Orange Mini Cakes with Chocolate Ganache

Helga Glaesel de BlandingMay 6, 2010

This post is also available in / Esta entrada también está disponible en ESPAÑOL (SPANISH)

I made this recipe for Valentines’ Day. I had my parents’ and in-laws over for coffee, so I made it into small flute cakes, which I thought was a nice presentation. I think this is one of my favorite cakes so far, it’s a real feast for the taste buds with its orangey and not too sweet flavor, and the syrup gives it a bit of tanginess. Personally, I think that the combination of orange and chocolate is delicious, I am surprised it is not used more often. The original recipe includes chocolate chunks in the batter, which I decided to omit. Chocolate chunks and chocolate ganache in the same cake is too much for my taste.

Helga

Orange Mini Cakes with Chocolate Ganache

Adapted from Smitten Kitchen
Yield: 12 mini flute cakes, or 1 10″ Bundt pan

Ingredients:

½ pound unsalted butter at room temperature
2 cups sugar
4 extra-large eggs at room temperature
¼ cup grated orange zest (from 4 large oranges)
3 cups all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons
½ teaspoon baking powder
½ teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon kosher salt
¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice
¾ cup milk
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Syrup:
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup freshly squeezed orange juice

Ganache:
8 ounces semisweet chocolate
½ cup heavy cream

Preparation:

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease and flour a Mini Flute Cake Pan (with 6 cavities) or a 10-inch Bundt pan.
Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, then the orange zest.
Sift together 3 cups flour, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, combine the orange juice, milk, and vanilla. Add the flour and milk mixtures alternately in thirds to the creamed butter, beginning and ending with the flour.
Pour into the pan, smooth the top, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
Meanwhile, make the syrup. In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, cook the sugar with the orange juice until the sugar dissolves. Remove the cake from the pan, set it on a rack over a tray, and spoon the orange syrup over the cake. Allow the cake to cool completely.
For the ganache, melt the chocolate and heavy cream in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally. Drizzle over the top of the cake.

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