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Fluffy, chocolate cake layers filled with orange curd and finished with an orange chocolate buttercream frosting. This Orange Chocolate Cake tastes like a candy chocolate orange turned into a cake!
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4.50 from 2 votes

Orange Chocolate Cake

Fluffy, chocolate cake layers filled with orange curd and finished with an orange chocolate buttercream frosting. This Orange Chocolate Cake tastes like a candy chocolate orange turned into a cake!
Prep Time1 hour
Cook Time30 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: dessert
Keyword: Orange Chocolate Cake
Servings: 1 8" cake

Ingredients

Cake

  • 2  cups  sugar
  • 1 3/4  cup  all purpose flour
  • 2  tbsp  cornstarch
  • 3/4  cup dark cocoa powder
  • 2  teaspoons  baking soda
  • 1  teaspoon  salt
  • 2  large eggs
  • 1  large egg yolk
  • 1  cup  vegetable oil
  • 2  teaspoons  vanilla extract
  • 1/2  cup  coffee
  • 1/2  cup  boiling water
  • 1  cup  buttermilk

Orange Curd Filling

  • 1/4 cup butter softened
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 2 tablespoons fresh orange zest
  • 1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
  • 2 large eggs

Orange Chocolate Buttercream

  • 1/2 cup unsalted butter softened
  • 1/2 cup all vegetable shortening
  • 1 tablespoon fresh orange zest from about 1 large orange
  • pinch salt
  • 3/4 cup cocoa powder
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 3 cups powdered sugar
  • 3-4 tablespoons fresh squeezed orange juice
  • 1-2 tablespoons whipping cream

Assembly

  • 1-2 small oranges peeled and pieces separated

Instructions

Cake

  • Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line 3, 8" pans with parchment paper. Flour & butter sides of pans.
  • Whisk together sugar, flour, cornstarch, cocoa powder, baking powder, and salt. Then add following eggs, egg yolk, oil, vanilla, coffee, water, and buttermilk. Beat on medium speed until all ingredients well combined, about 2 minutes. The batter is thin.
  • Divide batter evenly among the three prepared pans. Bake until toothpick comes out of center of cake with just a few crumbs, about 25 minutes. Let cool for at least 5 minutes before removing from pans. Let cool completely before frosting.

Orange Curd Filling

  • In large bowl or stand mixer with whisk attachment, beat butter, sugar, and orange zest until lightened and fluffy.
  • Then, beat in orange juice and eggs.
  • Transfer mixture to a pot over medium heat. Cook, stirring constantly, until thickened, about 10 minutes. Mixture will be about 170 degrees.

Orange Chocolate Buttercream

  • Use electric mixer to beat together butter, shortening, and orange zest until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
  • In a small bowl, stir together salt, cocoa powder, and powdered sugar. Alternate beating in cocoa mixture and orange juice/whipping cream into butter mixture. Do this by adding in cocoa mixture (1/2 cup at a time), followed by 1/2 to 1 tablespoons of orange juice and 1/2 tablespoon of whipping cream. Repeat until desired consistency and taste is reached.

Assembly

  • Level cooled cake layers. Pipe buttercream around outside edge of two layers. Divide orange curd between the two layers. Stack filled layers on top of each other and place third layer leveled side down on top.
  • Apply a thin layer of buttercream to outside of entire cake. Place cake in refrigerator for 10-20 minutes. After this, finish frosting and decorating as desired. May then decorate with orange pieces.