When it comes to flavor combinations, there are a few that I return to again and again when I’m baking. Any kind of fruit with lots of lemon like this cake, anything with cardamom, but most of all, chocolate orange has my heart. Perhaps my nostalgia for this flavor combination comes from the foil wrapped chocolate oranges my parents used to bring home from the store as a special treat, but I will always reach for anything chocolate and orange. Sorry, Zendaya, I’m with Tom on this one!
This marbled chocolate orange loaf cake might just be one of my new favorite ways to bring this combination to life. Not only is this recipe vegan, the ingredient list is incredibly short—you probably have everything you need to make this one on hand already! And while it looks impressive, it’s incredibly easy to make. So if you’re looking for a weekend baking recipe, this one is calling your name.
Ingredients You’ll Need for this Chocolate Orange Loaf Cake
Orange. We’re using both the zest and the juice of one orange here, making this loaf cake extra fragrant and delicious.
Granulated Sugar. Rub the orange zest into the sugar to release even more flavor.
Olive Oil. Use the good stuff. It adds extra depth and flavor that I love here.
Dairy Free Milk. I used almond milk, but whatever you have works!
All Purpose Flour. A basic baking staple.
Cocoa powder. For one half of the batter, you’ll add in the cocoa powder for that chocolatey deliciousness.
Baking powder. Our rising agent for this cake.
Salt. No baked good is complete without, IMO.
Vanilla. Just a splash in the batter to make it special, but completely optional.
Chopped chocolate. For the ganache on top, dark chocolate adds extra richness.
How to Prepare this Marbled Chocolate Orange Loaf
This cake comes together like any other recipe, except that you’ll need to prepare two different batters that you’ll then swirl together in a loaf pan. To make things easier, here’s a few things to keep in mind:
- Preheat your oven and line your loaf pan to have them ready to go.
- Prep the wet ingredients in both bowls first. Then when everything else is ready, I add the flour, baking powder, salt, and cocoa powder for the chocolate batter to their respective bowls so that both batters are ready at the same time. It makes it easier then prepping one batter and letting it sit, and then doing the other.
- While the cake cools, prep the ganache. I like to let my ganache thicken up just a little bit after mixing it, so I don’t mind letting it sit and just having it ready to go.
How to Store Leftovers for this Cake Recipe
If you’re making this cake ahead of time, you can leave off the ganache until ready to serve to avoid any chocolate messes. And it’s also kind of fun as a presentation to pour the ganache over in front of guests. If doing this, I like to wrap my loaf cake and keep it in an airtight container until I’m ready to top with the chocolate.
To store leftovers, it keeps in an airtight container on the counter top. This cake will be best on the day of and the day after, but if kept airtight, then it will keep for another day as well.
Description
An easy chocolate orange loaf cake for your next weekend baking project.
For the Orange Cake Batter:
-
Zest of 1 orange
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1/2 cup sugar (110g)
- Juice of 1 orange
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1/4 cup olive oil
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1/2 cup milk of choice
-
150g flour
-
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
-
1/4 tsp salt
-
1/2 tsp vanilla
For the Chocolate Cake Batter:
-
1/2 cup milk
-
1/4 cup olive oil
-
1/2 cup sugar
-
1/4 cup cocoa powder
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120g flour
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1 tsp baking powder
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1/4 salt
- pinch of espresso powder (optional)
For the ganache:
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/3 cup chopped dark chocolate
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F and line a loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Prepare the cake batters. First, for the orange cake batter, add the granulated sugar and orange zest, and rub the zest into the sugar to release the flavor. Then add the orange juice, olive oil, and milk, and whisk until smooth. For the chocolate cake batter, add the milk, olive oil, and sugar to the second bowl and whisk until smooth. Then add the dry ingredients to the respective bowls and whisk until smooth.
- Using a cookie scoop or spoon, add scoops of both batters into the loaf tray in alternating spots until batter is used up. Using a knife or long toothpick, gently swirl the batter a bit to mix together. Place loaf in oven on middle rack and bake for 40 – 45 minutes, checking for doneness with a toothpick at 40 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let cool for 10 minutes in the pan, then remove and let finish cooling on a rack.
- Prepare the ganache. In a microwave safe bowl, add the milk and microwave for 30 seconds until warm. Add the chocolate and stir until smooth. Add more chocolate if you want a thicker consistency.
- Add ganache to top of cooled cake to serve.
- Prep Time: 15
- Cook Time: 45
- Category: cake
Keywords: marble, orange, chocolate, loaf cake