Chocolate Orange Cake

This chocolate orange cake is super moist and rich and so easy to make. Topped with a decadent chocolate orange frosting for the perfect layer cake.

I am so excited to share my recipe for this rich and delicious chocolate orange cake. The combination of chocolate and orange is just heavenly.

It’s ultra moist and so rich and chocolatey it just melts in your mouth. And the frosting? Well that really takes it over the edge. So if you love rich chocolate flavors combined with tangy orange then this is the cake for you.

This recipe is adapted from our divine chocolate cake recipe and the frosting is adapted from our perfect chocolate buttercream frosting.

Ingredients You’ll Need For This Chocolate Orange Cake Recipe:

Ingredient Notes

• Instant espresso powder – is an optional ingredient but it really enhances the rich chocolate flavors in this cake. You can also use instant coffee powder.
• Canola oil – can be replaced with any vegetable oil.
• Orange extract – is the main source of orange flavor in this cake.
• Orange zest – we use 1 tablespoon of orange zest in this cake which combines with the orange extract to really make the orange flavors pop.
• Homemade buttermilk – you can make your own homemade buttermilk substitute by mixing lemon juice with room temperature milk. However if you happen to have real buttermilk on hand then you can use that too.

Ingredients For Chocolate Orange Frosting:

Frosting Notes

• Orange extract – is the main source of orange flavor in this buttercream.
• Butter – can be lightly salted or unsalted. If you use unsalted butter then you may want to add ⅛ teaspoon of salt to the frosting recipe.
• Milk – should ideally be whole milk for the creamiest result, but any milk will do.

How To Make Chocolate Orange Cake

Full instructions and measurements can always be found in the recipe card at the bottom of the post. This is a summary of the process to go along with the process photos.

• Sift all purpose flour and cocoa powder into a mixing bowl and add sugar, baking soda, baking powder, salt and instant espresso powder. Mix together.

• Prepare your homemade buttermilk by adding 1 tablespoon of lemon juice to a measuring jug and then adding room temperature milk up to the 1 cup (240ml) line. Let it sit for a minute to curdle.
• Add the buttermilk, canola oil, eggs, orange extract and orange zest to the dry ingredients and stir it into a thick batter.

• Now add in the hot water and use a hand whisk to whisk it into the batter. The batter will be thin.

• Divide the batter evenly between two 9-inch cake pans (sprayed with non-stick spray and lined with circles of parchment paper at the bottoms).
• Place into the oven and bake at 350°F for 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the cakes comes out clean.
• Let the cakes cool in the pans for a few minutes before transferring them to a wire cooling rack to cool completely before frosting.

• Prepare your frosting by adding softened butter to the bowl of your stand mixer. Starting at slow speed, gradually increase speed until the butter is smooth and slightly pale in color.

• Add powdered sugar, cocoa powder, orange extract and milk. Starting at slow speed, gradually increase speed and let it beat for a few minutes until it’s very fluffy and smooth.

• When the cakes have cooled completely, frost them with the chocolate orange buttercream frosting.

• Decorate with chocolate shavings and place orange slices around the cake (optional).

Baker’s Tips For The Best Chocolate Orange Layer Cake

Measure the flour correctly. If you have a food scale then the most ideal way to measure your flour is to weigh it out on your food scale. If you don’t have a food scale then use the ‘spoon and level’ method. Spoon it into your measuring cup and then level off the top with a knife. Don’t scoop the flour and don’t pack it into the cup.

Don’t overmix the batter. Once the wet ingredients are added to the dry mix it briefly into a batter. Add the hot water and use a hand whisk to mix it again. It’s super important that you only mix as much as necessary and be very careful not to overmix the batter or it can affect your texture and rise.

Let the cakes cool completely before frosting. If the cakes are even slightly warm when you frost them the frosting will just melt right off. So make sure the cakes are completely cool (cold in fact) before you frost them.

Cake pans. You can also bake this cake in two 8-inch cake pans. Baking time will increase to 35 minutes. You can also make it as a 9×13 sheet cake. Baking time will be 35-40 minutes.

Recipe FAQ

Can you make cupcakes from this recipe? This recipe makes 24 cupcakes. Bake for 20 minutes. For a perfect 12 cupcakes check out our recipe for chocolate orange cupcakes.

Can you make this cake gluten free? You can replace the regular flour in this recipe with a gluten free all purpose flour blend.

Storing and Freezing

Keep your cake stored at room temperature in a covered container where it will stay good for 3-4 days. Alternatively store it in a covered container in the fridge for up to 7 days.

You can freeze this cake for up to 3 months. Thaw it in the fridge overnight and then bring to room temperature before serving.

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