As far as cake is concerned, I’m basically a from-the-box person. I grew up eating cake made from a mix and I have no complaints whatsoever. I would say that even if I didn’t work for a company that makes cake mix. I swear.
But then I read about Ina Garten’s Orange Chocolate Chunk Cake on smittenkitchen. Orange and chocolate are two of my favorite flavors together and the thought of them in a cake was just too much to bear.
I wish I could tell you I made this cake, but I can’t. While I was busy obsessing about the gnocchi, AC was kind enough to take charge of the cake. Overall she said it wasn’t hard to make, but it wasn’t exactly for beginners either. She credited my Microplane (a Christmas gift) and my double boiler insert with making the process a bit speedier.
I lack words to describe this cake. “Awesome, “incredible and “unbelievable” come to mind and I’m not even a sweets person. I don’t know if it’s because I didn’t make it and so, by default, it tasted great (even mac and cheese from a box tastes better when someone makes it for me), or because it’s just plain delicious. I think a little of both. I cannot recommend it highly enough. It's moist and scrumptious and chocolatey without being over the top. It's super orangey and wonderful.
I may own a lot of kitchen gadgets, but I don’t own a covered cake stand. Instead I just turned a bowl upside down and used it as a cover.
Ina Garten’s Orange Chocolate Chunk Cake
From Barefood Contessa Parties!
½ pound unsalted butter at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 extra-large eggs at room temperature
¼ cup grated orange zest (from 4 large oranges)
3 cups all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
¾ cup buttermilk at room temperature
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
2 cups good semisweet chocolate chunks
Syrup:
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
Ganache:
8 ounces good semisweet chocolate chips
½ cup heavy cream
1 teaspoon instant coffee granules
1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan.
2. Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, then the orange zest.
3. Sift together 3 cups flour, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, combine the orange juice, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately in thirds to the creamed butter, beginning and ending with the flour. Toss the chocolate chunks with 2 tablespoons flour and add to the batter. Pour into the pan, smooth the top, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
4. Meanwhile, make the syrup. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, cook the sugar with the orange juice until the sugar dissolves. Remove the cake from the pan, set it on a rack over a tray, and spoon the orange syrup over the cake. Allow the cake to cool completely.
5. For the ganache, melt the chocolate, heavy cream, and coffee in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally. Drizzle over the top of the cake.