Chocolate Orange Triple Layer Cake

I baked this chocolate orange triple layer cake for a friend who loves chocolate but isn't a huge fan of traditional fruit cake this Christmas. The more I look at it though, I think that it would be a perfect celebration cake to serve at any party on New Years Eve. There are a couple of different elements involved in making this cake - the orange and chocolate marble sponge, the chocolate orange buttercream & the dark chocolate orange ganache - but, it's still not overly difficult to make and believe me it's well worth the effort.

Ingredients

FOR THE MARBLE SPONGE...

225g Butter

225g Plain Flour (sieved)

4 Eggs

2 tbsp Cocoa powder
Rind of 1 large Orange

Method 

FOR THE MARBLE SPONGE...

1) Preheat your oven to 180C/ 350F / Gas Mark 4, grease a 6" round baking tin with melted butter and line with greaseproof paper

2) Cream your butter and sugar together in your mixer

3) When the mixture is of a creamy consistency, add in the eggs, one by one as you continue to mix

4) Add the sieved flour to the mixing bowl, one spoonful at a time and mix until the mixture is light and fluffy 

5) Split the mixture in half and to one half add the orange rind and to the other add the cocoa powder 

6) Pour some of the dark mixture into your lined tin, then some of the white mixture and repeat until all batter is in the tin 

7) Using a metal spoon, draw "S" shapes into the batter to create a marble effect
8) Bake in the oven for approx 40 mins and when done leave to cool on a wire tray over night 

You can make your Ganache and Buttercream while the cake is cooling, but don't assemble until the cake is fully cool.

Ingredients
FOR THE CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM...
200g Icing Sugar
100g Butter (softened)
50g Dark Chocolate (melted)
1-2 tbsp Boiling Water

Method
FOR THE CHOCOLATE BUTTERCREAM...
1) Using your electric mixer, cream the butter and icing sugar until the mixture is really light and creamy
2) Add the melted chocolate to the mixture, one spoonful at a time and mix until all is combined
3) Then add one tbsp of boiling water and mix on a high speed to make the buttercream that little bit lighter and more fluffy.
4) Leave the buttercream to one side while you make the ganache

Ingredients 
FOR THE DARK CHOCOLATE & ORANGE GANACHE...
280g Dark chocolate
130g Whipping cream
2 tbsp Butter
2sp Cointreau

Method 
FOR THE DARK CHOCOLATE AND ORANGE GANACHE...
1) Break the chocolate into pieces and melt in a pot with the butter
2) When melted and combined, add in the cream and continue to stir
3) When combined again, add in the Cointreau and combine



To assemble (when the cake is fully cool)

1) Split the cake in three using a sharp bread knife
2)  Place the bottom layer on a cake board or plate and spread a layer of buttercream over it using a pallet knife
3) Place the next layer of sponge on top and spread a layer of ganache followed by a think layer of buttercream
4) Place the final sponge on top and cover the sides of the cake with the chocolate buttercream
5) Then spread the remaining ganache over the top of the cake in a thick layer and finally, using a piping bag, pipe the remaining buttercream around the bottom and top edges of the cake

I used Dr. Oetker chocolate stars and gold shimmer food spray which I won through an online competition this month to decorate the cake. I'm delighted I tried them as I really loved the effect and will definitely be using them in future! 

Orange Butter Cream Squares

My triplet brothers made their debs a few weeks ago, and, being typically Irish, Mam asked me to make a few bite-size treats as their three dates plus their families would be arriving up the house. I decided to go for bite-size Mars Bar Squares and Orange Butter Cream Squares. Both were extremely easy to make and they went down a treat :) 

Ingredients

(FOR THE CAKE)

225g Butter (softened)
225g Caster Sugar
225g Self Raising Flour (sieved)
4 Eggs
Zest of 2 Oranges

(FOR THE BUTTER CREAM)

100g Icing Sugar
50g Butter (softened)
1 tbsp Orange Juice


Method

I never used to weigh up all of the ingredients before starting to get to work which was a bad move. Whenever I bake now, I weigh up everything beforehand which I highly recommend you do :)

1) Preheat your oven to 180C/ 350F/ Gas Mark 4
2) Line an approx. 30 x 30 cm flat baking tray with greaseproof paper .
3) Using an electric beater, cream the butter and sugar together.
4) When light and creamy, add in the eggs one by one and continue to beat.
5) Add in the sieved flour bit by bit and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy.
6) Then add in the orange zest and mix through.
7) Pour the mixture into the flat tin and put it in the oven.
8) After 20 mins check the cake (it should be golden brown, but if not bake for further 5-10 mins)
9) Leave the cake to cool on a wire rack while you make the butter cream.

10) Cream the soft butter and icing sugar together using an electric mixer until its really light and fluffy - BE PATIENT, it could take a while!!
11) Add in the orange juice and continue to beat through.
12) Leave the butter cream to sit while you cut the cake into small squares.
13) Then using the star shaped piping nozzle, pipe a small amount of the butter cream onto each piece of cake.

When serving, I like to dust over he squares with icing sugar - It makes them look that little bit prettier and it covers up any little mistakes ;) 

Ella's 5th Birthday Cake!!!

So last night I decided to make a Birthday Cake for my little cousin Ella. It's her 5th Birthday today and we had a tea party for her this afternoon over in my Nana's house :) Ella's not a huge fan of chocolate but she does love fruit, so, I thought, why not make an Orange & Coconut Heart Cake? She loved it anyway, as did all of the grown-ups at the tea party :) and she had a ball :)

I used all kinds of everything to decorate Ella's cake, so you can be as creative as you like :)
I bought the flowers in a craft shop and stuck small wooden skewers into them so
that they would stick out from the cake. I also used other bits and bobs
from the craft shop to decorate - Bows, Stars & Flowers.

You will need...

FOR THE CAKE..

10oz Self Raising Flour (sieved)

8oz Caster Sugar

6oz Butter (softened)

4 Eggs

Juice of one Orange

Rind of 3 Oranges

4 tbsp Dessicated Coconut

FOR THE ORANGE BUTTERCREAM..

220g Butter (softened)

500g Icing Sugar

4tbsp Orange Juice

Use a small grater for the Orange Rind

What to do...

1) Preheat your oven to 180C/ 350F/ Gas Mark 4

2) Cream the butter and the sugar together in a mixing bowl.

3) When the mixture is nice and creamy, add in the eggs one by one, followed by the orange juice

4) Continue to mix and add in the flour, orange rind and coconut

5) When the mixture is light and fluffy, stop the mixer and leave it to one side

6) Take your 2 baking tins and grease them with melted butter. Put a piece of baking paper in the bottom of each of the tins also.

7) Pour half the mixture into each of the tins and bake for approx. 40 mins

8) When done, leave the cakes to cool on a wire rack while you make the Orange Buttercream...

For the Orange Buttercream...

1) Cream the butter and the icing sugar together with a food mixer

2) Add in the orange juice and continue to mix

3) When the mixture is really light and fluffy, stop mixing and leave it to sit for a minute

Your Buttercream should be light and fluffy 

To Assemble the Cake...

1) Spread half of the buttercream onto the top of one of the cakes - if you like, you can also add jam or marmalade

2) Sit the other cake on top and spread the remainder of the buttercream over it

3) If you like, you can sprinkle coconut over the top and sides like I did

4) You can then decorate the cake however you like :)

Ella's Tea-Party :)

Coconut & Orange Sweet Cake

I was feeling inventive last night and I decided to combine two of my favourite flavours and create this yummmmyy Coconut & Orange Sweet Cake with Creamy Coconut Frosting. I just think that there's something cool about having a homemade cake baked for the weekend, just in case any visitors pop over during the afternoon for tea. This one is super simple to make and if you bake it on a Friday night it should keep for the rest of the weekend...

INGREDIENTS

225g Butter (softened)

225g Caster Sugar

225g Self Raising Flour (sieved)

4 Eggs

Rind of one Orange

3 tbsp Desiccated Coconut

                                                                                                                  

METHOD

For the Cake....

1) Preheat your oven to 180C/ 350F/ Gas Mark 4

2) Cream the butter and the sugar together in a food mixer

3) When nice and creamy, add in the eggs, one by one and continuously mix

4) Add in the Orange Rind, followed by the Flour (add a couple of spoons of flour at a time)

5) When light and fluffy, add in the coconut, one spoon at a time and continue to mix

6) Grease a cake tin of your choice (no bigger than an 8inch round) with melted butter and line the bottom part with baking paper.

7) Pour the fluffy mixture into the tin and bake for 40-45 minutes

8) Poke the cake with a heated sharp knife to ensure it is fully cooked and allow it to cool on a wire tray

I used my heart shaped silicon cake mold
for this cake 

INGREDIENTS

For the Creamy Coconut Frosting

80g Butter (softened)

200g Icing Sugar

1.5 tsp Orange Juice

4 tbsp Desiccated Coconut 

1 tsp Milk

METHOD

1) Cream the butter and sugar together in a food mixer

2) Add the juice and the milk along with the coconut and continue to mix until light and creamy

3) Once the cake is cool, you can spread the frosting over it (I find using a silicon spatula the easiest)

4) Sprinkle some desiccated coconut over the top  for effect and enjoy!!

Chocolate Orange Cupcakes

So I had friends up for drinks for my birthday last week and I decided to make a selection of cupcakes for everyone to nibble on instead of making a cake, and guess what?... 
they were a hit :)

I made Chocolate Orange Cupcakes along with my favourite Lemon Drizzle Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream & Double Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting... I'll share the other two cupcake recipes at the end of the post, but for now lets focus on the Chocolate Orange ones...

Ingredients

FOR THE CUPCAKES

115g Butter

115g Caster Sugar

115g Self Raising Flour (sieved)

2 Eggs

Zest of 1 Orange

1/2 tsp Orange Essence

1 tbsp Cocoa Powder

100g Dark Chocolate (roughly chopped into chunks)

FOR THE ORANGE BUTTERCREAM

100g Butter (softened)

200g Icing Sugar

Half tsp Orange Essence

Method

1) Preheat the oven to 180C/ 350F/ Gas Mark 4

2) Cream the butter and sugar together in a food mixer

3) When creamy, add in the eggs, one at a time and mix again

4) Slowly add in the sieved flour along with the orange zest & continue to mix until light and fluffy

5) Take half the mixture and put it into a second bowl

6) Add the orange essence to the first bowl, mix and leave to sit

7) To the second bowl, add the cocoa powder and chocolate chunks, mix and leave to sit

8) Line a cupcake tray with bun cases

9) Spoon one spoonful of the dark mixture into each bun case

10) Using a second spoon, put a spoonful of the white mixture on top of the dark in each case

11) Place the tray in the oven and bake for 12-15 minutes until golden brown

1) Cream the butter and icing suger togther in a mixer until light and creamy

2) Add the orange essence and mix again

3) Using 2 spoons, or a piping bag ice each of the cooled cupcakes & sprinkle flakes of chocolate on top or place an orange segment on top for decoration

For the other Cupcake Recipes click on the links below.....

Double Chocolate Cupcakes with Chocolate Frosting

Lemon Drizzle Cupcakes with Lemon Buttercream