Chocolate Orange Drizzle Cake

By Nigella Lawson

Chocolate Orange Drizzle Cake
Craig Lee for The New York Times
Total Time
1 hour
Rating
4(144)
Comments
Read comments

Chocolate and orange are a traditional pairing, but not one that I've always liked. Chocolate has all the muscle in the partnership. It mocks the pleading, too-sweet orange. But there is such a difference when you use Seville oranges. The plain cocoa-dark loaf here, drenched in bitter orange syrup, is unfussy but sensational. The syrup permeates the cake unevenly, so that every now and again, in a dark, chocolaty mouthful you get an explosion of fizzing orange sherbet.

Featured in: AT MY TABLE; A Rip of Orange in Deepest Winter

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Ingredients

Yield:8 servings
  • Vegetable oil for pan
  • 1stick unsalted butter, softened
  • ¾cup light brown sugar
  • Finely grated zest and juice of 2 Seville oranges (about ½ cup); see note
  • 1cup all-purpose flour
  • ¼teaspoon salt
  • ½teaspoon baking soda
  • 1teaspoon baking powder
  • 2tablespoons cocoa, sifted
  • 2large eggs
  • ¼cup whole milk
  • ¾cup confectioners' sugar
Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (8 servings)

294 calories; 14 grams fat; 8 grams saturated fat; 0 grams trans fat; 4 grams monounsaturated fat; 1 gram polyunsaturated fat; 39 grams carbohydrates; 1 gram dietary fiber; 25 grams sugars; 4 grams protein; 208 milligrams sodium

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 350 degrees. Oil the bottom of a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan, and line it with parchment paper.

  2. Step 2

    In a mixer, beat butter until soft. Add brown sugar, and beat again until soft and creamy. Mix in zest of 1 orange. In another bowl, mix together flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder and cocoa.

  3. Step 3

    Whisk eggs into butter-sugar mixture one at a time, alternating with a little flour mixture. Fold in remaining flour mixture. Add milk. Stir until smooth. Pour into pan.

  4. Step 4

    Bake until cake tester inserted in center comes out clean, 45 minutes. In a saucepan combine juice, remaining zest and confectioners' sugar. Place over low heat until sugar dissolves. Strain into a pitcher.

  5. Step 5

    When the cake comes out of the oven, pierce it all over the top with a cake tester. Slowly drizzle warm syrup over the cake so that it sinks in. Allow cake to sit in the pan until it has cooled, then transfer to a serving plate.

Tip
  • A substitute for Seville orange juice in this recipe may be made by combining about 6 tablespoons orange juice to about 3 tablespoons lime juice.

Ratings

4 out of 5
144 user ratings
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Comments

Jbse

We loved this cake. The crumb was dense without being heavy. Sophisticated taste, cocoa and bitter orange were nicely balanced. Lovely with some whipped cream.

Patricia

A nice cake, ideally you would eat it the following day to make sure that the cake has absorbed all the juice and you don't eat a soggy cake.

Katherine

Delicious! Next time, I'll try with just a tad more cocoa. Texture is gorgeous.

Baker Kiwi

This is delicious! We cut sugar in half and added semi sweet and milk chocolate chips!!

Melissa

I love the combination of chocolate and orange, and also like a cake that isn't painfully sweet. This recipe delivers on both those counts and the fragrance is heavenly. That said, it came out rather dry, despite my taking it out several minutes early (my oven does not run hot), and it didn't absorb much of the syrup at all. I'll give it another try, checking at 40 minutes, and perhaps letting it stand a few hours longer after pouring the warm syrup over the cake in the pan.

Anna Stamborski

Not enough chocolate or orange. I added 1/4 tsp of ginger and should’ve uped that too.

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