Chocolate goes with so many things. Chocolate mint, chocolate strawberries, chocolate cherry, chocolate peanut butter (my personal favorite), chocolate caramel… the list goes on and on. In December, I am reminded of how well chocolate and orange work together. We all start seeing those chocolate orange candies that are fun to smack down and break into segments, and winter is citrus season. My mom really likes chocolate and orange, and I used the iconic candy as inspiration for this cake with her in mind. The next time you are walking down the seasonal candy aisle, go ahead and stock up on candy canes, but maybe put some of the chocolate oranges in your cart and give this cake a try.
Pro Tips:
As with most of my layer cakes, there are a number of components. I will often make the cake over two days, baking the cake layers on day one, and working on fillings/frostings/assembly on day two.
I use Ghirardelli baking chocolate bars for this. One 4 oz bar is just about what you need for this recipe.
This is optional, and the ganache filling can be used as a typical ganache, but whipping it adds air and changes the texture to be more like a chocolate truffle candy. It is well worth the extra time.
The Terry’s chocolate orange makes for perfect decoration.
While this is optional, I really like candied orange as decoration on the cake. You can candy an orange by thinly slicing an orange and boiling it in a syrup of 3 cups sugar to 3 cups water for one hour. After boiling, drain the orange slices and place on a rack to dry. It will take about 24 hours for the orange slices to dry.
Chocolate Orange Truffle Cake
Inspired by the chocolate oranges you find at Christmastime, this chocolate layer cake has a chocolate orange truffle filling, chocolate buttercream, and is decorated with candy and oranges.
- Prep Time: 2 hours
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 3 hours
- Category: cake
- Cuisine: dessert
Ingredients
For the Cake:
3 cups flour
2 cups sugar
1 cup cocoa powder
1 1/2 Tablespoons baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
3 eggs
1 1/2 cups vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1 1/2 cups warm water
For the Filling:
3/4 cup heavy cream
3/4 cup chopped chocolate
1/4 teaspoon orange oil
For the Frosting:
2 1/2 cups butter at room temperature
1 cup cocoa powder
pinch of salt
4 cups powdered sugar
For the *Optional* Decorations:
One chocolate orange, candied orange slices, chocolate drip( 1/3 cup heavy cream heated and add 1/2 cup chocolate chips to melt and stir), shaved chocolate.
Instructions
Preheat oven to 350
Prepare three 8″ round pans by spraying with cooking spray and lining the bottoms with parchment.
For the Cake:
In a large mixing bowl or the bowl of a stand mixer, mix the dry ingredients of flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, and kosher salt. Stir in the eggs, and add the oil, buttermilk and water. Once mixed, divide the batter between the 3 pans and bake for 25-30 minutes. The cake should be set in the middle and spring back when lightly touched. When baked, remove from oven and let set for 5-10 minutes before turning out of pans. Cool completely before filling and frosting the cake.
For the Filling:
In a small saucepan, or using a bowl in the microwave, heat the cream until warm but not boiling. Add the chopped chocolate and let sit until melted. Add the orange oil and stir the chocolate and cream together. Allow to cool to room temperature. At this point, you can use the ganache as it is for filling your cake, but I recommend whipping it for a true truffle like texture. Place the ganache into the bowl of a mixer and mix on medium high speed for about 4 minutes. This will add air to the ganache and lighten the texture.
For the Frosting:
Mix the butter, cocoa powder, salt, and powdered sugar on high for 4-5 minutes for a light, fluffy frosting.
To Assemble:
Place one cake layer on a cake stand and pipe frosting around the edge. Fill the center with the ganache filling. Top with a second cake layer and repeat, ending with a layer of cake on top. Use the remaining buttercream to frost and decorate your cake. Have fun adding garnish and decorations to make the cake pretty and festive.
Notes
*Use good quality chocolate in the ganache. Flavor is everything.
*Use a cake tester inserted into the cake to test for doneness. A toothpick or cake tester should come out with a few moist crumbs, but should not look wet when the cake has baked.
Keywords: chocolate, orange, truffle, holiday, layer cake
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