Easy Gluten Free Chocolate and Orange Cake
This week gone has been a little rough for me. My grandmother who has played a big part in my life hasn’t been well. It had me a little down and as such I don’t get to post the recipe that I wanted to for mother’s day. But as the saying goes, ‘better late than never’ so here’s the recipe for my Easy Gluten Free Chocolate and Orange Cake.
When it comes to flavor combinations, one that really works well together is orange and chocolate. At first I was thinking of making an Orange Chocolate Cake (which I still think is in my future) but then I thought why not use a vanilla based cake and cover it with chocolate frosting. And that is how this Easy Gluten Free Chocolate and Orange Cake came about.
I used a simple cake base, similar to that of a 1234 cake, made a few tweaks and covered it in chocolate buttercream for deliciousness in every bite.
Baking our Easy Gluten Free Chocolate and Orange Cake
For this cake, as I mentioned, I used a simple 1-2-3-4 vanilla cake recipe and turned it into an orange flavored cake. A 1-2-3-4 cake gets its name from the proportioning of ingredients. 1 cup of butter, 2 cups of sugar, 3 cups of flour and 4 eggs.
Of course it needs other ingredients to complete the recipe, but it’s a pretty simple cake otherwise and easy to remember. Plus you can change things up a bit and make it your own like it did with the addition of orange juice and zest for the orange flavored cake.
Chocolate vs Vanilla Buttercream
Traditionally when I make this cake, I would top it with my simple vanilla buttercream, but to change things up, I decided to top it with a chocolate buttercream that paired so well with the orange in the cake. But if you aren’t a chocolate and orange fan you can simply use the vanilla buttercream and make a 1-2-3-4 orange cake.
Can I turn it into cupcakes?
Another thing I love about this recipe is how easy it is to turn it into cupcakes. Simply line two 12 cup cupcake pans with liners, fill them about 2/3 way and then bake until the edges are golden. You can top them with the same chocolate buttercream and have individual servings.
Although Mother’s Day has come and gone, you don’t need a day to tell you when to celebrate your mom or those special mother like figures in your life. For me, I’ll be whipping up the recipe again this weekend to share with my family. If you’re baking it too, don’t forget to tag us and share on social media.
Love always,
Easy Gluten Free Orange and Chocolate Layer Cake
The flavors of orange and chocolate come together in this easy and delicious Easy Gluten Free Chocolate and Orange Cake!
Ingredients
For the Orange Cake
- 1 cup butter or dairy free substitute, softened
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 4 eggs
- 3 cups GF 1:1 Baking Flour
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1/2 cup orange juice
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 teaspoon orange zest
- pinch of salt
For the Chocolate Buttercream Frosting
- 1/2 cup butter
- 1/2 cup shortening
- 3 cups icing sugar
- 1/2 - 3/4 cup cocoa powder
- 1-2 tablespoons milk
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour, then line the bottom with parcment of 2 (9 inch) round cake pans, then set aside.
- In a medium bowl, combine GF flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine then set aside.
- In a measuring cup combine milk, vanilla and orange juice then set aside.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or using a hand mixer, mix butter and sugar until fluffy.
- Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.
- Gradually add flour mixture to mixture alternately with milk, beginning and ending with flour mixture, mixing after each addition until combined.
- Divide batter evenly into prepared pans smoothing the top if needed.
- Bake for about 30 - 35 minutes until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean and the edges are golden.
- Let cool in pans for 10 minutes, then remove from pans, and let cool completely on cooling racks before frosting.
- In the bowl of a stand mixer or using a hand mixer, cream together butter and shortening.
- Next gradually add the icing sugar.
- Once all the icing sugar has been added, add the cocoa powder.
- Finally add in the vanilla, then whip for about 2 minutes until fluffy. If the buttercream is too stiff, add milk 1 tablespoon at a time unitl smooth and spreadable.
- Frost cake, then serve.
