This is the BEST chocolate orange cake ever. It’s moist, decadent, and bursting with chocolate and natural orange flavor in the cake and in the chocolate orange buttercream. It’s so easy to make too!
Prep Time 25+ mins Bake 22 mins
Ingredients
Chocolate Orange Cake
- 1½ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ¾ cup unsweetened Dutch processed cocoa powder
- ½ cup canola oil (or other neutral oil)
- 1¼ cup granulated sugar
- 2 tablespoon orange zest
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 eggs
- ¼ cup orange juice
- ½ cup milk (regular or dairy free)
- ¾ cup hot water
Chocolate Orange Buttercream
- ¾ cup butter, softened (regular or vegan)
- ¼ cup + 2 tablespoon vegetable shortening (or butter if not dairy free, SEE NOTES)
- 1½ tablespoon orange zest (or use King Arthur orange oil)
- ¾ teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¾ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2½-2¾ cup powdered sugar (icing sugar/confectioner’s sugar) SEE NOTES
- ½-1½ tablespoon milk, if needed (regular or dairy free)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and prepare two 8 inch round cake pans. Spray the inside with cooking spray, then cut round pieces of parchment paper so that they fit in the bottom of each pan (do not skip the parchment paper lining!) (I used 9 inch pans; just a little thinner, still took as long to bake)
- Whisk flour, cocoa powder, sugar, salt, baking powder, baking soda together in a large bowl.
- Add in the eggs, vanilla, oil, orange zest, orange juice, and milk. Pour in the hot water and mix until smooth.
- Divide the batter evenly between the two cake pans and bake on the middle rack of the oven for 20-26 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle of the cakes comes out clean.
- Let the cakes cool in the pans, then run a butter knife around the outside of the cake to loosen it from the pan and flip upside down onto a cooling rack.
- Make the buttercream. In the bowl of a standing mixer or handheld mixer, beat butter and shortening together until combined. Skip if using all butter. Beat in the cocoa powder until smooth.
- Add in the orange zest, then add the icing sugar, ¼ cup at a time until desired consistency is reached. If the buttercream is too thick, add in milk 1 tablespoon at a time to thin it out to the consistency you want. If it’s too thin, add in more confectioner’s sugar (powdered sugar) ¼ cup at a time.
- Once the cakes have cooled completely, frost them and enjoy!