Billa Cakes: Recipe: Chocolate Orange Cake and Orange Cream Buttercream

Growing up, Terry's Chocolate Oranges were one of my favorite things to get in my Christmas stocking. I loved the pairing of orange and chocolate and the way the flavors melded on my tongue. Those chocolate oranges are the inspiration for today's cake recipe. I first did this recipe for my husband's birthday cake last year and it was a huge hit! This time around, we were celebrating the birthday of one of his coworkers, Becky. Originally this recipe was just the cake and the chocolate ganache, but I decided to add an orange cream buttercream to the mix this time and lemme tell ya, this will rock your socks, friends!

Orange Chocolate Cake
1 stick of butter
3/4 cup sugar
1 tsp orange extract
2 eggs
1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
1/4 cup milk, buttermilk, or whipping cream
1 cup (125 grams) flour
1/3 cup (40 grams) of cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder

1. Preheat oven to 325F and prep your pan with parchment paper and nonstick spray.
2. In a small bowl, combine the dry ingredients and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, cream the butter for about 1 minute and then add the sugar. Beat until light and fluffy.
4. Add in the extract and eggs and mix to combine.
5. With the mixer on slow, add in the flour and milk/juice mixture, alternating between the two.
6. Pour into prepared pan and bake for about 30 minutes or until inserted toothpick comes out clean.

Some food for thought...

Tangerines can be substituted for the orange juice. You can also use concentrated orange juice, but the flavor won't be as orangey or bold.
This recipe will make enough for one loaf or one 8" round layer. Multiply accordingly!

Orange Cream Buttercream
1 stick (1/2 cup) butter, room temp
1 pkg (8oz) of cream cheese, room temp
1 tsp orange extract
1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
4-6 cups of powdered sugar
Orange food coloring, optional

1. In a large bowl, cream the butter, cream cheese, and orange extract until smooth.
2. Add in the powdered sugar a cup at a time, until thick.
3. Add in the orange juice slowly and mix until smooth and creamy. If you choose to tint it orange, do so now!

Chocolate Ganache for Pouring
3 oz semi-sweet baking chocolate
3-4 oz heavy whipping cream

1. Roughly chop the chocolate and place it into a heat proof bowl.
2. In a large container, microwave the whipping cream on high for 1-2 minutes until boiling.
3. Pour the whipping cream over the chocolate and let sit for 2-3 minutes before whisking it together.
4. Once it has come together and is smooth and shiny, set it aside to cool for about 20 minutes. Pour it over a chilled and frosted cake.

Some food for thought...

For some helpful tips and tricks regarding ganache, check out my tutorial here.
If you plan on adding anything sprinkled on top of the cake, the time to do it is within five minutes of pouring. Once it's poured on a chilled cake, it sets up pretty quickly, so make sure you cover all those bald spots in time too!

For the giant petit four look I created, here's how I did it: I baked mine in a loaf pan, torted it once, and then cut it in half, so it formed a four layer square of cake. The orange cream buttercream went in between each layer and on the outsides, then it was chilled for about 20 minutes while I made the ganache. Once the ganache had cooled enough (about 20 minutes), I placed it on a wire rack over a cookie sheet and slowly poured the ganache all over. For the bare spots, use a spoon to scoop up any extra ganache and drizzle it over those areas. Orange peel was sprinkled on top and it was placed back in the fridge to continue chilling and setting up.

All said, I think the birthday girl liked it.