Decadent Chocolate Orange Cake

Have you ever felt the urge for that sudden rush of chocolate ecstasy which takes you into chocoholic paradise? Then look no further than this decadent cake, I assure you one petite slice will do the trick. As a self confessed chocoholic myself, I have required that unadulterated fix of chocolate more times than I care to remember!

This cake has the wonderful combination of classic flavours of chocolate and orange. I didn’t want to make this a bitter tasting cake therefore I used good quality milk chocolate and also orange liqueur and orange zest. To enhance the texture and taste, I steeped raisins in a little orange liqueur to add to the cake mixture. Ground almonds are used with a very small amount of flour which keeps this cake wonderfully moist. The ganache for covering the cake is made from chocolate and cream but requires a little time to set after applying to the cake. This cake would be gorgeous for a special occasion or for that special person in your life!

Would anyone care for a slice of this cake??????? Ok, I hear you and passing over a virtual slice, but if you would like to recreate this cake for yourself here is the recipe.

Decadent Chocolate Orange Cake

Ingredients
50g (2 oz) raisins
4 tbsp orange liqueur – I used Cointreau
350g (12 oz) good quality milk chocolate – I used Green & Blacks
200g (7 oz) butter, at room temperature
175g (7 oz) caster sugar
5 large eggs
150g (5 oz) ground almonds
50g (2 oz) plain flour
For The Ganache
225g (8 oz) good quality milk chocolate – I used Green & Blacks
175g (6 oz) double cream
Sugar flowers or chocolate sprinkles (optional)
You will need a 20cm (8 in) sprinform tin, greased with a little butter and fully lined with baking paper.

Method

In a saucepan add the raisins and orange liqueur and gently heat through then leave aside for the raisins to swell and get plump.

Preheat the oven to 200°C/fan 180°C/400°F/Gas 6.

Melt the chocolate in a microwave bowl for a minute or so or place over a double boiler until melted.

Beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy. Add one egg at a time into the mixture then add the melted chocolate and orange zest. Then add the soaked raisins and juice and beat through the mixture. Fold in the ground almonds and flour gently until all traces are mixed through into the mixture. Pour the mixture into the prepared tin and level off the surface with a spatula. Bake for 30 – 45 minutes until the centre is just set. Leave to cool in the tin for 15 – 20 minutes then turn out on a wire rack to finish cooling.

For the ganache, heat the cream up in a saucepan until bubbles are just appearing, take off the heat. Add the chocolate and let this infuse for 2 -3 minutes, then stir and combine thoroughly together. Spread over the entire cake and smooth off. Place a few sugar flowers or chocolate sprinkles on for decoration (optional). Allow to set before serving.