Chocolate Orange Easter Cake
Ingredients
For the chocolate cake:
125g plain flour
225g caster sugar
50g cocoa powder
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda¼ tsp salt
125ml buttermilk
60g melted butter
1 egg, beaten
125ml water
For the orange cake:
175g plain flour
225g caster sugar
1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
¼ tsp salt
125ml buttermilk
60g melted butter
1 egg, beaten
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
125ml water
For the icing and filling:
260g white chocolate
300g very soft butter
600g icing sugar
Finely grated zest of 1 orange
1 tsp orange extract (optional)
Good quality orange curd
How to make it
The cakes
- Heat oven to 180C/160C fan/gas mark 4.
- Butter and line the base of a 20cm round springform cake tin with baking
parchment. - Combine the plain flour, caster sugar, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda and salt in a large bowl.
- Whisk the buttermilk into the melted butter and egg, followed by the water. If you can’t find buttermilk, pour 110ml milk into a jug and add ½ tbsp lemon juice. Leave to stand for five minutes until thickened.
- Pour the wet mixture into the dry ingredients, whisk or beat until you have a smooth batter. Pour the batter into your prepared tin.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes until risen and a skewer inserted comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before turning out on to a cooling rack.
- Repeat to make a second chocolate cake.
- Repeat the process again using the ingredients for the orange cake, adding the zest to the wet ingredients.
- The cakes freeze well undecorated if you don’t have time or enough cake tins to make them all in one go.
The decoration
- Prepare the icing by melting the white chocolate in a bowl over simmering water.
- Beat the butter, zest (and extract if using) and gradually add the icing sugar. Add the melted chocolate and beat again until smooth.
- Trim the tops of the cakes using a sharp knife to level them. This mix produces a delightfully sticky sponge so you will need to keep cleaning the blade.
- Place one of the chocolate cakes on your serving plate. Spread an even layer of icing to the edge of the cake, followed by a thin layer of orange curd, leaving about 1cm around the edge.
- Place the orange cake on a plate or board and spread with the icing and curd. Place this layer on top of the first chocolate layer.
- Place the second chocolate cake on a plate or board and spread with the icing. Place on top of the orange layer.
- Use the remaining icing to coat the side of the cake. Use a palette knife or small straight bladed knife to spread around the side, being careful not to drag too many chocolate cake crumbs into the white icing. You may find you have a little icing left over. To create a smoother finish, warm a palette knife in a jug of hot water, dry, and smooth the icing more.
- Decorate with your choice of Easter eggs, bunnies and chocolates.
- Enjoy!