Three soft vegan dark chocolate cake layers are filled with indulgent dreamy dark chocolate orange ganache and topped with the smoothest whipped orange chocolate cookie crumb buttercream icing. Wow, that’s a mouthful to pronounce and chew in every way. But believe me when I say that was chocolate orange layer cake bliss! This flavor combination is bright, robust, and perfect for the holidays. If you enjoy chocolate oranges, this is the recipe for you!
Ingredients
DARK CHOCOLATE CAKE
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 cups sugar
- ⅔ cup dark cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 2 cups coffee, hot
- 1 cup vegetable oil
- 1 tablespoon orange extract
- 3 tablespoons white vinegar
DARK CHOCOLATE ORANGE GANACHE
- 200 grams vegan dark chocolate orange bar
- ⅓ cup vegan milk
ORANGE CHOCOLATE COOKIE CRUMB BUTTERCREAM
- 1 cup vegan salted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup all-vegetable shortening
- 6 cups icing sugar
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 2 teaspoon orange extract
- 1 cup vegan chocolate cookie crumbs
DARK CHOCOLATE DRIP
- ½ cup vegan dark chocolate chips
- 3 ½ tablespoons vegan milk
Instructions
DARK CHOCOLATE CAKE
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and coat three 6-inch round cake pans with nonstick cooking spray.
- Add all of the dry ingredients to the bowl of a stand mixer and whisk them together quickly.
- Mix in the coffee, vegetable oil, and orange essence until everything is well combined.
- Mix in the vinegar until it is completely incorporated. At this point, be cautious not to over-mix the batter.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out with a few crumbs, after dividing the cake batter amongst the prepared pans.
- Cool for 10 minutes in the pans before inverting onto a cooling rack to cool completely.
DARK CHOCOLATE ORANGE GANACHE
- Heat the dark chocolate and milk in a microwave-safe dish in 30-second intervals until completely melted and smooth. Between each interval, stir.
- Before filling the cake, let the ganache cool to room temperature.
ORANGE CHOCOLATE COOKIE CRUMB BUTTERCREAM
- With the paddle attachment, beat the butter and shortening in the bowl of a stand mixer on high speed until light and fluffy. This should only take around 5 minutes.
- Mix on low until the icing sugar, salt, and orange extract are blended.
- Mix on low until the chocolate cookie crumbs are entirely mixed.
- Increase the speed to high and mix for 5 minutes, or until the mixture is smooth and creamy. When necessary, scrape the bowl’s sides.
DARK CHOCOLATE DRIP
- Microwave the dark chocolate chips and milk in a microwave-safe dish in 30-second intervals until totally melted and smooth. Between each interval, stir.
- Depending on the type of milk used, the drip may need to be thinned with a little more milk or thickened with a few extra dark chocolate chips.
- I always check the consistency of my ganache drips over the side of the kitchen sink before applying it to a cake.
CAKE ASSEMBLY
- On a cake board or dish, place one even layer of dark chocolate cake. 1 cup of buttercream should be plenty to cover the cake.
- Fill with about half of the dark chocolate orange ganache filling and pipe a buttercream border around the edge.
- Apply a thin covering of buttercream to the whole cake and repeat with the remaining layers. Refrigerate for 20 minutes before serving.
- Apply a second layer of buttercream to the cake and smooth the sides with the Wilton Cake Smoother. Refrigerate while you make the dark chocolate ganache drop.
- Drizzle the warm dark chocolate ganache over the sides of a well-chilled cake with a spoon or a piping bag, then return it to the refrigerator to cold.
- Decorate anyway you like. Around the top border, I piped some basic buttercream dollops using the Wilton 8B and embellished with leftover orange chocolate bar and Christmas orange segments. Enjoy!
Source: Caked by Katie
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