Terry's Chocolate Orange Cake!

Name: Terry's Chocolate Orange Cake!
Prep time: 15 min
Cook time: 30 min
Total time: 45 min
Ingredients: 400 g unsalted butter; 400 g light brown sugar; 325 g self raising flour; 75 g cocoa powder; 8 medium eggs; Zest of 2 oranges; 350 g unsalted butter ((not baking spread)); 700 g icing sugar; 250 g Terry's Chocolate Orange (ideally dark); Terry's Chocolate Orange; sprinkles

*This post may contain affiliate links. Please see my disclosure for more details!*

This showstopping Terry’s Chocolate Orange Cake consists of three deep, cocoa-rich sponge layers infused with fresh orange zest and layered with a stable, velvety chocolate orange buttercream. Requiring just 15 minutes of active preparation and 30 minutes of baking time, this decadent 15-slice masterpiece perfectly balances bright citrus notes with an ultra-indulgent chocolate finish.

Notes from The Patisserie

Yes, that’s right… this is a DELICIOUS three-layer moist and scrumptious chocolate and orange cake, with Terry’s chocolate orange buttercream frosting sandwiched between. Basically, my idea of heaven in a cake. Every bite is the most delicious thing I can imagine.

I love chocolate orange and all things chocolate but standard milk chocolate is notoriously unstable when melted into creamed butter due to its high concentration of milk solids and lower melting point. This delicate fat emulsion can easily collapse under minimal heat, causing the buttercream to curdle, or split into an unappealing grainy texture. Utilising dark chocolate provides a higher ratio of stable cocoa butter and solids. These elements link seamlessly with the dairy fats in the butter, yielding a glossy, perfectly set emulsion that mimics a rich milk chocolate taste once balanced by the icing sugar.

A whole Terrys chocolate orange cake on a serving dish

The rich cocoa sponge

The sponges for this beauty are a chocolate Victoria sponge style, with a little more cocoa powder in comparison to other chocolate cakes on my blog because I wanted it to be a really deep flavour. This deep flavour contrasts SO well with the orange zest and makes it such a wonderful flavour.

Butter – I use unsalted butter at room temperature so it’s easier to cream with the sugar
Sugar – light brown sugar provides that rich caramel flavour that compliments the cocoa powder
Flour – self raising flour creates that beautiful rise to your sponge
Cocoa powder – a high-quality cocoa powder is key for that deep chocolatey taste
Eggs – as usual I am using medium eggs
Orange zest – we want that strong orange flavour throughout the bake, you can use extract instead

A slice being cut into a Terrys chocolate orange cake

Buttercream

The Terry’s chocolate orange buttercream is a bit of an odd one because its utterly delightful, but can be damn difficult to make sometimes. If you use a milk Terry’s chocolate orange, it can work, but it’s much more likely to split in comparison to the dark Terry’s. The thing about using the dark Terry’s is by the time you’ve put it in the buttercream, it tastes like you’ve used the milk Terry’s anyway.

I would completely and wholeheartedly recommend using the DARK Terry’s chocolate orange, or use plain dark chocolate orange and a good quality orange extract. For all those people who are going to whine and moan that they don’t like dark chocolate… trust me, it tastes AMAZING once in the buttercream frosting.

A slice of Terrys chocolate orange cake on a plate with a fork

FAQs

Why did my buttercream turn grainy after adding the chocolate?

Your melted chocolate was likely too hot when added to the butter, or the buttercream was over-beaten, breaking the fat emulsion.

Can I make this if I only have two 8-inch cake tins?

Yes, you can adapt the recipe using the smaller ingredient ratios detailed in the notes section below to suit a two-layer variation perfectly.

How can I make the cake layers even more moist?

You can mix the juice of 2 fresh oranges with 75g of caster sugar and drizzle this warm syrup directly over the sponges while they cool.

What should I do if my frosting feels too stiff to pipe?

Simply beat in one to two tablespoons of boiling water at the very end of mixing to relax the fats and make it smooth.