This high altitude chocolate orange cake, is moist and tender, flavored with fresh orange zest and orange juice, and frosted with fluffy chocolate orange buttercream and dried orange slices.
You might also love these chocolate orange ginger shortbread cookie sticks, orange creamsicle cake, and cranberry orange muffins.
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Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Perfectly Fluffy and Moist. This cake is so light, fluffy and moist, full of wonderful fresh orange flavor, which is perfect with the not-too-sweet chocolate orange buttercream.
Versatile Recipe. You can make this cake with a vanilla orange cake, or with a chocolate cake base, depending on how much chocolate you like.
High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.
See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.
Ingredients
- Cake Flour. Cake flour is preferred for a very light and fluffy cake, but all-purpose flour can also be used.
- Orange Zest and Juice. For the cake, zest a navel orange, then rub the zest into the sugar before mixing up the cake batter. This simple step will add so much fresh orange flavor. You can juice fresh oranges for the juice in the cake, too, although I used bottled “Simply Orange” orange juice.
- Cocoa Powder. You’ll love the fluffy texture and rich chocolate flavor of the chocolate buttercream. For the best flavor, use a good quality Dutch processed cocoa powder.
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Spray three 8-inch cake pans with non-stick baking spray, line the bottoms of the pans with circles of parchment paper, and lightly spray the paper, too.
- In a large bowl, use your fingers to rub the orange zest into the sugar until moist and fragrant.
- Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt, then whisk until evenly combined.
- Separately, whisk together the eggs, milk, orange juice, oil, melted butter and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk for about 15-30 seconds, until smooth.
- Divide the batter between the pans. Bake on the center oven rack for about 25-30 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean and the centers of the cakes spring back when lightly touched.
- Set the pans on a cooling rack, cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel and cool completely before frosting.
Buttercream
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and orange zest for 1 minute until smooth.
- With the mixer on low, gradually add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, meringue powder, salt and extracts, mixing to combine.
- Increase speed to medium and whip for 4-5 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally, until very light and fluffy. If the buttercream is too thick, beat in a little milk, one tablespoon at a time.
- Remove the cooled cakes from the pans and peel the paper off the cakes. Stack and fill the cakes, then frost all over with a thin crumb coat of buttercream. Chill 20 minutes. Frost with a final coat of buttercream and decorate with dried orange slices.
Recipe Variations
Double Chocolate Orange Cake
The chocolate orange buttercream pairs perfectly with both a vanilla orange cake and a chocolate orange cake. For a chocolate cake, use my recipe for the best high altitude chocolate cake, and add 2 tsp fresh orange zest, plus 1/2 – 1 tsp orange extract to the cake batter. Frost with the chocolate orange buttercream.
Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common questions with cake making, so that you can be successful in your own baking! I also suggest reading these comprehensive posts on making Perfect American Buttercream, How to Stack, Fill, Crumb Coat and Frost Layer Cakes and How to Use Piping Bags.
Frequently Asked Questions
The cake should be stored in an airtight container or cake carrier for up to three days.
A good quality Dutch processed cocoa powder will give your buttercream the best flavor. I prefer Cacao Barry Extra Brute for all my chocolate cakes, brownies and buttercream.
You can cut this recipe in half and bake the cake in three 6-inch cake pans.
I have a recipe for the dried orange slices in my original orange cake post.
You Might Also Like
Please check out my Amazon Shop for a curated collection of some of my favorite cake pans from trusted brands, baking tools, ingredients, pretty things and fashion finds. I recommend products that I buy and use every day!
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High Altitude Chocolate Orange Cake
All recipes on Curly Girl Kitchen are developed for high altitude at 5,280 feet. See FAQs for adjusting to higher or lower elevations.
Equipment
- Stand Mixer with Paddle Attachment
- 8-inch cake pans (x3)
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 ½ cups granulated sugar
- 2 tsp freshly grated orange zest (from 1 navel orange)
- 3 cups cake flour (preferred), or all-purpose flour, fluffed, spooned and leveled
- 2 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- 3 large eggs
- ½ cup whole milk
- 1 cup orange juice
- ½ cup vegetable oil
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Buttercream
- 2 cups unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 1 tsp freshly grated orange zest
- 3 cups powdered sugar
- 1 cup unsweetened Dutch processed cocoa powder
- 1 tbsp meringue powder (optional)
- ¼ tsp coarse Kosher salt (if using table salt, use half the amount)
- ½ tsp orange extract
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
Cake
- Preheat the oven to 350F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Spray three 8-inch cake pans with non-stick baking spray, line the bottoms of the pans with circles of parchment paper, and lightly spray the paper, too.
- In a large bowl, use your fingers to rub the orange zest into the sugar until moist and fragrant.
- Sift in the flour, baking powder and salt, then whisk until evenly combined.
- Separately, whisk together the eggs, milk, orange juice, oil, melted butter and vanilla extract. Add the wet ingredients to the dry and whisk for about 15-30 seconds, until smooth.
- Divide the batter between the pans. Bake on the center oven rack for about 25-30 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean and the centers of the cakes spring back when lightly touched.
- Set the pans on a cooling rack, cover loosely with a clean kitchen towel and cool completely before frosting.
Buttercream
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter and orange zest for 1 minute until smooth.
- With the mixer on low, gradually add the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, meringue powder, salt and extracts, mixing to combine.
- Increase speed to medium and whip for 4-5 minutes, scraping the bowl occasionally, until very light and fluffy. If the buttercream is too thick, beat in a little milk, one tablespoon at a time.
- Remove the cooled cakes from the pans and peel the paper off the cakes. Stack and fill the cakes, then frost all over with a thin crumb coat of buttercream. Chill 20 minutes. Frost with a final coat of buttercream and decorate with dried orange slices.
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