Chocolate Orange Loaf Cake

22/03/2019 by thebakingexplorer 78 Comments

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Chocolate and orange are one of my top favourite flavour combinations so I love finding new ways to bake with them. This Chocolate Orange Loaf Cake is an easy to prepare chocolate sponge flavoured with orange extract, it's baked on a low temperature for around an hour to make sure it doesn't dry out. I also stirred some chopped up Terry's Chocolate Orange into the sponge for extra yummyness. I've decorated the top with chocolate orange buttercream and slices of Terry's Chocolate Orange of course!

The sponge of this pound cake is perfectly light and moist once sliced, and it is full of that chocolate orange flavour I love so much. If you're a fellow chocolate orange fan you will love this Chocolate Orange Loaf Cake!

Ingredient Tips & Equipment Information

Make sure all your ingredients (particularly the butter and eggs) are at room temperature before you start baking.
I used a baking spread for the cake and unsalted butter for the buttercream.
For the best flavour, make sure to use a good quality orange extract and not an essence. If you can't get hold of orange extract, you can use the zest of two oranges in the sponge. You can't replace it with anything in the buttercream unfortunately, orange juice will Orange juice is not strong enough to get orange flavour in the buttercream, you would have to use a lot and it could make the buttercream sloppy. What I would suggest instead is mixing 100g melted chocolate orange into the buttercream, then adding 1 - 2 tbsp milk to loosen it if it's too thick.
You will need a 2lb loaf tin for this recipe (you can test the size of your loaf tin by seeing how much water the tin can hold, 2lb will hold about 2 pints/1100ml of water). If you have a 1lb loaf tin, simply halve the ingredient amounts.
For easy lining of the tin, use a loaf cake tin liner*.
Although I provide cup measurements, I highly recommend weighing your ingredients out using digital kitchen scales*. It is the most accurate way to measure ingredients and will ensure the best results. Digital scales are very low cost and can be purchased for around £12 ($16.50) .
For teaspoon (tsp) and tablespoon (tbsp) measurements, please use measuring spoons* and not the type of spoons you eat with. Again this will ensure accuracy and provide the best results.

For the full recipe with measurements, head to the recipe card at the end of this post.

How to make Chocolate Orange Loaf Cake

To make the sponge, mix the butter and sugar together, then whisk in orange extract, eggs and milk. Then add self raising flour and cocoa powder, and whisk in. Finally fold in half a chopped up Terry's Chocolate Orange.

Pour the mixture into a lined loaf tin and bake it for 1 hour, or until a thin skewer inserted in the centre comes out clean.

To make the chocolate orange buttercream, mix together the butter, icing sugar, orange extract and milk until smooth. Pipe or spread onto the top of the loaf cake, then add more Terry's Chocolate Orange segments and sprinkles too.

How long does the loaf cake last for and can it be frozen?

The loaf cake will last for 3-4 days in an airtight container in a cool place. You can freeze both the cake and the buttercream. To freeze them separately, wrap the cake well in cling film or put it in an airtight container. The buttercream can be frozen in a sealed tub. To freeze the loaf cake decorated, freeze on a plate until frozen solid, then carefully wrap in cling film. Remove the clingfilm when you take the loaf cake out of the freezer to defrost, as if it defrosts with it still on it could damage the buttercream.

Can you make this loaf cake with plain/all purpose flour?

Self raising flour, which is very commonly used in the UK where I am based, already contains a raising agent and a little salt too. Therefore if you want to swap it for plain or all purpose flour, you will need to add some additional baking powder and also a little salt if you like. Some people like to add salt to cake recipes and some don't, so I'll leave that up to you as it won't affect the bake. The general advice is to add 2 teaspoons baking powder (a measuring teaspoon, not the kind you stir your coffee with) per every 200g plain or all purpose flour. So for this recipe you'd need to add an additional 1 + ¾ teaspoons of baking powder. Please note, I have not tested this recipe using plain or all purpose flour.

Can this loaf cake be made gluten or dairy free?

Yes! For gluten free you can replace the self raising flour with a gluten free self raising flour blend. If you only have a gluten free plain flour blend, you will need to add baking powder. The general advice is to add 2 tsp baking powder per 200g flour, so for this recipe you'd need to add an additional 1 + ¾ teaspoons of baking powder. You may also like to add ¼ tsp Xantham Gum for better texture. For a dairy free version, use a dairy free baking spread for the cake and the buttercream, and a dairy free milk for the buttercream. Terry's Chocolate Orange is also not gluten or dairy free, so you will also need to use another type of orange flavoured chocolate.

Can this cake be made into cupcakes?

Yes, check out my Chocolate Orange Cupcakes recipe!

Tips for making the Chocolate Orange Loaf Cake:

The cake does need an hour in most ovens, this sounds like a lot, but it's a very dense cake so baking it on a low temperature for a long time produces the best result.
Chop the Terry's Chocolate Orange that goes into the sponge quite small, about the size of a chocolate chip, to avoid sinking.
I used a piping bag fitted with a round nozzle to pipe the buttercream onto the cake.

Troubleshooting

If you have any questions about this recipe, or if something went wrong and you need help, please use the comment form below and I will get back to you. You can also get in touch with me on my Twitter, Instagram or Facebook. I'd love to hear from you!

Recommended equipment & ingredients*

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