Chocolate Orange Layer Cake

One of my absolute favorite types of Christmas candy is a chocolate orange. If you've never had one before, it's basically a ball of chocolate that breaks apart into slices when you whack it on the counter. What's not to love about that?

That's where I got the inspiration for this Chocolate Orange Layer Cake. Just like a classic chocolate orange, this cake has layers of chocolate orange cake paired with an orange cream cheese frosting. It's rich and sweet, but also slightly tangy.

A FEW NOTES BEFORE WE GET STARTED

• Room Temperature Ingredients:
  • Butter: It’s important that the butter is softened. In a pinch, you can put your butter in the microwave for about 5 seconds on each side, but watch closely to make sure it is just softening and not melting.
  • Cream Cheese: The cream cheese needs to be softened as well. I recommend pulling this out to sit at room temperature at the very beginning.
  • Eggs: You also want to make sure that the eggs are at room temperature to ensure that they are properly incorporated into your batter. If you forget to leave them out before you start baking, place them in a bowl of warm water for about 15 minutes until they become room temperature.
• Measuring Your Ingredients: I strongly encourage that you use a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients and ensure that you have the most accurate measurements possible.
  • However, if you don’t have a scale on hand and will be using cup measurements, make sure to use the “spoon and sweep” method when measuring to avoid packing in too much of any dry ingredient.
• Oven Temperature: Make sure to preheat your oven for at least 15 minutes before you start baking.
  • I recommend purchasing an oven thermometer to get to know your oven so you can adjust your baking temperatures accordingly. Some ovens run slightly warmer or colder so its important to know yours to make sure your baked goods come out right.

Preheat oven to 350º F. In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, cocoa powder, and salt and set aside. In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, combine the butter, sugar, and orange zest until light and fluffy.

Add eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides of the bowl with your spatula as needed. With the mixer on low, add the buttermilk.

Beginning and ending with the flour mixture, alternate between adding the flour mixture and the coffee to the batter. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. With the mixer still on low, add the orange juice to the batter and mix just until combined.

Coat three 6-inch cake pans with cooking spray or butter and cocoa powder and line the bottom of each with parchment. Evenly divide the batter into the pans. Bake for 30-35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Cool for 10-15 minutes on a cooling rack before gently running a knife along the edge of each pan, topping the cake with another cooling rack and turning each cake out. Let cakes cool completely before frosting.

Cream together the butter, cream cheese, and orange zest on medium-high speed for 2-3 minutes until smooth. With the mixer on low, slowly add in spoonfuls of confectioners sugar.

Scrape down the sides of the bowl and mix until light and fluffy. Chill frosting until needed. Once your cake layers have cooled, carefully cut the tops off with a serrated knife so that each layer is level.

Place one layer, top side down, on a cake board and spread with frosting. Repeat this step with the next two layers. Apply a crumb coat, or a thin layer of frosting, around the cake and chill for 30-35 minutes. Frost the sides and top of the cake with the remaining frosting, using the back of a spoon to create swirls. Chill until ready to serve. Enjoy!

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