This orange and chocolate marble cake is INSANELY good! The texture is moist while still soft and tender. Fresh orange batter swirled with chocolate is baked then glazed with a homemade orange syrup. The orange chocolate ganache topping takes this already tasty marble cake to the next level. Not only is this cake beautiful to look at, but each bite is packed with fresh orange flavor perfectly balanced with the rich chocolate!
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What makes this Orange and Chocolate Marble Cake so great?
Moist texture – This cake is incredibly moist thanks to the orange syrup while the butter and oil combination ensures a soft and tender bite.
Fresh Orange – This recipe uses ONLY fresh orange juice, peel and zest. No artificial flavors here! The flavor of orange is truly maximized as we add fresh orange flavor to the batter, syrup and ganache.
Perfectly balanced – The freshness of the orange paired with the richness and depth of the chocolate is a heaveanly combination!
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How to make Orange & Chocolate Marble Cake
There are many methods to marbling a cake. I find the easiest way is to simply layer the light batter with the chocolate batter sandwiched inbetween. Use a wooden skewer or a butter knife to swirl the two colors together. You can do waves, zig-zag motions or simply just a big circle. Just don´t overswirl it as we still want to see the distinction between the chocolate and orange batter.
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How to store the Orange & Chocolate Marble Cake
Another reason why this cake recipe is so good, is that it stays fresh and moist for longer than other cakes. This is not only due to the high fat content from both the butter and oil, but also thanks to the fresh orange syrup.
Store this cake in a airtight container at room temperature, but avoid direct sunlight. I like to put mine in a cake stand in room temperature if I know that it will be eaten within 2 days. Any longer, I would recommend storing the cake in the fridge up to a week.
You can also freeze the cake if you want to make it ahead of time. Just wrap the cake tightly in foil and store up to 3 months. To thaw, simply take it out and let it rest in room temperature for about 8 hours.
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Orange & Chocolate Marble Cake
Ingredients
Orange & Chocolate Marble Cake
- 2 tbsp orange zest
- 1 cup fresh orange juice
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 3 large eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup butter, melted
- 2 cups flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- t tsp salt
- 1/2 cup cocoa powder
- 1/2 cup milk
Orange syrup
- 1 orange peel
- 3 tbsp fresh orange juice
- 1/2 cup water
- 1/2 cup sugar
Chocolate Orange Ganache
- 5 ounces or 3/4 cup (150 g) Dark chocolate (70 % cocoa) roughly chopped
- 2/3 cup (1,5 dl) heavy cream
- 1 tbsp orange zest
Instructions
Orange & Chocolate Marble Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Butter and flour a deep bundt form. Shake off any excess flour and set aside.
- Rub the orange zest into the sugar until fragrant and orange.
- In a large bowl, beat the sugar and eggs on high speed until pale and fluffy.
- Add in the melted butter, oil, vanilla, and orange juice. Mix gently on low speed until combined.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- Sift the dry ingredients (except the cocoa) into the batter and fold gently.
- Set aside 1/3 of the batter in a medium bowl. Stir in the cocoa powder and milk (into the smaller batter) until blended.
- Pour in half of the orange batter into the bundt form. Layer in all of the chocolate batter. Pour in the rest of the orange, covering as much of the chocolate as possible.
- Swirl a skewer or butter knife into the form to create a marbled effect. Bake in the middle to lower part of the oven for 45-50 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean (some crumbs are ok!). Cool down in the bundt form completely before taking out.
Orange syrup
- Simmer the orange peel with the water, sugar, and orange juice until the sugar is dissolved.
- Take your cooled down cake out of the form and poke holes in it with a skewer.
- Brush or spoon the syrup evenly into the cake. The marble cake is perfect at this stage, but if you want to take it to the next level then move on to the chocolate orange ganache step below.
Chocolate Orange Ganache
- In a small saucepan, heat up the heavy cream with the orange zest until steaming.
- Take it off the heat and add in the roughly chopped chocolate. Allow the chocolate to melt for 2 minutes before stirring into a smooth ganache.
- Once the ganache has set but is still warm, pour or scoop it over the marble cake. Decorate optionally with chocolate dipped orange slices. Allow to set for at least 30 minutes before slicing. Serve and enjoy!
Notes
- The orange syrup might taste a bit bitter on its own, but once you have brushed it into the cake the flavors will come together! However, if you still prefer a sweeter syrup you can add in some powdered sugar to your liking!
- The syrup might make the cake stick to the bundt form, avoid this by taking out the cake from the bundt form before you brush on the syrup.