Orange Infused Chocolate Cake

This is a wonderful time of year! Maybe not for laying outside in your swimming suit, but for super low produce prices. Each week there are several awesome sales on the produce you use in your day-to-day cooking: bell peppers, oranges, lemons, limes, broccoli, cucumbers, potatoes, tomatoes, avocados, onions, lettuce, etc. (Remember to login to our website to find out all of the best produce deals in your area) Some of my favorite flavors come from the beautiful citrus fruits like, lemons, limes and oranges. I can't get enough of these flavors! All week I am going to be sharing some of my favorite citrus recipes. Get ready for some sweet & sour power!!

I couldn't start my citrus-recipe-fun, without this Orange Infused Chocolate Cake. Wow! This cake is filled with SO much orange flavor and topped off with a smooth and rich chocolate glaze, you will love and savor every bite. If you love orange and chocolate together, this will become one of your new favorite desserts! There are a few steps to this recipe and a lot of juicing and zesting, but I promise it is well worth your effort! This recipe works great in a bundt pan or as cupcakes--no matter how you bake it, this is one scrumptious treat!

Orange Infused Chocolate Cake
Cupcakes/Cake:

1 c. butter, softened

2 c. sugar

4 large eggs

2 T. orange zest (about 2 oranges)

3 + 1/4 c. flour

1/2 t. baking powder

1/2 t. baking soda

1 t. salt

1/4 c. freshly squeezed orange juice

3/4 c. buttermilk (or milk with lemon juice)

1 t. butter extract (or vanilla)

2 c. mini chocolate chips

Syrup:

1/2 c. freshly squeezed orange juice

1/2 c. white sugar
Zest of one orange

Chocolate Glaze:

4 T. butter, melted

1/4 c. cocoa powder

2 T. hot water
3-4 T. orange juice

3 c. powdered sugar

1 t. vanilla

Preheat the oven to 350. In a large mixing bowl, cream together the softened butter, sugar and eggs. Cream for 2-3 minutes until smooth. Add the orange zest, buttermilk, orange juice and butter extract and mix until smooth. Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. When the mixture is mixed (don't over mix) fold in the mini chocolate chips to the batter. If you are baking this cake in a 10 inch bundt pan, grease and flour the pan before baking. Bake for 45-1 hour, or until a toothpick comes out clean. Remove the cake pan from the oven and let it cool down for 10 minutes. Turn the cake over onto a cake platter and let cool until the syrup is ready. If you are making this batter into cupcakes, pour 1/4 c. of the batter into each muffin tin that has a liner in it (fill to 2/3 full). Let the cupcakes bake for 15-18 minutes, or until the tops are slightly golden brown and the centers are cooked. Remove the cupcakes from the tin and let them cool on a wire rack while you make the syrup.

For the syrup, combine together the orange juice, sugar and zest. Let sit while you are baking the cake to help dissolve the sugar. Once the cake (or cupcakes) are out of the oven, drizzle the syrup all over the cake and/or on the top of each cupcake. Let the cakes sit while you work on the glaze.

For the chocolate glaze, cream together the melted butter, cocoa powder and hot water until completely smooth. Add 3 T. of orange juice and the powdered sugar until your frosting is the consistency you like. I like a thick and rich frosting texture, so I didn't add too much more orange juice. If you made a bundt pan and you would like your glaze to drizzle on top of the cake, just add a little more orange juice until the glaze is soft enough to pour on top. Let the glaze drip down on all sides of the cake. Serve the cake warm or cold. Either way it is fabulous!!

*This recipe was adapted from The Smitten Kitchen.

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