Chocolate Orange Bundt Cake

Written by joythebaker on April 14, 2008 – 12:44 am -

Chocolate and orange are like a dream to me.  Although my dream last night had nothing to do with chocolate and orange, and everything to do with watching some bizarre alley cat trying to eat giant hissing grasshoppers, or something.  I woke up wanting a thick slice of this cake for breakfast.  You know, to make everything right in the world again.  It’s that simple.

Another reason I think this cake is dreamy is that it’s one moist cake batter, divided into two, flavored, then dumped in a bundt pan.   It’s great for those last minute, in a pinch desserts.

The cake is loaded with sour cream, and is incredibly moist.  The orange zest adds brightness and chocolate and chocolate chips add richness.  It’s absolutely delicious, and perfect if you wake up from bad dreams.

Chocolate Orange Bundt Cake

adapted from the Gourmet Cookbook

Print this recipe!

3 1/2 cups cake flour

1 Tablespoon baking powder

3/4 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

2 sticks (1/2 pound) unsalted butter at room temprature

2 cups sugar

4 large eggs, left at room temperature for 30 minutes

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups sour cream

1/2 teaspoon orange extract

zest of 1 large orange

4 tablespoons cocoa powder

1/2 cup chocolate chips

Put rack in the oven and preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Butter and flour a 12 cup Bundt pan and set aside.

Sift together flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt and set aside.

Beat together butter and sugar in a large bowl with an electric mixer at medium speed until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes.  Add eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition, then beat in vanilla.  Reduce speed to low, add half of flour mixture, and mix until just blended.  Add sour cream, mixing until just combined, then add remaining flour mixture and mix until smooth.

Divide the batter evenly into two bowls.  In one bowl add the orange zest and orange extract and stir to combine.  In the other  bowl add sifted cocoa powder and chocolate chips and stir to combine.

First pour the orange batter into the buttered Bundt pan, spreading it evenly around the bottom of the pan.  Next, simply add the chocolate batter on top of the orange to cover.  No swirling is necessary, although you can swirl the batters together if you like.

Bake until cake is springy to the touch and a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean, 45 minutes to 1 hour.

Remove from oven and cool cake in the pan for 30 minutes.  Invert onto a cooling rack and cool completely.


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Posted in Cakes, Recipes | 40 Comments »


40 Responses to “Chocolate Orange Bundt Cake”

  1. 1
    Gigi says:

    oooo, Joy! Your bundt cake looks delicious! You have the chocolate layer baked perfectly. :)

  2. 2
    Mika says:

    I have never tried this combination of chocolate and orange in a cake…but now I think I have to…

  3. 3
    Amanda says:

    Total food porn :) There was a recipe like this by Ina Garten and it looked rich and decadent. I’ve been planning on making it and you just reminded me of the till-now forgotten recipe. Orange and chocolate work great together, bakingwise.

  4. 4
    KN says:

    Oh, wow–the presentation is amazing! Looks gorgeous!

  5. 5
    mari says:

    My mouth is watering like I haven’t had cake in months, when in fact I was eating cake all weekend. Damn, that cake looks good!

  6. 6
    Jenny says:

    What a beautiful looking cake! I always love checking in to see your beautiful creations!

  7. 7
    Melody says:

    Wish I could’ve had a slice this morning…

  8. 8

    Orange and chocolate are irresistible together, Joy. Your cake is beautiful!

  9. 9
    Melanie says:

    I love this combination of orange and chocolate! And I love bundt cakes – I am in heaven over this recipe!

  10. 10
    brilynn says:

    You’ve certainly got me dreaming about a piece of this cake, looks awesome!

  11. 11
    peabody says:

    Looks great. I love Bundts with sour cream in them…so moist.

  12. 12
    giz says:

    You’re right – chocolate and orange is a terrific combination. I can’t help but laugh though – every time I see a bundt cake I remember the Seinfeld episode about bundt cakes. If you haven’t seen it – check it out on YouTube – it’s hysterical.

  13. 13
    Mansi says:

    that looks beautiful Joy! looks rich and moist! and I too love chocolate and orange together:)

  14. 14
    Cheri says:

    Yum – one of my favorite combinations. The photos are beautiful and the cake looks very good. I’m going to have to give this a try!

  15. 15
    Deborah says:

    This cake says perfection to me!

  16. 16
    Stephanie says:

    Do you think this would work with a strawberry infused bundt cake instead of orange? I love the combo of strawberries and chocolate, so I’m curious how it would taste in cake form…

  17. 17
    Michelle says:

    Oh my- I need to make this!!! I love poundcakes, and I love chocolate and orange!

  18. 18

    [...] Chocolate Orange Bundt Cake at Joy The Baker – Annotated [...]

  19. 19
    Katie says:

    I’m a recent convert to the chocolate and orange combo and this looks delicious!

  20. 20
    kate says:

    I just made this today. I haven’t cut into it yet but it looks and smells delicious!
    I didn’t have orange extract so I used zest of two oranges and it certainly smells orangey.

  21. 21
    Jerri says:

    never had this, but it looks great!

  22. 22
    Deeba says:

    Love the flavours Joy…have to say that orange & chocolate go together really beautifully! I haven’t made a pound cake in ages (mainly because of so much butter)…but am now seriously tempted to make one!! Cheers

  23. 23
    Ashley says:

    Yum! My boyfriend loves chocolate and orange, and I haven’t used my new mini bundt pans yet – so this sounds perfect.

  24. 24

    Orange and chocolate, my favourite!

    I just bought my first bundt pan yesterday, and this cake is the first bundt I’ve ever made. It’s baking now – I’ll let you know how it turns out. It certainly sounds wonderful.

  25. 25
    Shweta says:

    This cake looks awesome! In fact, all the recipes on this site do. I love baking cakes, and I’m going to try this one, earliest possible.

  26. 26

    [...] blog, and came across a bundt cake that I had all the ingredients for. Not only that! A chocolate-orange one, possibly my favourite flavour combo for desserts [...]

  27. 27

    [...] been dying to make this recipe ever since I saw it on Joy the Baker’s gorgeous site: chocolate orange bundt cake. The provides the recipe, I provide photos of my version, with the addition of a light glaze made [...]

  28. 28

    [...] Chocolate Orange Bundt Cake, from Joy the Baker [...]

  29. 29

    [...] Chocolate Orange Bundt Cake, from Joy the Baker [...]

  30. 30

    [...] Chocolate Orange Bundt Cake, from Joy the Baker [...]

  31. 31
    Amy says:

    Thanks for this recipe, Joy! It has seriously become a staple in my recipe arsenal now. I’ve passed the recipe along to at least half a dozen fellow bakers already, and my co-workers’ faces light up whenever I walk through the door with this wonderful bundt cake.

    Here’s a variation I’ve been working on, using strawberry instead of orange as the fruit flavor:

    Substitute half the sour cream for strawberry yogurt. Use strawberry extract (found in a specialty grocery store) instead of orange extract. Add in an extra tablespoon or two of flour and a couple of tablespoons of strawberry preserves into the non-chocolate batter.

    The strawberry ends up being very subtle and it’s just so delicious.

  32. 32
    Jackie says:

    Hi Joy

    I freeze orange and lemon zest, I would like to know what’s the measurement of 1 large orange in teaspoons or tablespoons.

  33. 33
    chanina says:

    what a great cake! made this one this evening, used goat yoghurt instead of sour cream, and chocolate covered orange peels instead of chocolate chips.
    we just had a piece, so moist and zesty! turned out just like the picture :)

  34. 34
    TINA CICCONE says:

    I FOUND THIS SITE, PURELY, BY ACCIDENT, I WAS SO GLAD, I DID. THIS CAKE LOOKS, SO LOVELY & GOOD..
    WELL, I MADE THE ATTEMP, TO BAKE IT, BUT IT TURNED OUT DRY…. COULD SOMEONE, HELP & TELL ME WHY?
    IT IS GOOD, BUT I DON’T THINK, I MADE THE TWO BOWLS OF BATTER, EVEN, HAD MORE CHOCOLATE THAN ORANGE, BUT I DO LIKE IT VERY MUCH, THINK I WILL TRY TO MAKE IT AGAIN….THANK YOU JOY THE BAKER.

  35. 35
    KELLI says:

    Thank you for a great cake recipe! I tried your recipe for chocolate orange bundt cake and I loved it! I shared it with family and friends too! I returned to your web page for the recipe and to peruse your web site. Thanks for sharing the JOY! -Kelli

  36. 36

    [...] my favorite food blogger. This is the story of the Bundt cake that made it so. B introduced me to this recipe and Joy’s blog just a little over a year ago, and I fell in love with both. This recipe calls [...]

  37. 37
    Deborah Compton says:

    Chocolate Orange Bundt Cake

    Did you use milk chocolate or semisweet chips?

    Thanks!
    Debbie

  38. 38
    Gloria says:

    I made this cake today for my son’s 25th birthday. OMG! This has to be one of the best cakes I’ve ever tasted. It was so moist and the chocolate and orange flavors are sublime.

    Thanks for the recipe!
    Gloria

  39. 39
    essie says:

    thanks for sharing the recipe! i only had half the ingredients so was planning to cut all the portions in half, but as i was at the end mixing the final product, i was wondering why it was not mixing completely, till i realized i had used the FULL portion of flour eeps! so in a daze i added the juice from the orange in which i got the zest plus a bit of milk and it surprisingly turned out great!! a bit of a crunchy crust, but still yummylicious.. i’m a total fan of your blog!

  40. 40
    Valerie M. says:

    I am looking for a cake to bake today for a friend. If I had the sour cream on hand, this would definitely be the one I’d make! But since I don’t, I copied it to make very soon!


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