Description
This decadent Chocolate Orange Cake with Grand Marnier combines rich chocolate ganache with the bright citrus flavor of tender boiled oranges and a splash of orange liqueur for an elegant, moist layered dessert perfect for special occasions or afternoon tea.
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 medium orange (ideally seedless)
- ¼ cup (60ml) buttermilk
- 2 tbsp olive oil
- 3 large eggs (room temperature)
- 1 ¾ cups (330g) sugar
- 2 cups (260g) all-purpose flour (plain flour)
- ½ cup (60g) ground almonds (or almond flour)
- 1 tbsp cornstarch (cornflour)
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda (bicarbonate of soda)
- ⅓ tsp salt
- ⅞ cup (200g) unsalted butter (cold, cubed)
Ganache
- 1 ½ cups (375ml) heavy cream (double cream)
- 2 cups (370g) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ⅓ cup (100g) golden syrup
- ¼ cup (65g) unsalted butter
- 1 pinch sea salt
Decoration & Assembly
- ⅓ cup (80ml) Grand Marnier (or other orange liqueur)
- 2 tbsp orange strips (optional)
Instructions
- Make the Ganache: In a large mixing bowl, combine cream, golden syrup, chocolate chips, and butter. Microwave in 30–40 second bursts until cream is warm and chocolate begins to melt. Let rest briefly.
- Stir and Blend the Ganache: Use a spatula to gently stir from the center outward in small circles until smooth and glossy. For thicker ganache, blend with an immersion blender fully submerged. Cover with plastic wrap and let cool at room temperature for 4–5 hours or overnight. Do not refrigerate.
- Preheat Oven and Prepare Pans: Set oven to 320°F (160°C). Mist three 8-inch cake pans with release spray and line bottoms with parchment paper.
- Boil the Orange: Place the whole orange in boiling water, simmer until very soft (about 20 minutes), then cool.
- Puree the Orange: Slice orange, remove seeds, and blend into a smooth paste in a food processor. Use about 1 cup (200g) for the cake.
- Mix Wet Ingredients: In a small bowl, whisk together buttermilk, olive oil, eggs, and orange paste until combined. Set aside.
- Mix Dry Ingredients: In a stand mixer bowl fitted with paddle attachment or large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, ground almonds, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix briefly on low speed.
- Add Butter to Dry Mix: Incorporate cubed butter by beating on low speed until mixture looks sandy and uniform without large butter chunks.
- Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients: Pour wet mixture into dry ingredients. Beat on low to medium speed until batter is smooth, scraping bowl edges as needed for even mixing.
- Divide and Bake: Evenly distribute batter into prepared pans, level tops, and bake for about 20 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in center comes out clean.
- Cool Cakes: Allow cakes to cool in pans for 5–10 minutes before turning out onto wire racks. Cover with plastic wrap to retain moisture while cooling completely.
- Brush with Grand Marnier: Warm Grand Marnier in a saucepan, then brush over cake layers to soak in aroma and flavor.
- Assemble the Cake: Place bottom layer on serving plate, spread or pipe a generous layer of ganache, then stack second layer and repeat. Add third layer and cover entire cake with ganache, smoothing sides with a bench scraper.
- Decorate: Swirl or pipe remaining ganache on top and garnish with orange strips if desired. Store covered at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Notes
- Do not refrigerate the ganache after it is made to avoid hardening and loss of shine.
- Using a seedless orange ensures a smooth paste without bitter seeds.
- Allow cakes to cool completely before assembling to avoid melting the ganache.
- For best flavor, use high-quality semi-sweet chocolate and fresh orange liqueur.
- The cake is best enjoyed within 4 days when stored at room temperature.