Triple Layer Chocolate Orange Cake

Hi everyone!

     On September 6th I made the biggest ever cake in my life, as it had three layers and weighed about three kilograms! Based off of the feedback of around 20 people, I can happily say that this delicious cake was a hit, so I am so excited to share with you! The recipes are not new, as I’ve made a chocolate orange cake before and used the buttercream frosting recipe in July, but the proportions are different, so keep reading 🙂

Chocolate Orange Cake with Buttercream Frosting and Chocolate Ganache

• 2 large oranges
• 180 gr. dark chocolate (2 Nestle bars)
• 6 eggs
• 480 ml. sunflower oil
• 560 gr. white sugar
• 50 gr. cocoa powder
• 500 gr. flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 200 gr. unsalted butter
• 3-4 cups (350-400 gr.) powdered sugar
• 120 ml. heavy cream
• 2 teaspoons vanilla powder
• 2 pinches of salt
• 180 gr. milk chocolate (2 Nestle bars)
• 180 ml. heavy cream
• 4-5 strawberries (optional)

This recipe IS time-consuming and not for complete beginners, so be prepared for lengthy instructions 😀 I’ve numbered them to make it a little more organized.

1. Wash your oranges, cut off the butts, and pierce them with a skewer. Then place them in a pot of boiling water for 30 minutes. Let them cool.
2. Melt your dark chocolate either in the microwave or using the double boiler method.
3. Cut your oranges into pieces and put them in a food processor to make orange puree.
4. Pre-heat your oven to 180°C/355°F.
5. In a big bowl mix your eggs, sugar, and oil.
6. Add the orange puree and melted chocolate.
7. Finish by adding the dry ingredients (cocoa, flour, baking powder).
8. Divide your batter into two 23 cm. round cake pans, lined with parchment paper or aluminum foil, and bake for about 55-60 minutes. If you will bake both layers at the same time as I did, at some point the top one might start baking too quickly, so switch the two layers. Make sure to pierce both cakes with a toothpick to check if they’re fully baked.
   
9. Allow your cakes to cool for about 2 hours. They should be cool enough to frost, so if they feel warm, keep waiting.
10. To prepare the frosting start by beating the butter until it’s soft and creamy.
11. Add the remaining ingredients (powdered sugar, heavy cream, vanilla powder, and salt). Periodically taste it, because the amount of powdered sugar may change depending on your personal taste and the type of butter you use.
12. Use a cake leveler to have three equal layers of cake.
    
13. Frost each layer. I used a straight, stainless steel spatula.
    
14. Then together with the straight spatula and icing smoother frost the top and sides of the cake.
    
15. Cool your cake in the fridge for 1 hour or keep it overnight. The frosting should be completely set before you pour the ganache over it.
16. Melt your milk chocolate with the heavy cream – this will be your ganache.
17. Pour the ganache over the cake. Dip some strawberries, if you’d like, in it and place them in the middle as the last touch. Done!

     This definitely took some time to make, but I was so excited (and nervous) to bake for so many people, as I made this as a birthday cake for my cousin’s birthday party. The cake has a lovely touch of citrus, you can even smell the oranges when eating it. The frosting is just enough, because if you put more it will probably be too creamy. By the way, the ganache isn’t perfect since it was generally my first attempt, so yes, it does look a little transparent and drippy. But hey, practice makes perfect! Overall, I do think this cake turned out to be my most successful one, so I highly recommend you to try it out! 🙂

Until next time!

– Zi