Orange Chocolate Chunk Cake

To be honest with you, this cake kind of defeated me. It wasn’t a failure by any means–it baked up beautifully, and although it was kind of extensive in the amount of steps required to complete the cake, they were simple enough and came together with only a little effort (well, maybe a lot of patience). But eating it was a different story. After I piled the thick, rich and glossy chocolate ganache on top of the syrup-soaked cake and cut myself a thick slice, I was just about done in. I mean, look at it! (Or at least… imagine it. I’m sorry for the less than stellar photographs, I’m still learning). The crumb is moist and soft, enveloped in the taste and aroma of orange and packed full of chocolate chips. The edges of the cake are delightfully crisp from the simple orange syrup poured over once baked in the oven. And the ganache, on top of all that? This thing is practically a masterpiece of flavor and texture! It elegantly avoids the problems most cakes fall prey to, namely, being too dry to either hold any real texture or flavor. Unlike most cakes, it doesn’t require layers and layers of rich frosting to salvage any moistness. The cake stands strongly by itself in both strong flavor and creamy texture and the ganache is just… well, the icing on the cake.

I loved it, I did. But I think it might have been too much for me. I like chocolate a lot, but I don’t love it. I, like any other good human, always enjoy a rich, fudgy brownie or a healthy slice of flourless chocolate torte. But I can’t consume such rich, chocolaty things endlessly. As a result, even though I was giddily excited while I was putting the final touches on the cake, I could only take about four bites of the cake before I had to hand over the remains to my dad. I think my biggest obstacle was the ganache. I love the combination of chocolate and orange (who doesn’t?) but I think the ganache in addition to the heavily speckled chocolate chips inside the cake itself was too much for me. I would recommend making this cake to everyone and anyone, just because it achieves such moistness and flavor that most cakes do not and cannot. But if you aren’t what most people define as a “chocoholic,” I’d make just the cake itself without the rich ganache. Believe me, this cake is so good by itself that it doesn’t require rich excesses to be edible. And in my opinion, I think the cake looks so much prettier and prisitine without the big blobs of ganache on top. With that being said my sister said the ganache was the best part, so I guess we all have our preferences. But no matter to what degree you love chocolate, please make some version of this cake–I promise you won’t be sorry. Personally I can’t wait to make this again, this time with the ganache on the side.

Orange Chocolate Chunk Cake

From Ina Garten, via Smitten Kitchen 

(As a separate note, I’m not sure if it’s taboo or not to post things that I have found through another blog, like Smitten Kitchen. Her blog is a great, and I am not in any way comparing this humble blog to hers whatsoever. I did however find this recipe from her blog originally, and even though she already has a wonderful post about it, I hope it’s okay that I’m just sharing some of my own opinions on it.)

Cake:

1/2 pound unsalted butter at room temperature

2 cups sugar

4 extra-large eggs at room temperature

1/4 cup grated orange zest (from 4 large oranges)

3 cups all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

3/4 cup buttermilk at room temperature

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups good semisweet chocolate chunks

Syrup:

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice

Ganache:

8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips

1/2 cup heavy cream

1 teaspoon instant coffee granules

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan.

Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, then the orange zest.

Sift together 3 cups flour, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, combine the orange juice, buttermilk, and vanilla. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately in thirds to the creamed butter, beginning and ending with the flour. Toss the chocolate chunks with 2 tablespoons flour and add to the batter. Pour into the pan, smooth the top, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

Meanwhile, make the syrup. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, cook the sugar with the orange juice until the sugar dissolves. Remove the cake from the pan, set it on a rack over a tray, and spoon the orange syrup over the cake. Allow the cake to cool completely.

For the ganache, melt the chocolate, heavy cream, and coffee in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally. Drizzle over the top of the cake (if you want!).

About these ads