This Chocolate Orange Pound Cake will fulfil all your chocolate dreams in one go. Decadent, rich and intense…this is pound cake combines those beautiful rich chocolate tones with fresh, fragrant orange with a sweet cream cheese frosting. This is one for all the chocolate lovers out there. It’s divinely delicious.

Every baker should have a steadfast pound cake recipe that they can rely on. Adding chocolate to the mix takes the humble pound cake to the next level. It becomes rich and decadent and the addition of orange creates an utterly elegant and divine cake. The flavour profile is out of this world good. The sweet but tangy cream cheese frosting cuts through the richness perfectly creating an awesome balance to the cake.

How to make your Chocolate Orange Pound Cake

SIFT: First we sift our dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt and set aside

BEAT: Next we beat the butter, both types of sugar and orange zest until creamy and smooth, this take about five minutes. By adding the orange zest at this point, all the natural oils will be released during the creaming.

ADD: The wet ingredients are next to go in. Beat the eggs in one at a time and then add the juice and vanilla bean paste.

ADD: Lastly the dry ingredients (flour etc) go in next, mix them in until just incorporated.

BAKE: At 180C it takes between 60-70 minutes for this pound cake to bake. Whilst its cooling you can make the cream cheese frosting. This is just beating the cream cheese, butter and vanilla extract until smooth and then adding the icing sugar to sweeten and thicken your frosting. Then spread and serve!

And THAT’S IT! Not complicated right! For something so tasty this pound cake is quite simple to make but you’d never guess it with the flavour it imparts.

How to store your pound cake

Due to to the cream cheese frosting, this pound cake has to be stored in the fridge. Box up in an air tight container or wrap well in cling wrap, this pound cake will last up to three days in the fridge.

I recommend letting it come to room temperature before eating but that’s my personal opinion. For me personally I find super cold cakes become dry and dense in the fridge. Once left to warm to room temp, the crumb loosens up and moistens. But it’s all personal isn’t it!

Let’s brainstorm why you need this pound cake in your life!

Easy to make
A delicious chocolate cake that isn’t as complicated as a layer cake
Super decadent and luscious in its intense chocolate flavour
The chocolate orange combination is a surprising touch of elegance
The delicious layer of cream cheese frosting cuts through the richness of the pound cake.

For more delicious chocolate recipes, checkout the following!

Triple Chocolate No-Bake Cheesecake.

Chocolate Cherry Brownies.

Triple Chocolate Madeleines.

Chocolate Orange Pound Cake

Author: Emma
Prep Time: 20
Cook Time: 60
Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
Yield: 10 1x
Category: Cakes
Method: Baking
Cuisine: British

Description

This super rich, moist dense chocolate orange pound cake will fulfil all your chocolate dreams. Decadent, dense and intense…this is for all the chocolate lovers out there.

Scale

Ingredients

For the chocolate pound cake

180g plain flour

75g unsweetened Dutch-processed unsweetened cocoa powder

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

225g unsalted butter, softened

200g caster sugar

100g brown sugar

Zest of two oranges

4 eggs

45ml orange juice, freshly squeezed

2 teaspoon vanilla bean paste

For the cream cheese frosting

320g icing sugar

180g Philadelphia cream cheese, softened

20g unsalted butter, softened but not melted

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Instructions

For the chocolate pound cake

Pre-heat your oven to 180C and place your oven shelf in the centre. Grease and line with baking paper, a 21 x 13cm loaf tin.
In a separate bowl sift the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder and salt.
Add the butter, caster and brown sugar and orange zest into the bowl of your electric mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment (or using your handheld electric whisk) and beat until smooth and creamy, about five minutes.
Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing until combined between each addition. Then add the vanilla bean paste and orange juice and mix to combine. Ensure that you scrape down the sides of the bowl. Add the dry ingredients into the mixture gradually and beat until just combined.
Pour cake batter into the greased loaf tin and bake for 60 to 70 minutes or until a skewer comes out clean. Leave the cake in the tin for ten minutes and then run a knife around the edge before turning out onto the wire rack to cool completely.

For the cream cheese frosting

In the bowl of an electric stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the cream cheese, butter and vanilla bean extract on medium-high until completely smooth. Reduce the speed to low and gradually add the sifted icing sugar. Then beat on high speed for 1 minute. If the frosting is too runny then add more icing sugar, 2 heaped tablespoons at a time.
Once the cake has completely cooled, spread the frosting over the cake and decorate with orange zest. Slice and serve.