What I love about The BEST GF Chocolate Orange Cake
My version of The BEST GF Chocolate Orange Cake is truly the best gluten-free dessert I made over the holidays—easily one of my favourite recipes of the season! I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas surrounded by friends, family, and good food.
Our Christmas is always a bit of a whirlwind with so much family involved, but it’s such a joyful kind of busy. This year, we had 14 people at our Christmas dinner—and for the first time ever, two turkeys on the table! Naturally, there were also plenty of sweets and treats to go around.
I had every intention of sharing this Chocolate Orange Cake recipe before Christmas, but things got a little too hectic. So here it is now, just in time for any New Year’s Eve plans or winter gatherings you might still have coming up!
This gluten-free (and grain-free!) Chocolate Orange Cake features rich, moist layers and a luxurious, fudge-like chocolate orange frosting. It’s simple to make, completely indulgent, and no one will guess it’s gluten-free. Be sure to save this one—you’ll want to make it again and again!
Recipe Notes
A few things to keep in mind:
- Almond Flour – I love baking with almond flour because it is naturally gluten-free, grain-free and low-carb! You’ll want to use superfine almond flour and not almond meal for this recipe.
- Dutch-processed Cocoa Powder – Use dutch-processed cocoa powder to create that beautiful, rich and dark colour of the cake.
- Sugars – I like to use organic sugar, but regular white granulated sugar works as well.
- Eggs – You will need 4 medium/large-sized eggs for this recipe.
- Orange Extract – Do not skip the orange extract! It is required to get to the desired level of orange flavour
- Buttermilk – Buttermilk is a key ingredient in making this cake super moist and tender. You can buy it at the store or make your own by mixing together 1/4 cup heavy cream with 1/4 cup water and 1/2 tbsp of lemon juice. Or, use 1/2 cup whole milk and 1/2 tbsp lemon juice instead. Let it sit for 5 minutes before using.
- Orange Juice – Orange juice also helps with tenderness and flavour! I used fresh squeezed orange juice for this recipe but store-bought is fine. Just make sure that it is 100% pure orange juice and pulp-free.
FAQ
I don’t recommend substituting almond flour with another gluten-free flour unless you know the exact conversion. I have not tested this recipe using other flours. The textures of gluten-free flours can vary widely, so they do not all measure 1:1.
Use the toothpick method to check the doneness of the cake. A toothpick inserted should come out with a few moist crumbs when it’s done perfectly. It should not come out wet or bone dry.
Yes! For the cake layers, be sure to wrap them very well with plastic wrap so they don’t dry out. Store them at room temperature overnight, not in the fridge. For the buttercream, store in an air-tight container in the fridge overnight and then allow to come to room temperature before frosting the cake.
Store leftover cake in an air-tight container in the fridge for up to 4 days or at room temperature for 2 days.
If the frosting is too thick, add an extra 1 teaspoon of orange juice at a time until you reach your desired consistency.
The BEST GF Chocolate Orange Cake
Equipment
- 1 Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer
- 3 7 1/2" or 8" Round Cake Pans
Ingredients
For the gf chocolate orange cake:
- olive oil spray for greasing
- 3 cups almond flour
- 1/3 cup dutch-processed cocoa powder sifted
- 3/4 cup organic sugar
- 1/4 cup organic brown sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 3/4 teaspoon cloves
- 4 eggs
- 2 teaspoons orange extract
- 1/2 cup organic buttermilk
- 1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
- 1/2 cup fresh squeezed orange juice
- 2 tablespoons organic orange zest
- shaved dark chocolate optional, for garnishing
- fresh orange slices optional, for garnishing
For the chocolate orange buttercream:
- 2 cups unsalted butter softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup dutch-processed cocoa powder sifted
- 2 teaspoons orange extract
- 2 cups powdered sugar sifted
- 1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice plus more if needed to thin
- 1/8 teaspoon sea salt
Instructions
For the gf chocolate orange cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350F and spray 3 – 7 1/2" round cake pans with olive oil spray. Line the bottoms of the pans with parchment paper circles. (You can make the parchment circles by tracing the bottom of the cake pan on top of parchment paper and then cutting them out). Set them aside.
- In a medium-sized mixing bowl, whisk together the almond flour, cocoa powder, sugars, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cloves until combined.
- To the same bowl, add the eggs, orange extract, buttermilk, olive oil, orange juice and orange zest and mix again until fully combined.
- Divide the batter evenly into the 3 prepared pans and smack them gently a couple of times on the counter top to release any air bubbles.
- Place the cake pans into the oven and bake them for 23 minutes or until a toothpick inserted comes out clean. Do not over-bake or they will be dry. Check them at 23 minutes.
- Remove the cakes from the oven and let them cool in the pans for at least 30 minutes before removing to a wire rack. Once cooled, release the edges with a spatula and then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
- Wrap each layer with plastic wrap and transfer them on a plate to the freezer to harden slightly before frosting, about an hour. While the cakes are in the freezer, make the buttercream.
For the chocolate orange buttercream:
- Add the softened butter to the bowl of a stand mixer and beat on high until light in colour and fluffy. Add the cocoa powder and beat again until fully combined.
- To the same bowl, add the orange extract, orange juice and salt and mix until combined.
- Add the powdered sugar and beat until well combined.
- Remove the cake layers from the freezer and get ready to frost the cake.
- Add 1/4 of the buttercream on top of the first layer of cake and smooth it out on top in an even layer. Put the second layer of cake on top and repeat with another 1/4 of the buttercream. Put the final layer of cake on top.
- With the remaining half of the buttercream, frost the top and sides of the cake. Use a bench scraper to clean and smooth the sides of the cake to finish it.
- Garnish with shaved dark chocolate and fresh orange slices. Serve and enjoy!
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