Orange Chocolate Cake

After seeing Zoe and many other bloggers rave about this cake, it went straight to my do it now list. I am so glad I made this. This is certainly one of the easiest and most delicious chocolate cakes I've made. 

I love anything orange flavoured so the refreshing zesty flavours that accentuate the chocolate-y goodness of this cake is a large plus point. I'd have to say that chocolate and orange is a match made in heaven, that is where baked goods are concerned. 

Since then, I've made it three times and everyone loved it... this recipe has gone on my to bake list for picnics or pot luck. 

Orange Chocolate Cake (1 Loaf)
A Nigella Lawson Recipe from Bake for Happy Kids

Ingredients

• 160 g soft unsalted butter, plus extra for greasing
• A dab flavorless vegetable oil, for greasing syrup spoon 
• 2 tbsp golden syrup or dark corn syrup (I used maple syrup) 
• 1 cup dark brown sugar 
• 1 cup all-purpose flour
• 1/2 tsp baking soda 
• 3 tbsp best-quality unsweetened cocoa powder, sifted 
• 2 eggs 
• zest of 2 regular orange and juice of 1 (1/3 cup) 
• 80 g chopped dark chocolate or chocolate droplets

Method

• Preheat the oven to 325°F (170°C) and line your loaf pan with parchment paper and grease the sides, or line with a paper loaf-pan liner.
• Beat the already soft butter with the syrup - if you dab a little oil on your tablespoon measure with a sheet of paper towel, the syrup shouldn't stick to the spoon - and the sugar until you have a fairly smooth caffe Americano cream, though the sugar will have a bit of grit about it. 
• Mix the flour, baking soda (or baking powder), and cocoa powder together, and beat into the syrup mixture 1 tbsp of these dry ingredients before beating in 1 egg. Then add another couple of spoonfuls of the dry ingredients before beating in the second egg. 
• Carry on beating in the remaining dry ingredients and then add, still beating, the orange zest and finally, gradually, the juice. At this stage, the batter may suddenly look dimpled, as if slightly curdled. No need to panic! Stir in chopped chocolate if you wish. 
• Pour and scrape into the prepared pan and bake for 45 mins (or 20 mins for smaller loaves), though check 5 mins before and be prepared to keep it in the oven 5 mins longer if need be. A cake tester won't come out entirely clean, as the point of this cake, light though it may be, is to have just a hint of inner stickiness. Let cool a little in its pan on a wire rack, then turn out with care and leave on the rack to cool. 

This post is linked to the Bake Along #60 organised by Joyce from Kitchen Flavours, Lena from Frozen Wings and Zoe from Bake For Happy Kids