This Blood Orange Chocolate Cake is not just beautiful to look at, it tastes absolutely sublime too. I wanted a rich chocolatey fudgy cake topped with caramel orange slices and after some testing, that is exactly what I ended up with.
Blood Orange Chocolate Cake
This Blood Orange Cake is delicious. The chocolate cake itself is made with all the usual dry ingredients but using oil, milk and yogurt for the fat (instead of just butter) to make for a truly fudgy and chocolatey cake. This batter is then poured on top of the orange slices. The orange slices are simmered in a sugar syrup and then placed at the bottom of a lined tin.
I have been making versions of a Blood Orange Cake for the past few years (olive oil, cornflour etc. I have tried many variations), and have shared some in my insta stories. This is one of my favourites. The other one is coming soon. Over the years, no matter how many times I have seen a blood orange cake on insta or the internet (the first one I ever saw was via Not Quite Nigella, it has always stopped me in my tracks. They are so strikingly beautiful to look at and I wanted to make sure that the cake tasted as good as it looked. So I got experimenting!
Ingredients in Blood Orange Chocolate Cake
- Oil
- Milk
- Buttermilk or Yoghurt
- Egg
- Vanilla
- Coffee
- Plain Flour
- Caster Sugar
- Cocoa Powder
- Baking Powder
- Bicarbonate of Soda
- Salt
How to make Blood Orange Cake
This is a really simple cake to make. Full instructions are at the bottom of the page:
I cut 3 Oranges very thin and place them in a sugar syrup to simmer for 20 minutes. Then arrange them overlapping in the bottom of a lined tin with some coming up the sides. Reserve the syrup for later.
To make the cake, I combine Plain Flour, Caster Sugar, Cocoa, Baking Powder, Bicarb and Salt in a bowl.
I then mix Oil, Milk, Buttermilk or Yoghurt, Egg, Vanilla in a separate bowl. Then I stir in cooled Coffee.
I then combine the 2 and pour them over the orange slices and bake for 35 - 45 minutes at Gas 4/180 C.
Brush the reserved syrup over the top.
Can this be made ahead?
Countertop - This cake can be made up to a week ahead.
Freezer - The cake freezes beautifully too in my experience. Once the cake has cooled place in the fridge overnight, then wrap in cling film and place it in a resealable freezer bag or airtight container. Unwrap before defrosting in the fridge overnight.
more chocolate recipes you may enjoy:
Caramelised White Chocolate and Passion Fruit Cake
**if you make something from tiffin and tea, i would love to see your creations! don’t forget to rate this recipe and leave a comment below! we love to hear from you. safira x
Blood Orange Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
Blood Orange Topping
- 3 Blood Oranges Sliced finely, 4 - 5 mm, available from Tesco or Marks and Spencer
- 200 g Caster Sugar
- 250 ml Water
Cake
- 125 g Plain Flour
- 200 g Caster Sugar
- 35 g Cocoa Powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking Powder
- ¾ teaspoon Bicarbonate of Soda
- ¼ teaspoon Salt
- 65 ml Oil I used neutral flavoured like veg, sunflower
- 60 ml Milk
- 65 g Buttermilk or Plain or Natural Yoghurt
- 1 Egg
- ½ teaspoon Vanilla Paste
- 25 ml Coffee
Instructions
- Place sliced oranges in a pan with sugar and water. Bring to a boil and then simmer for 20 minutes. Carefully arrange oranges overlapping in the bottom of a 20 cm lined round tin. Reserve the syrup for later.
- Preheat oven to 180 °C/Gas Mark 4.
- Combine Plain Flour, Caster Sugar, Cocoa, Baking Powder, Bicarb and Salt in a bowl.
- Mix Oil, Milk, Buttermilk or Yoghurt, Egg, Vanilla in a separate bowl. Stir in cooled Coffee.
- Mix the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients. Pour the batter over the orange slices and bake for 35 - 45 minutes at Gas Mark 4/180 C.
- Brush the reserved syrup over the top whilst the cake is hot.
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