Easy Chocolate Orange Cake is made using the all-in-one method and is perfect for inexperienced bakers or kids! Yummy and moist, you’ll want to make this again and again.
When I was at school, the first all-in-one cake I ever made was called Lemon Crisp, a Lemon Drizzle Traybake.
So I thought I would reinvent the cake today by adding cocoa and changing the lemon juice for orange juice to make Easy Chocolate Orange Cake.
After suffering the day from hell, having the car pebble dashed by a digger on a building site and then having the car dented by a runaway shopping trolley 2 minutes later, my children and I were happy to sit down with a cup of tea and a slice of cake at the end of a horrendous day!
Who says lightning doesn’t strike twice?
A friend of mine from Australia recently emailed me to say that my blog looked great, but it was too bad that she couldn’t cook. Well, this one’s for you, Julie, no skill required, just reading and whisking!
This cake would be the ideal cake for children to make for Mother’s Day or Father’s Day and would also be great for a school cake sale.
It stays really moist and tastes just as good on day 4 as it does on day 1.
I never fail to get excited when I see a bowl of ingredients like this ….
turn into this…
and after a sugar orange glaze, this.
After all the excitement of the day, I forgot to cut the cake up into 3 rows of 4 slices for the photo, but you could do it however you like!
More Easy Cake Recipes
I do hope you try my Easy Chocolate Orange Cake. For more easy cake inspiration, try the following recipes too:
- Lemon Drizzle Traybake
- Easy Iced Lime Cake
- Easy Ginger Avocado Cake with Lemon Drizzle
- Vegan Banana Cake
- Spelt Banana Bread
- Spiced Apple & Ginger Cake
- Birthday Cake (All-in-One Vanilla Sponge)
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Leave a comment and rating below when you’ve made this recipe; I love getting your feedback! You can also share your pictures by tagging @FabFood4All over on Instagram.
Easy Chocolate Orange Cake
Equipment
- large mixing bowl
- Digital scales
- Paring knife
- Citrus juicer
- Citrus zester/grater
- Measuring spoons
- small bowl
- Electric hand mixer stand mixer, balloon whisk or woodenspoon
- Plastic spatula
- Dessert spoon
- Baking parchment PFAS free
- Square 23 x 23 cm/9 x 9 inch cake tin or 25 x 20 cm/8 x 10inch traybake tin
Ingredients
- 175 g / 6oz butter softened
- 175 g / 6oz caster sugar
- 160 g self-raising flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 15 g cocoa powder
- 3 free range eggs large, room temperature
- 1 tablespoon milk
Orange Sugar Glaze
- 50 g / 2oz Caster sugar
- 3 tablespoons Orange juice freshly squeezed (45 ml)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180℃, 160℃, 355℉ or Gas Mark 4.
- Grease and line a 23 x 23cm 9” x 9” baking tin.
- Sift together the flour, cocoa and baking powder.
- Add the rest of the ingredients and whisk for a couple of minutes with an electric mixer or 3 minutes with a whisk.
- Bake for 40 minutes or until the cake is springy to the touch.
- Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 5 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack.
- Mix together the orange juice and caster sugar and spread over the top of the cake.
- Once cool and the orange sugar glaze has set serve. Makes 12 slices or more if you cut smaller.
Bradley
Oh my, this is delicious. It’s the second of your recipes that I’ve tried and both have been fabulous. I used a 20×20 square tin as I don’t have a larger one, but it was just right after 40 mins at 180°. Absolutely delicious, and I had lots of positive comments afterwards. Having made your iced lime cake last week and now this one, I’m planning to do the spiced prune tray bake next week!
Camilla
So glad you like the recipe Bradley, it was one of the first few recipes I posted back in 2012 when I started blogging. I noticed a spike in traffic to it this week so was thinking I need to reshoot and update it:-) The Prune Traybake is also fab, enjoy! You should also try Spelt Banana Bread which so easy and delicious: https://www.fabfood4all.co.uk/spelt-banana-bread/
Bradley
Thanks, Camilla. I make the spiced prune tray bake yesterday and took it along to a meeting for everyone to enjoy this evening. I slightly overcooked it, so I trimmed off the edges before slicing it (I ate the trimmings!) and I decided to spread the icing over the top rather drizzling it. Another yummy recipe which I’ll definitely make again!
Camilla
Awesome Bradley, so glad you and your meeting attendees enjoyed it:-) I’m currently working on a Lemon Drizzle Traybake so watch this space:-)
Candace
This sounds lovely. Sometimes chocolate cakes can be very rich but I imagine adding the orange helps
Camilla
Thanks Candace, it is a lovely light cake:-)
plasterer bristol
This sounds delicious, been looking for a decent cake recipe to make, thanks for sharing.
Simon
Camilla
Thanks Simon:-) Enjoy!
Alison Johnson
Going to have to cook this for my son. Chocolate Orange is his favourite flavour combination & he loves cakes!
Camilla
Great, I can’t remember if there’s any grated orange rind in the mix but would be great to pep up the orange flavour:-)
tiggerific1973
The sticky top looks lovely!
Paul Wilson
The orange definitely adds an extra dimension.
Esther
Hi
Thank you for such a simple recipe. I think there was a typo – please can you confirm the quantity of orange juice to use? Many thanks,
Esther
Camilla
Hi Esther, I have just been to the garage to get out my old school excercise book (the recipe is based on this) and the recipe is correct just old fashioned, it is 2 dsp ie dessert spoons:-)
yvonne
The DSP stands for dessert spoons I believe.
Renesh
good bake
Renesh
beautiful cake305
Renesh
beautiful cake to the little ones and the old ones
Abigail Cullen
This cake recipe looks great with the added bonus of being able to cut small individual pieces for a child’s party perhaps.
Camilla
Yes, a good clean cake to give little ones:-)
William Gould
I love recipes with “easy” in the title! lol
Florence Cross
This would be perfect to make as an end of school week treat. Wonder who’s going to lick the bowl out on this one 🙂
Carolyn Clapham
Sounds lovely and, as others have said, a great one to make with little ones.
Ursula Hunt
Gorgeous with custard
Ursula Hunt
Easy enough to do with the grandchildren , thank you
Camilla
Yes, very easy:-)
K Mayers
Love orange cake but can’t always get the kids to eat it – chocolate would do the trick! Perfect again 🙂
Camilla
Thanks:-)
Maya Russell
Looks delicious. One of my favourite cakes. Chocolate and orange go so well together.
Heather Haigh
Chocolate orange is my absolute favourite flavour – I have to have this. 🙂
Heather Haigh
Finally gave it a go – been meaning to for a while. yummmmmmmmmmmmmm 🙂
Camilla
Great, glad you enjoyed it:-)
Lisa Williams
that looks so delicious really moist and fluffy I really am going to have to make this for my dads birthday 🙂
Christine Lockley
having been searching for a great choc orange cake recipe and cant wait to have a go at yours, have printed it off so that is the plan for tomorrow – thanks for sharing
Camilla
Hope you enjoy it:-)
Tracy Nixon
Still dreaming of chocolate and looking for ideas! This looks fab for chocolate week celebrations!
Heather Haigh
I love chocolate orange – must try this.
Laura Baker
This looks wonderful, and such an easy recipe to follow – I’m adding this to my ‘must-try’ list 🙂
Natercia Garty
This sounds so delicious, and so easy too!
Christina
You poor thing! I’ve had days like this!! Your cake looks absolutely delicious, though!!
Camilla
It never rains but it pours as they say! Thank you:-)
Gitte
Wow, lightning really did strike twice but it looks like this cake could make just about anything better, yum! Love the chocolate and orange combination!
Camilla
Yep, you can’t beat a bit of cake therapy!