My goal was to have this recipe posted for you lovely readers so that you’d have a nice dessert option for Valentine’s Day… oops, it’s the 18th of February. Finding time to write new posts has honestly been challenging. I absolutely love this blog. I love the people we meet, the recipes we make, the stories that are told, (I could go on), but since we’re not full time bloggers, our posts can be a little less frequent depending on what else is going on. If you’re interested in more frequent updates, be sure to check us out on Instagram. That being said, it feels great to be writing a new post.

So, since this recipe was intended for Valentine’s Day, I’ll ask… how was the big day? Did you go out with friends? Cook with a spouse? Binge watch This Is Us? (I’m only on episode four, but so far I’ve cried during each one). On V-Day we cooked one of our favorite meals of tenderloin filets, twice baked potatoes, and ate this cake for dessert. Side note: Let me tell ya, Neil grilled those filets better than he ever has- medium rare with a nice crispy outer sear. Whew. They were good. Anyhow, back to dessert. When deciding what to make for Valentine’s Day, Neil had the idea of making a chocolate cake with orange in it, topped with chocolate orange ganache. So friends, that’s what I made.

 

It’s perfect for special occasions like Valentine’s Day or birthdays, but also makes for a great dessert to bring to dinner parties, work events, or showers. I hope you enjoy this recipe and file it away for when you need a chocolate cake with a little bit of an elegant twist.

If you’re in St. Louis, go enjoy the beautiful weather this weekend. If you’re elsewhere, we’re sending some sunshine your way.

Chocolate Orange Cake

Prep Time: 15 min. Cook Time: 35 min. Rest Time: 40 min.

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups sugar

1 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

2 teaspoons baking soda

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1 cup buttermilk

1/2 cup vegetable oil

2 eggs

1 teaspoon orange extract

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup brewed coffee

For the Ganache:

16 oz. high quality semi-sweet chocolate, chopped

1 cup heavy whipping cream

1 teaspoon orange extract

Preparation:

Preheat oven to 350°. Butter a 9 x 13″ glass pan and set aside. In the bowl of a stand mixer, combine the flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a separate large bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, vegetable oil, eggs, orange extract, vanilla extract, and coffee.

Turn on the mixer and slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry. Mix well to combine. Pour batter in the buttered baking dish and bake for 35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted. Set glass dish on a wire rack to cool.

While baking, prepare the ganache. In a small saucepan, heat the heavy whipping cream over medium high heat. Right when cream barely begins to boil, turn heat off and add the chocolate. Whisk until chocolate melts and becomes very smooth. Add the orange extract and continue to whisk. Allow to cool for 10 minutes before pouring on cake.

Pour ganache on the cooled cake and smooth it with an offset spatula. Allow ganache to set at room temperature for at least 30 minutes before serving.