Cake is always a treat and even though some of us aren’t really partial to sweet things, these recipes have to tempt even the most hardened ‘cake-haters’ among us. Naturally we couldn’t resist including a cake that contained both orange and chocolate because few things beat the sweet, bitter taste of really good chocolate combined with the bitter sweet tang of orange to create a taste experience that can surely not be resisted. Since a chocolate and orange combination may not be everyone’s slice, we included another two recipes* so that nobody feels left out and nobody has an excuse not to bake this weekend.

ORANGE AND CHOCOLATE CAKE

Ingredients

• 250g plain flour
• 1½ tsp baking powder
• 280g caster sugar
• 100g dark chocolate, about 70% cocoa solids, roughly chopped
• 25g cocoa powder
• 1 seville orange
• 3 eggs
• 240ml sunflower oil
• a little melted butter , for greasing
• orange peel, candied, to decorate
• Chocolate Ganache
• 200g dark chocolate, roughly chopped
• 225ml double cream

Method

• Preheat the oven to 180 C
• Grease and line the base of a 23cm round cake tin.
• Pierce the orange right through with a skewer and simmer in boiling water for 30 minutes until it is quite soft.
• Puree the whole orange in a food processor until it is smooth and allow it to cool.
• Melt the chocolate over simmering water (or in the microwave for about 2 minutes) and allow to cool slightly.
• In a large bowl, lightly whisk the eggs, the sugar and the oil and then, gradually beat in the puréed orange, discarding any pips and then stir in the cooled melted chocolate.
• Sift in the cocoa, the flour and the baking powder into this mixture, combine everything well and pour into the cake tin.
• Bake in the centre of the oven for 55 minutes until the cake springs back when lightly pressed in the middle.
• Keep an eye on it because ovens vary and you aren’t looking for a black cake.
• Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the tin before turning it out on to a wire rack to cool completely.
• Make the chocolate ganache by putting the chocolate into a heatproof bowl.
• Bring the cream to just below boiling point and pour over the chocolate, leave this for a minute or 2 and then stir until it is quite smooth.
• Set aside  for at least an hour or an hour and a half until the mixture is firm enough to spread over the cake.
• Transfer the cake to a serving plate an swathe the cake in ganache, decorate with the orange peel.

MOIST ORANGE CAKE

Ingredients

• 250g ground almonds
• 250g caster sugar
• 1 tbsp baking powder
• 2 large oranges
• 1 tsp butter
• 1 tsp plain flour
• 6 large free-range eggs
• Icing sugar for dusting

Method

• Preheat the oven to 175 C
• Grease and flour a 23cm cake tin
• Wash the oranges thoroughly and bring them to the boil in a large pot of water, gently cooking them for 2 hours.
• Allow the oranges to cool and then slice them in quarters and remove all the pips – pulp the oranges
• in a food processor.
• Whisk the eggs and gradually stir in all the rest of the ingredients (including the orange pulp), pour this into the cake tin and bake for about an hour until the cake is golden in colour and has risen.
• Transfer to a wire rack, keeping the cake in the tin – once it has cooled, remove it from the tin, dust with icing sugar and serve cut into slices.

QUICK ORANGE AND ALMOND PUDDING CAKE

Ingredients

• 200g ground almonds
• 250g semolina
• 120g Greek yogurt
• 250g butter
• 200g golden caster sugar
• 2 oranges  finely grated zest and juice
• 4 eggs
• 50g plain flour
• 2 tsp baking powder
• crème fraîche to serve (optional)

Method

• Heat the oven to 160 C
• Grease and line a 20cm springform cake tin.
• To make the syrup put all the syrup ingredients in a pan with 500ml water and bring to a simmer gradually, stirring continuously until all the sugar has dissolved.
• Reduce the heat and simmer until thick and has the consistency of syrup, about 10 minutes.
• Beat the butter, the sugar and the orange zest until everything is pale and fluffy and then beat in the eggs one at a time.
• Sift in the flour and the baking powder together and fold through along with the semolina and the almonds.
• Pour in the orange juice and the yogurt and stir gently – then pour this mixture into the prepared tin and bake it for about 1 hour until it is firm to the touch and a skewer comes out cleanly.
• Remove the cake from the oven and pierce all over with a skewer – pour half of the hot syrup over the hot cake and set aside to cool.
• Drizzle the cake with the rest of the syrup once it is cool and serve with crème fraîche  or, if you are feeling decadent, oodles of whipped cream.

*Thanks to Pami who not only gave us these recipes but tried and tested them as well.