A super moist and tender chocolate cake with citrus notes throughout. This one-bowl bundt cake recipe is easy enough for beginners, with no special equipment needed. And the chocolate-orange glaze is the perfect finishing touch!
I love making candied orange peels and dipping them in chocolate around the holidays. The whole house ends up smelling festive with the aromas of bright citrus and melted chocolate wafting through the house.
If you are a lover of the classic combination of citrus and chocolate, this cake is for you. It's moist and rich, and all you need is one bowl to make the magic happen. That's right - one bowl!
One of the secrets of this cake is that it is egg-less, and I use mayo and buttermilk in its place. This produces a super tender and moist cake [see: Strawberry Cornbread Cake and Dutch Apple Cake], and also gives it a slight tangy flavor.
The other secret is instant espresso powder, which intensifies the chocolate flavor, like in these Chocolate Old Fashioned Donuts. It's not a required ingredient, but I strongly recommend it.
Fresh orange juice, zest, and orange extract all work together to create bright and citrusy flavor. Once the cake has cooled, we make a smooth chocolate-orange glaze to finish it off.
It's a decadent chocolate orange bundt cake that will make a beautiful centerpiece for your holiday table.
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👩🏻🍳 Why You Should Make This Cake
- This cake recipe is easy enough for beginners! It's a "one-bowl cake" with no special equipment needed. You can use an electric hand mixer, or you can just mix by hand.
- Super moist cake that isn't cloyingly sweet. The chocolate-orange glaze is the perfect finish to this rich and decadent cake.
- A versatile cake that is rich enough for dessert but light enough for an afternoon tea cake.
- Using a bundt pan makes a beautiful presentation on your table!
- Chocolate and bright citrus are a classic combination, especially around the winter holidays.
💭 Expert Tips
- Use a high-quality cocoa powder. This is going to provide all of your chocolate flavor, and it makes a big difference. Dutch-processed (alkalized) is recommended since it will impact the taste and texture.
- Don't over mix your cake batter! Stir just until combined, and stop at the point where you can still see a small amount of flour. Over-mixing can toughen the gluten in your flour and create a denser, chewier cake. We don't want that; we want light and fluffy.
- Use fresh orange juice if possible. It will make a difference in the orange flavor. Store-bought orange juice can taste processed and mask the fresh citrus flavor.
- How to store: Store your cake in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- How to freeze: Wrap individual cake slices in foil and place them into a large freezer bag. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Grease your bundt pan well. We don't want any cake left in the pan when it is turned out onto a cooling rack.
- How to zest an orange: Whether you use a microplane, grater, or vegetable peeler, make sure that you aren't getting any of the pith of the orange. You just want the orange rind, which is where all of the oil (and flavor) is. Here is a guide on how to properly zest an orange.
🍰 Ingredients You'll Need
For the cake:
- Non-stick cooking spray - You don't want your cake sticking to your pan!
- All-purpose flour - Use your regular all-purpose flour for this recipe. You don't need to use cake flour as this recipe produces a very moist and tender crumb due to the buttermilk and mayonnaise.
- Unsweetened cocoa powder - This is where we are getting all of our chocolate flavor, so I recommend using a high-quality cocoa powder.
- Granulated sugar - If you want to substitute a bit of brown sugar for deeper molasses notes, you could substitute up to ½ cup of brown sugar.
- Baking soda - This is our leavener for the cake.
- Instant espresso powder - Espresso/coffee powder intensifies the chocolate flavor. It does not make your cake taste like coffee! You don't need to use this ingredient, but I highly recommend it.
- Freshly-squeezed orange juice and orange zest - Using fresh orange juice (and zest) really makes a difference in getting great orange flavor in this cake.
- Buttermilk - Provides a slight tangy flavor and helps to tenderize your cake.
- Mayonnaise - Mayo takes the place of eggs in this recipe, and provides a lot of moisture.
- Vanilla extract and orange extract - Adds warm vanilla and bright citrus flavor.
- Orange slices (garnish) - Adding orange slices is completely optional. Feel free to garnish your cake with whatever you have on hand.
For the glaze:
- Confectioner's sugar - Using confectioner's sugar makes a smooth, non-grainy glaze due to the addition of corn starch.
- Cocoa powder - Be sure to use good cocoa powder.
- Freshly-squeezed orange juice - Using fresh orange juice makes a difference, but you can always use store-bought juice if that is easier.
- Orange zest - Adds more bright citrus flavor.
🔪 Step-By-Step Instructions
Make the cake:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously coat 10-inch bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray.
Using an electric hand mixer or using a whisk (by hand), combine the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, espresso powder, and salt.
Add orange juice, buttermilk, mayonnaise, vanilla extract, and orange extract, and mix until just combined. *Do not over stir.
Using a rubber spatula, fold in the orange zest.
Pour cake batter into bundt pan and bake for 45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center of cake comes out clean.
Let cake cool in pan for 10-15 minutes, and then invert cake onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
Make the glaze:
Whisk together the confectioner's sugar, cocoa powder, orange juice, zest, and pinch of salt. The glaze should be thin enough to drizzle but not too runny.
Drizzle glaze over top of cooled cake.
*Optional: Garnish with 3 orange slices cut into wedges.
⏲️ Frequently Asked Questions
Although I have not made a vegan version of this cake, I recommend substituting plant-based yogurt for the buttermilk and plant based mayo for the regular mayo. The cake should be just as moist and delicious, but again, I have not tested this myself.
In theory, you should be able to substitute your favorite gluten-free flour for the all-purpose flour in this recipe, but I have not tested it. If you try it, please let me know how it turns out!
Mayonnaise is made of eggs and oil, so it's often used to boost the moisture level of baked goods. Although this recipe is "egg-less", the eggs are contained in the mayo.
Using buttermilk helps to tenderize the cake, and adds a slight tanginess as well. You could also use yogurt or sour cream in its place if you don't have buttermilk on hand.
Using espresso powder isn't required per se, but I highly recommend it. Adding espresso or coffee to any chocolate recipe always concentrates the chocolate flavor, and gives it a nice little boost. If you are caffeine sensitive (like myself), use decaffeinated instant espresso/coffee powder.
Enjoy your week, and feel free to drop me a line in the comments – I would love to hear if you try this recipe! Or tag me on Instagram @maryannehoekstra to let me know how it turned out! Also, if you are enjoying my blog, please consider recommending it to your friends. They can subscribe here.
📖 Chocolate Orange Cake Recipe
Equipment
- 10-inch nonstick bundt pan
Ingredients
For the cake:
- non-stick cooking spray
- 2 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 ½ cups freshly-squeezed orange juice
- 2 Tablespoons grated orange zest
- ½ cup buttermilk
- ¾ cup mayonnaise
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon orange extract (or Grand Marnier)
- 3 orange slices cut into wedges (optional garnish)
For the glaze:
- 1 ½ cups confectioner's sugar
- 3 Tablespoons cocoa powder
- 3 Tablespoons freshly-squeezed orange juice
- 1 teaspoon grated orange zest
- pinch of salt
Instructions
Make the cake:
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Generously coat 10-inch bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- Using an electric hand mixer or using a whisk (by hand), combine the flour, cocoa powder, sugar, baking soda, espresso powder, and salt.
- Add orange juice, buttermilk, mayonnaise, vanilla extract, and orange extract, and mix until just combined. *Do not over stir.
- Using a rubber spatula, fold in the orange zest.
- Pour cake batter into bundt pan and bake for 45 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into the center of cake comes out clean.
- Let cake cool in pan for 10-15 minutes, and then invert cake onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
Make the glaze:
- Whisk together the confectioner's sugar, cocoa powder, orange juice, zest, and pinch of salt. The glaze should be thin enough to drizzle but not too runny.
- Drizzle glaze over top of cooled cake.
- *Optional: Garnish with 3 orange slices cut into wedges.
Notes
- Use a high-quality cocoa powder. This is going to provide all of your chocolate flavor, and it makes a big difference. Dutch-processed (alkalized) is recommended since it will impact the taste and texture.
- Don't over mix your cake batter! Stir just until combined, and stop at the point where you can still see a small amount of flour. Over-mixing can toughen the gluten in your flour and create a denser, chewier cake. We don't want that; we want light and fluffy.
- Use fresh orange juice if possible. It will make a difference in the orange flavor. Store-bought orange juice can taste processed and mask the fresh citrus flavor.
- How to store: Store your cake in the refrigerator for up to 4 days.
- How to freeze: Wrap individual cake slices in foil and place them into a large freezer bag. Store in the freezer for up to 2 months.
- Grease your bundt pan well. We don't want any cake left behind when it is turned out onto a cooling rack.
Ruth
I love Terry's chocolate oranges at Christmastime, so I had to give this a go. I love that it was one-bowl, and it turned out so moist with the right amount of orange flavor! I added 2 tbsp. of Grand Marnier, and it wasn't boozy tasting at all. Thanks for the recipe!
Gastronotherapy
Hey, I remember those chocolate oranges! So happy to hear that you enjoyed this cake, Ruth, and I love that you added Grand Marnier! 😉