The cocoa and orange juice cake is a deliciously soft and fragrant dessert that you will fall in love with. It is perfect for starting the day off right, accompanying the kids’ snack, and the coffee break. This delight can also be filled with a delicate milk or vanilla cream, turning it into a show-stopping cake for special occasions. Additionally, we can make muffins, cupcakes, or pound cake. The cocoa and orange juice cake gets better over the days. I discovered this wonderful recipe a long time ago on the blog “Cosi cucino io”. I personalized the original recipe based on our tastes and the sizes of my pans.
- Difficulty: Very Easy
- Cost: Economical
- Preparation time: 15 Minutes
- Portions: 10-12 slices
- Cooking methods: Oven
- Cuisine: Italian
- Seasonality: Fall, Winter and Spring
Ingredients
- 7 oz butter (softened)
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 3 eggs
- 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 packet baking powder
- 1/4 cup milk
- 1/4 cup orange juice
- to taste orange zest
- 1 packet vanillin
- 1 pinch fine salt
Tools
- Baking Pan 10-11 inches
Instructions
For the best result with our cocoa and orange juice cake, use ingredients at room temperature.
1) Take the milk, eggs, and butter out of the fridge and let them soften at room temperature for at least 30 minutes.
2) Grate the orange zest and squeeze its juice.
3) With electric beaters, whip the butter and sugar together until creamy.
4) Add the 3 whole eggs and incorporate them into the butter and sugar mixture with the beaters on low speed. Stop just when the ingredients are combined.
5) Preheat the oven to 350°F.
6) Sift together the flour, cocoa, and baking powder and add them to the creamy mixture. Also, add the vanillin, salt, milk, grated zest, and orange juice.
7) Mix just enough to get a smooth and homogeneous mixture. Do not overwork cake batters, as it might heat them and activate gluten, ruining the final result. As soon as the ingredients are perfectly combined, stop the beaters.
8) Line the cake pan with parchment paper (a circular pan of 10 or 11 inches at most) and pour in the batter. Gently tap the pan on the table to eliminate any air bubbles and level the batter with the back of a spoon. Bake the cake in the middle rack for about 30-35 minutes.
To check if the cake is done, insert a skewer that should come out perfectly dry and clean.
Immediately remove the cocoa and orange juice cake from the oven. Once cooled, you can slice the cake or divide it in half to fill it (in this case, I recommend letting it rest for at least a couple of hours), glaze it, or simply dust it with powdered sugar.
