Chocolate Orange Halloween Cake

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Rated 5.0 by 2 readers

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• Prep Time: 0 min
• Cook Time: 0 min
• Ready in: 4 h
• Yield: 16 slices

Ingredients

Chocolate cake:

• 2/3 cup (135 grams) unrefined sugar
• 3/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (115 grams) whole spelt, whole wheat pastry, or whole wheat flour
• 1/4 cup + 2 tablespoons (42 grams) cocoa powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
• 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup (118ml) milk
• 1/4 cup (60ml) olive oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup (118ml) boiling water

Orange cake:

• 92 grams (that’s 6.8 tablespoons or .42 cup) olive oil
• 125 grams unrefined or granulated sugar (1/2 cup + 2.5 tablespoons)
• 2 eggs
• zest of 2 oranges
• 125 grams (1 1/4 cup) whole spelt, whole wheat pastry, or whole wheat flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 43ml (a tiny bit less than 3 tablespoons) orange juice
• orange food coloring, if desired

Chocolate cream cheese filling:

• 1 8-ounce package (225 grams) cream cheese
• 1/4 cup (56 grams) butter, room temperature
• 2 – 3 cups (260 – 390 grams) powdered sugar, sifted (I prefer 2 cups)
• 1/2 cup (55 grams) cocoa powder

Orange buttercream:

• 6 tablespoon (85 grams) butter, room temperature
• 5 – 6 cups (650 – 780 grams) powdered sugar
• 1/4 cup (60ml) orange juice
• 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
• zest of 2 oranges
• 2 tablespoons milk, as needed
• orange food coloring, if desired

Chocolate ganache:

• 4.5 ounces (125 grams) semisweet chocolate chips or chopped chocolate
• 1/2 cup (118ml) cream

Directions

For the chocolate cake:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Grease two 6-inch pans. You could use 8-inch pans, but the layers will be thinner and you need to reduce the baking time.
2. In a large bowl, stir together the sugar, flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the eggs, milk, oil and vanilla, and mix for 2 minutes on medium speed with a hand mixer. Then stir in the boiling water. Batter will be very thin, almost as watery as water.
3. Pour evenly into the prepared pans. I use a scale to make sure that they’re even. Bake for 20 – 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. This cake is super super moist. Don’t overbake! Cool for about 5 minutes in the pan, and then turn out onto a wire rack. Clean the pans so you can start with the orange cake.
4. Source: adapted from the best chocolate cake recipe ever, One Bowl Chocolate Cake

For the orange cake:

5. Preheat the oven to 340°F / 170°C. Grease two 6-inch pans.
6. Combine the olive oil and sugar. Add the eggs and orange zest. Beat well. Add the flour, baking powder and salt and then slowly mix in the orange juice. If you want the layers to be orange, you’ll have to use a little food coloring. It doesn’t take much (definitely waaay less than red velvet cake), at least when using icing gel.
7. Bake for 25 – 30 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. Let it cool in the pan.
8. Source: adapted from Sicilian Orange Cake

For the chocolate cream cheese filling:

9. Beat the cream cheese and butter until fluffy.
10. Add the powdered sugar, one cup at a time.
11. Add the cocoa powder. Beat until fluffy! And try not to eat it all. You’ll need some for the cake.
12. Germans: I used a 300 gram package and drained it a bit. It turned out to be around 225 grams. It’s just too runny if you don’t drain it at all.
13. Source: My favorite chocolate cream cheese frosting from Cupcake Project

For the orange buttercream:

14. Cream together the butter and 2 cups of the powdered sugar. Stir in the orange zest and then the juice, and mix thoroughly. Beat in another 2 cups of powdered sugar and then the vanilla. Add the remaining sugar and beat very well. It should be fluffy. If you need a little milk, add it. If you want it orange, use a little food coloring.
15. There was quite a bit leftover, but I’m worried that 2/3 of the recipe might not be enough.
16. Source: Bakingdom

For the chocolate ganache:

17. Place the chocolate in heatproof bowl. In a saucepan over medium heat, bring the cream to a boil. Pour the cream over the chocolate and stir until melted.

To assemble the cake:

18. Once your layers are completely cool, cut each layer horizontally in half so you have a total of eight layers. I used a cake leveler, but use whatever way you’re used to. You can start with either orange or chocolate on the bottom. I used about 2 tablespoons of filling on each layer, but I ended up with quite a bit leftover. I’d suggest using about 3 tablespoons of filling per layer.
19. Apply a crumb coat using the orange icing. It can be messy. Look at mine. Notice all the crumbs and how crooked my cake is. I’m just not good at this decorating thing.
20. I let mine sit in the fridge for a few hours until it was hard. And I mean hard.
21. Add more orange icing. Make it pretty this time and then let it sit in the fridge again for another hour or so, or until it’s hard or almost hard.
22. Pour on the chocolate ganache. I just poured all the chocolate in the middle of the cake and hoped it would run down nicely.
23. Shortly before serving, put on the fondant pumpkins. Here's the fondant pumpkin tutorial.