Chocolate Orange Cake With Cardamom
A delicious chocolate orange cake recipe which combines the rich flavours of chocolate and the citrusy zest of oranges. When lightly spiced with cardamom, this cake takes on a warm and exotic aroma that is sure to delight your senses. Sour cream is added to give the cake a moist and tender crumb. To make it even more indulgent, it’s sandwiched together and then topped with a luscious chocolate orange buttercream.
This chocolate orange and cardamom cake came about many years ago as a result of my cupcake adventure around town during National Chocolate Week. It created a few waves and this was one of them. This is what I wrote at the time.
“Goodness, I have got my first commission! I was asked to make an enlarged version of one of my cardamom and orange cupcakes for a birthday. This is exciting but also rather scary and not the same as making a cake for a friend at all. It could all go horribly wrong and then what?”
Of course it didn’t all go horribly wrong. It turned out to be a very nice cake indeed.
Chocolate Orange Cake
When it comes to birthdays, there’s nothing quite like a chocolate layer cake filled and topped with something decadent. If you like the combination of chocolate and orange, but want something a bit more sophisticated than a Terry’s chocolate orange, this cake is for you.
It’s a fairly simple cake to make which uses the creaming method for both the cake and buttercream. I do this by hand, but you can do it with an electric mixer if you prefer.
My customer gave me the eggs for the cake from her own small holding, which was a lovely touch.
The only unusual ingredients here are sour cream and cardamom spice. The sour cream gives a lovely texture to the crumb and a slight tang to offset the sweetness a little.
Cardamom marries really well with both orange and chocolate and it gives a slightly exotic flavour. If you’re at all worried by cardamom, use just eight pods to start with. If you like it, you can always use more next time.
As it was a birthday cake, I wanted something special for the buttercream. As well as using real chocolate I added some orange liqueur. However, if you’d rather not use alcohol, you can swap it for orange juice instead.
I was specifically asked to top the cake with chocolate Minstrels. They work really well, but feel free to go your own way with decorations.
Top Tip
Remember to get the butter out to soften at least an hour before making the cake. It needs to be somewhere between 18-22℃ (65-72℉) to be soft enough to cream it with the sugar. If you’re kitchen is warmer than this, it won’t take long for the butter to soften. Leave it too long and it might melt.
In our cold house I had to put it over the heater to warm up.
The Result
Sadly, neither myself nor my chief chocolate taster got to taste this one, so I just had to assume it was completely delicious! Luckily this is exactly the feedback I got.
The recipient was delighted and informed me her birthday cake was just what she’d been hoping for.
Other Chocolate And Orange Cakes You Might Like
- Blood orange chocolate cake
- Chocolate and orange marble cake
- Orange poppy seed cake with white chocolate
- Rhubarb and orange chocolate cake
- Spicy chocolate and orange Easter bundt cake
- Triple orange chocolate cake
Keep in Touch
Thank you for visiting Tin and Thyme. If you make this cardamom infused chocolate orange cake, I’d love to hear about it in the comments below. Do you have any recommendations or advice for making this type of bake?
I’d very much appreciate it if you could rate the recipe. If you post pictures of your creations on social media, please use the hashtag #tinandthyme so I can see them.
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Choclette x
Chocolate Orange Cake. PIN IT.
Chocolate Orange Cake With Cardamom
Ingredients
Cake
- 17 cardamom pods
- 120 ml hot water (4 fl oz)
- 200 g unsalted butter softened
- 200 g soft brown sugar
- 2 oranges (grated zest only)
- ¼ tsp Himalayan pink rock salt
- 4 large eggs
- 50 g cocoa powder
- 250 g flour (I used half wholemeal spelt and half white spelt)
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 175 ml sour cream (6 fl oz)
Chocolate Buttercream
- 200 g milk chocolate (I used 35%)
- 100 g unsalted butter
- 100 g icing sugar
- 2 tbsp orange liqueur
Instructions
Cake
- Extract the seeds from the cardamom pods and grind them with a pestle and mortar. Keep the pods and infuse them in the hot water whilst you get on with the cake.17 cardamom pods, 120 ml hot water
- Set the oven to 180℃ (160℃ fan, 350℉, Gas 4).
- Cream the softened butter with the sugar, orange zest, salt and the ground cardamom until pale and fluffy. Then cream it some more. You can do this by hand, as I do, or with an electric cake mixer.200 g unsalted butter, 200 g soft brown sugar, 2 oranges, ¼ tsp Himalayan pink rock salt
- Beat in the eggs one by one, alternating with the cocoa powder to prevent curdling.4 large eggs, 50 g cocoa powder
- Sift in the flours, baking powder and bicarbonate of soda and stir until just combined.250 g flour, 2 tsp baking powder, 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- Whilst the water is still warm, strain it through a sieve to remove the cardamom pods, then stir to combine.
- Gently mix in the sour cream.175 ml sour cream
- Divide the mixture between 2 x 23cm (9 inch) round silicone cake pans or lined tins and bake for 25-30 minutes or until the top is firm to the touch and an inserted skewer comes out more or less clean.
- Leave the cakes in the tins to cool for ten minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
Chocolate Buttercream
- Melt the chocolate in a bowl suspended over a pan of hot water. Then leave to cool slightly.200 g milk chocolate
- Cream the softened butter with the icing sugar until light and fluffy.100 g unsalted butter, 100 g icing sugar
- Mix in the melted chocolate together with the orange liqueur. Beat the mixture well.2 tbsp orange liqueur
- Use half of the buttercream to sandwich the cooled cakes together, then spread the remainder over the top.
- Decorate as you wish (I used chocolate Minstrels).
I made this for the cake picnic in San Francisco and it was a hit- the cake was gone in minutes. I decorated it with candied orange slices. The cake was so good and i have to say one of the best cakes i tasted that day.
Really easy to make!
Thank you Yvonne, that’s really good to hear. Always brightens up my day when I hear someone has enjoyed one of my recipes. Candied orange slices sound lovely. I do like a simple, but flavoursome recipe.
I love orange cake and I love cardamom. I’d best make this cake then!
Nessa – thank you – I was going through an “I love cardamom” phase at the time.
This cake sounds amazing. I love cakes with an orange/chocolate combos!
Looks delicious. Would love a big slice of that with my tea now rather than a few pieces of cookies.
Congratulations, how exciting for you!
This flavour combination sounds amazing and the big chocolate buttons are so cute – they make the cake.
Well done! I’m not surprised you got an order from Chocolate Week, your recipes sounded scrummy! This cake looks amazing, I’d pay for one myself!
Hi Elisabeth.
Actually I’d quite have like a slice too! Must have gone down well, because have now been asked to make another.
Yes, I know a couple of folk who have been on Andrew’s course in the Lakes and they’ve both been very impressed. Schumacher course is the week after next and I’m so hoping I’ll be OK to go – partner currently laid very low with flu – aghhh!
And the Andrew Whitley course at Schumacher college must be coming up soon. He is a master baker – a master. (I interviewed him once for Living Earth…)
Congratulations!
Would love a slice!
Elisabeth x
Cake looks ever so nice. I’d have been very pleased to get this.
Thank you all so much for your kind and supportive comments – much appreciated.
Congratulations on your first commission – looks great!
That is exciting! It looks very delicious, you will be a full time baker before you know it.
Kath
I know they say don’t judge a book by it’s cover, but I think we all know that a cake that looks that good must be delicious. Congratulations on your first commission – I’m sure those lucky party goers will be knocking at your door for more. Thanks for popping over to my patch to say hello :o)
Nic
ooh I would pay good money for a cake that looks as good as that. Well done.
This looks wonderful – well done on your first commission – well deserved:) Lucie x