This rich and moist Blood Orange Chocolate Cake is infused with fresh blood orange juice and drizzled with homemade blood orange glaze!
12 ingredients and just under 1 hour of baking is all you need to make this simple, delicious Blood Orange Chocolate Cake that's velvety, rich, and tastes divine!
Infused with a rich chocolate flavour and fresh blood orange juice and drizzled with blood orange glaze, this simple, fool-proof loaf cake will be loved by many!
Ingredients and Variations
The Dry Ingredients - You will need flour (AP or cake), good quality cocoa powder (unsweetened), baking powder, baking soda, and a pinch of salt.
Butter - Use unsalted butter at room temperature.
Egg - You will need one room-temperature egg for texture and binding.
Blood Orange Juice + Zest - For this cake, you'll need the juice of 1-2 blood oranges and the zest of one.
Sugar - Use granulated or caster sugar for the sponge. Use powdered sugar or icing sugar for the glaze.
Milk - Use semi-skimmed, whole, or plant-based milk.
Vanilla Extract - optional, flavour enhancer.
How to Make Blood Orange Chocolate Loaf Cake
Preparation
Preheat the oven to 175°C (350F).
Line an 8x4" loaf pan with parchment paper (you can also use a round cake tin, but baking time may vary).
Cake Batter
Sift and mix the dry ingredients and set them aside.
Use a large mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or a handheld mixer, beat the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
Scrape any ingredients from the side of the bowl using a spatula.
Add the egg and vanilla extract (if using) and beat well (1-2 minutes) on medium speed.
Add the orange juice and zest and mix for another 30 seconds or so until combined. It's normal if the batter looks slightly curdled at this point.
Add the dry ingredients, alternating with the milk, in two additions, and mix until just combined, but do not overmix.
Bake
Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 45-60 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean.
Let the cake cool for 5 minutes in the loaf pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before glazing.
Glaze
To make the glaze, stir in 2-4 tbsp. of blood orange juice into a cup of powdered sugar until the desired consistency is reached.
For a thinner glaze, add more juice. For a thicker glaze, add more powdered sugar.
Drizzle over cooled cake, leave to set for 20-30 minutes, slice, and serve!
Tips for the Best Blood Orange Chocolate Cake
- Use room temperature egg, milk, butter, and flour.
- For the best flavors, use freshly blood orange juice and freshly grated orange zest. Avoid using the concentrated bottled juice!
- Weigh your ingredients using digital kitchen scales - avoid using cups because these are not accurate!
- Do not overmix the batter once you add in the dry ingredients
- When cutting out parchment/baking paper, make sure to cut out some extra length for the sides. This will make it easier to pull out the cake from the loaf tin once baked.
Common Cake Problems and Solutions
Cake Too Dense - Use the right amount of flour (I suggest weighing the flour using digital kitchen scales) and do not overmix the batter once you add the dry ingredients.
Sunken Cake - Cake is undercooked. This blood orange cake requires 45-60 minutes of baking time at 175°C (350F). Make sure to check for doneness by inserting a wooden skewer into the center. If the cake batter sticks to the skewer, it needs more baking time.
Cake Not Rising - Use the right amounts of baking powder. Make sure you are not using old, stale, or improperly stored baking powder. Try to bake the cake as soon you mix the dry ingredients into the batter, and do not leave it to stand for too long before baking.
Making Ahead and Storing
Store leftover cooled and glazed blood orange loaf cake in an airtight container in a refrigerator for up to 5 days.
FAQs
Yes. The cake can be frozen (glazed or unglazed) in a freezer-safe container for up to 2 months. You can also slice the cake and wrap each slice in cling-film before freezing.
Thaw the cake at room temperature overnight.
Other Loaf Cake Recipes
Blood Orange Chocolate Cake
Ingredients
Chocolate Blood Orange Cake Batter
- 152 g flour AP or cake (approx 1¼ cup)
- 20 g cocoa powder (approx. 2 tbsp.)
- 1 tsp. baking powder
- ¼ tsp. baking soda
- ¼ tsp. salt
- 112 g unsalted butter softened (½ cup)
- 200 g granulated sugar 1 cup
- 1 egg
- ½ tsp. vanilla extract optional
- 3-4 tbsp. blood orange juice
- zest of one blood orange
- 80 mL milk (⅓ cup) semi-skimmed, whole, or plant-based
Blood Orange Glaze
- 120 g powdered sugar 1 cup
- 2-4 tbsp. blood orange juice fresh
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 175°C (350F) and line an 8x4" loaf pan with parchment paper.
- Sift and mix the dry ingredients (flour, cocoa powder, salt, baking powder, baking soda) and set aside.
- Place sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on medium speed for 1-2 minutes until pale and fluffy.
- Add the egg and vanilla extract and mix for another 2 minutes until well-combined. Add the blood orange juice and zest and mix for another 30 seconds. The mixture may curdle slightly - this is normal.
- Slowly add the dry ingredients in two additions, alternating with the milk and mix on low speed until just combined. Do not overmix.
- Pour batter into prepared loaf pan and bake for 45-60 minute or until a skewer inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake cool for 5 minutes in the loaf pan, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before glazing.
- To make the glaze, stir in 2-4 tbsp. of blood orange juice into powdered sugar until the desired consistency is reached. For a thinner glaze, add more juice. For a thicker glaze, add more powdered sugar. Drizzle over cooled cake, leave to set for 20-30 minutes and serve.
A
I made this for Chinese New Year, although I did reduce the sugar to 80% ratio with the flour. Turned out amazing and moist.