Photo credit: © Eatwell101.comIt’s hard to find a dessert that beats a homemade chocolate cake recipe. Promising sustenance without showing off to much, this orange and chocolate loaf cake is warm and comforting. The citrus tang is so mellow it comes through like warm spices. Perfect to snaffle a slice mid-morning or mid-afternoon! If you attempt this recipe, the cake will certainly be gone within a day, trust me!
Ingredients list for Orange & Chocolate Bread
For a regular 9 x 5 inches loaf pan:
- 1/3 lb (150g) softened unsalted butter
- 2 tbsp golden syrup
- 1 1/3 cup (175g) of powdered brown cane sugar
- 1 1/2 cups (150g) all-purpose flour
- 1/2 tablespoon baking soda
- 1 oz (25g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 eggs
- 2 medium oranges and zest and juice from just one.
Directions
1. Preheat your oven to 340°F (170°C ). Line the cake pan with parchment paper.
2. Beat the butter with golden syrup and sugar, the texture should be smooth enough ( sugar still slightly grainy ). By coating a spoon with a little oil, the golden syrup should not stick to the spoon.
3. Mix flour with baking soda and cocoa powder and stir in 1 tablespoon of the dry ingredients to the syrupy mixture before adding one egg. Then add a few tablespoons of dry ingredients, then the second egg.
4. Continue to stir pouring the remaining dry ingredients and add the orange zest and finally, gradually, the orange juice. All of this still while beating.
5. At this point, the dough can suddenly appear a little wrinkled , as if slightly coagulated . Do not panic!
6. Pour the batter into the pan, and bake for 45 minutes , checking cooking 5 minutes before the end .
7. To check the doneness, the blade of a knife shouldn’t come out completely clean, because the purpose of this cake — as light as it is — is to keep a hint of fondant heart.
8. Allow to cool in the pan on a rack , then carefully un-mold the cake and let cool completely on the same rack.
Note: You can add some candied orange peels as topping.
(Image : uneaffairedegout)
