Orange Chocolate Chunk Cake

I wasn't sure whether to put the chocolate or the orange first in the name of this post. Between the chocolate ganache flowing down the sides and the chocolate chunks inside, you can't help but have chocolate on your mind after the last bite is gone.  But then there is the orange zest in the cake itself that is so fresh, and the orange juice in the glaze that peeks out in a sneaky little way.  Then I remembered that I was stealing the recipe from Ina Garten (again, I know) so I better stick with her name for it, and it made my decision easy.

Last Monday was Halloween and as I flipped through my cookbooks I came upon this recipe. I thought it very festive and the perfect recipe to try for the holiday being that it was orange and brown (which when it comes to cooking, is close enough to black!) It was amazingly delicious and was sliced up and whisked away rather quickly by my co-workers (nothing like job security through food).

This would make a great Autumn dessert, whether for Thanksgiving, a dinner party, or a casual Sunday football party.

Orange Chocolate Chunk Cake
1 c unsalted butter at room temperature
2 c sugar
4 eggs at room temperature
1/4 c grated orange zest (2 large oranges)
3 c flour plus 2 T
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. kosher salt
1/4 c fresh squeezed orange juice
3/4 c buttermilk at room temperature
1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
2 cups good semi-sweet chocolate chunks (I used Ghiradelli chocolate chips)

For the Syrup
1/4 c sugar
1/4 c freshly squeezed orange juice

For the Ganache
8 oz. good semisweet chocolate chips (I used Ghiradelli chocolate chips)
1/2 c heavy cream
1 tsp. instant coffee granules (I used Starbucks Via)

1.  Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Grease and flour a 10-inch bundt pan.

2.  Cream the butter and sugar in a mixer until light and fluffy, about 10 minutes. Add eggs, one at a time, and then add the orange zest. (When zesting, be sure to grate only the orange part, not the white underneath!)

3.  In a separate bowl, combine the 3 cups flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt (I stir with a whisk to combine).

4.  In a third, smaller bowl, combine the buttermilk, orange juice and vanilla. (something with a spout would be helpful in this case)

5.  Add the flour mixture (in fourths) and buttermilk mixture (in thirds), alternately to the creamed butter, beginning and ending with the flour mixture.

6.  Toss the chocolate chips with 2 tablespoons of flour and add to the batter.  Pour batter into the prepared pan, smooth the top, and bake for 45 - 60 minutes, until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.

7.  While the cake is cooling in the pan, heat the sugar and the orange juice in a small pan on the stove over medium-low heat until the sugar dissolves to make the syrup.

8.  Remove the cake from the pan and set it on a wire rack and spoon the orange syrup over the cake. For easy clean up, place a sheet of wax paper under the wire rack before spooning the syrup over the cake - it will catch any dripping syrup!  Allow the cake to then cool completely.

9.  Once the cake is cooled completely, make the ganache in a double boiler (a glass bowl placed on top of a pot of simmer water - be sure the bowl does not touch the water!) Melt the chocolate, heavy cream and coffee in the double boiler until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally.  Drizzle over the top of the cake.

Enjoy!!