl of chocolate and allow it to sit for 5 minutes. 
  4. Mix together with a rubber spatula or a spoon until smooth and thickened. 
  5. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap and refrigerate for 30 minutes before using. 
  6. Note: If the frosting gets too firm once ready to use, microwave for 15 seconds to soften.

Nutrition

Serving: 1Serving, Calories: 461kcal, Carbohydrates: 57g, Protein: 4g, Fat: 27g, Saturated Fat: 7g, Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g, Monounsaturated Fat: 12g, Trans Fat: 1g, Cholesterol: 41mg, Sodium: 232mg, Potassium: 143mg, Fiber: 4g, Sugar: 40g, Vitamin A: 84IU, Vitamin C: 7mg, Calcium: 53mg, Iron: 2mg

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9 Comments

    1. I'd love to work on this recipe! Are you subscribed to the email list to get the new recipe udpates?

      Reply

  2. THIS CAKE IS FREAKING INCREDIBLE!!! And not incredible 'for a GF cake', but for ANY CAKE!! It's so fluffy and moist at the same time..
    My gluten-eaters assumed I had made an exception and baked them a regular cake..and then I ate it in front of them!???
    I made some tiny changes, and made an amazingly fluffy pareve mocha 'buttercream' frosting. Heaven!!
    ????Thank you!❤

    Reply

    1. This makes me so happy to hear!! I'm so happy you loved the cake. ❤️ The mocha buttercream sounds heavenly too!

      Reply

    1. Hi! I haven't tested this recipe with other sugar substitutes so I can't say for sure. Best of luck if you give it a try with a sugar alternative!

      Reply

    2. I can't wait to try this! I'm going to make my adult daughter a woodland themed cake for her birthday and I thought the chocolate orange would be so good. Do you see this being made into two to three round cakes (2-3x the recipe) and stacking them?
      Thank you so much!

      Reply

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