Chocolate and Orange Cake

Dark, Rich and Moist, this Easy Recipe Is a Chocoholic’s Dream

Mar 19, 2010
Cecily Layzell

Chocolate and Orange Cake - Photo Cecily Layzell

Chocoholics will love this easy cake recipe, which uses a higher than normal amount of dark chocolate and is moistened with a surprising secret ingredient.

This chocolate and orange cake would be rich and luxurious enough on its own. However, this easy recipe also has a secret ingredient - sweet potato. If that sounds revolting, don't worry because the sweet potato cannot be tasted but makes the chocolate cake deliciously moist.

Chocolate and Orange Cake Recipe

Makes 12-14 slices of rich chocolate cake.

Preparation time: 25 minutes minutes.

Cooking time: 50 minutes.

Ingredients:

8 oz / 200 g sweet potatoes
8 oz / 200 g good-quality, dark chocolate
8 oz / 200 g soft butter
4 oz / 100 g cane sugar
3 medium eggs
Grated grind of two oranges
2 oz / 50 g soya flour (should be available in Asian supermarkets or health-food stores)
3 oz / 75 g white flour
2 teaspoons baking powder

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 355 degrees F / 180 degrees C.
Lightly oil a round cake tin 7-8 inches / 18-20 cm in diameter.
Bring a small saucepan of water to the boil. Peel and roughly chop the sweet potato and cook until soft, about 10 minutes. Take off the heat, drain and puree (a potato masher should be sufficient) and put to one side.
Break the chocolate into pieces and put half of it in a glass bowl. Balance the bowl over a saucepan of boiling water. Make sure that the water does not touch the bottom of the bowl.
In a large mixing bowl beat the butter and sugar until light and creamy. Add the eggs one by one and mix thoroughly.
Add the sweet potato, grated orange rind and melted chocolate.
Sieve the soya flour, white flour and baking powder into the cake mixture a little at a time, stirring after each addition until all the ingredients are incorporated.
Pour the cake mixture into the tin and cook at the bottom of the oven for about 50 minutes, or until a knife inserted into it comes out clean. If the centre of the cake is still moist, return to the oven and cook for a further 10 minutes.
When the cake is cooked all the way through, remove it from the oven and allow to cool for about 10 minutes in the tin. Carefully remove and transfer to a rack to cool completely.
Melt the rest of the chocolate in the same way as described above and pour it over the surface of the cake. If there is enough also dribble chocolate down the sides of the cake.
Allow the chocolate to harden before serving the cake, about 40-50 minutes.