Chocolate Cake

I tried a variation on this recipe to create a chocolate orange cake which worked well. I wanted to use orange because I made my Moroccan meatball tagine for Shabbat and I thought an orange dessert would be appropriate to follow a middle eastern dinner. It was also something I thought my nephew would eat, given his love for chocolate cake and the fact that that this would remain aesthetically homogeneous (he picked off the decorations).

I added the zest from one orange and substituted one cup of water for one cup of orange juice in the recipe above. Note that the juice from the zested orange wasn’t enough and I had to supplement with Florida’s Natural. I also drizzled chocolate orange sauce on the top and arranged candied orange peels – recipes below. The orange peel was a lot of work so I probably wouldn’t do it again but it was delicious!

I baked this version in an angel food cake pan. It took 45 minutes in a 350 degree oven.

Next time I will probably replace all the water with orange juice. I just wasn’t adventurous enough this time.

Chocolate Orange Glaze Ingredients

• 1 cup confectioners sugar
• 2 tablespoons cocoa powder
• 3 tablespoons orange juice

Candied Orange Peel Ingredients

• One orange peel cut in thin strips
• 2 cups sugar

Glaze Directions

1. Mix dry ingredients
2. Add 2 tablespoons orange juice and mix until a solid mass forms
3. Add additional tablespoons of orange juice until you get the consistency you want. For me, it was just one more.

Orange Peel Directions

1. Boil orange peel in water for 20 minutes.
2. Combine sugar with one cup of water and bring to a boil. The source recipe says to bring it to 230 degrees but after boiling for a while, mine only reached 220. I then tried the other tip: see if a small amount dropped in cold water forms a soft thread. This worked, so I declared it ready.
3. Drain orange peel and add to boiling sugar water. Reduce heat and simmer 5 minutes. Stir frequently.
4. Roll pieces in 1/4 cup of sugar.
5. Let dry on wire rack over night. Store in airtight container.

adapted from Food Network and All Recipes