I’m not big on Valentine’s day but I’m real big on baking something fancy and chocolate-y for my family and friends! This orange chocolate cake is fancy-looking and not overly rich but every bit as flavorful, delicious, and memorable. It’s surprisingly gluten-free, nut-free, eggless, and dairy-free making it the perfect cake to bake for a gathering of people with many different dietary needs. If you’ve never tasted dark chocolate and orange paired together, it may sound strange but trust me, it’s SO good! It’s one of my favorite dessert flavors out there (and that’s really saying something!). This cake is made with rich, dutch cocoa powder and real orange zest for optimal flavor and then topped with a simple, yet delectable, whipped dark chocolate orange ganache. The chopped orange zest sprinkled on top was just for pictures but can be done for extra garnish if desired. Almost every year my mom or I will bake whoopie pies for Valentine’s day (which I will be doing once again this year) but those are more of an afternoon tea party sort of treat. This cake would be the perfect post-dinner dessert to finish off Valentine’s or any special day!
Link to my favorite gluten-free flour blend is here.
Link to my favorite organic, flavorless coconut oil is here.
My all-time favorite dutch cocoa powder is linked here, but I usually get it from Costco if they aren’t out.
My favorite coconut sugar is linked here.
Lily’s sugar and dairy free dark chocolate chips are linked here.
Refined sugar-free & stevia free vegan Hu Chocolate Gems.
Gluten-free oat flour is linked here.
Thai Kitchen coconut milk linked here.
My metric cooking scale is linked here.
The 8 inch cake pans I use are linked here!
Orange Chocolate Cake (gluten, nut, and refined sugar free, vegan)
Ingredients
- 10.5 grams (2 tbsps) ground flax seeds aka flax meal
- 3 tbsps (35 grams) warm water
- 147 grams (⅔ cup) sugar or coconut sugar for refined sugar-free
- 2 navel oranges
- 64 grams (⅓ cup) vegan butter or coconut oil my favorite oil is linked above
- ½ tsp sea salt
- 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
- 31 grams (⅓ cup) dutch-processed cocoa powder linked above
- ½ cup (118 grams) orange juice (fresh is preferred) room temperature or warmed for 15 seconds in the microwave
- 135 grams (1 cup spooned and leveled) gluten-free 1:1 baking flour mine is linked above
- 1 ¼ tsps baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 36 grams (⅓ cup) gluten-free oat flour
- ⅓ cup (70 grams) warm-hot water
Whipped Ganache
- 170 grams (¾ cup) thick part from a can of full-fat coconut milk I used Thai Kitchen
- 108 grams (¾ cup) dairy-free dark chocolate chips (refines sugar free if needed, options linked above) I like using Trader Joe's 72%
- Remaining orange zest from the cake
Instructions
- Grease an 8 inch round cake pan and line the bottom with a circle of parchment paper. In a small bowl, mix the flax meal and 3 tbsps water together. Set aside for later. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (177 C). Measure the sugar in a small bowl and grate the zest of 1 ½ oranges directly into the sugar. Mix the two together to infuse the sugar with the orange flavor.
- In a large glass bowl, melt the vegan butter/coconut oil. Add the flax/water mixture, orange zest sugar, salt, vanilla, and cocoa powder and whisk until fully combined. Pour in the room temp/warmed orange juice and mix again. Add the gluten-free flour, baking powder, baking soda, and oat flour and whisk very well. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl with a spatula. Pour in the warm water and give the batter one last good mix. Transfer the batter to the prepared pan, and bake for 25-30 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove from the oven and let it cool mostly at room temperature.
- Once the cake pan is only slightly warm to the touch, loosen the edges of the cake with a knife, invert the cake onto a serving plate, and remove the parchment circle so that excess moisture doesn't build up at the bottom and make it squishy. Now make the ganache.
Whipped Ganache
- In a medium-large glass bowl, microwave the coconut cream for about 45 seconds until very warm or slightly hot. Add the chocolate chips (make sure they're all fully submerged) and let it sit. Grab the orange left from the cake making with half of it's zest remaining and grate the other half into the chocolate cream mixture. Whisk until completely melted and smooth. Place the bowl in the fridge for 20-40 minutes, until a frosting/paste-like consistency forms. Remove from the fridge and beat with an electric hand mixer until loose and fluffy. The cake should be completely cool by now. Scrape all the whipped ganache out of the bowl and on top of the cake. Spread it out to the edges and decorate however you wish. I hope you enjoy!!
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