Chocolate Orange Spider Web Cake

Have you ever combined two things that you love,
to discover that together they make something even more awesome?

That's what is going on here today.
Because, chocolate + orange = WOW!!

Chocolate Orange Cake

I was inspired by those yummy chocolate oranges you smack on the table to break into slices.

And orange sticks. And Jaffa cakes (it's a British thing).

I added orange extract to my favorite chocolate cake,
covered it with orange cream cheese frosting,
and topped it all with chocolate ganache.

And this flavor combination just happens to make Halloween colors.

So I put a spider web on the top to make it fun.

Chocolate Orange Cake

by Bird On A Cake

Ingredients

Chocolate Cake

• 1 cup boiling water
• 2 cups sugar
• 1 3/4 cups flour
• 3/4 cup cocoa powder
• 2 teaspoons baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 2 eggs
• 1 cup buttermilk (OR 1 c. milk mixed with 1 T. vinegar)
• 1/2 cup oil
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 tablespoon orange extract

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

• 1 (8 oz.) package cream cheese
• 1/2 cup unsalted butter
• 5 cups confectioners' sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons orange extract
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• orange gel food coloring

Chocolate Ganache

• 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
• 2/3 cup heavy cream
• 1 teaspoon vanilla

Instructions

Chocolate Cake

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line the bottoms of three 8 inch round cake pans with wax paper and grease the sides. Bring a small pan of water to a boil and keep it simmering while you mix the other ingredients.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the sugar, flour, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder and salt. Add the eggs, buttermilk, oil, vanilla and orange extract. Beat with mixer until combined.

Add 1 cup of the boiling water and carefully stir until it is mixed in. Beat for 1 1/2 minutes with mixer. Batter will be thin. Pour the batter into prepared pans and bake for 18-22 minutes (until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean).

Orange Cream Cheese Frosting

Allow cream cheese and butter to stand at room temperature and soften. In a large mixing bowl, beat cream cheese, butter, orange extract and vanilla. Gradually mix in the confectioners' sugar. Mix in food coloring.

Chocolate Ganache

Place the chocolate chips in a metal bowl. Heat the cream over medium heat. Watch it closely and immediately remove from heat when it starts to boil. Pour over chocolate chips. Let sit for 2 minutes. Slowly stir the mixture until all the chips have completely melted and it is thoroughly combined. Stir in the vanilla. Let the ganache cool if you prefer a thicker consistency.

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To Make the Spider Web:

Reserve some of your orange frosting, and put it in a decorator bag or ziploc with the corner snipped off. Immediately after spreading the ganache on the cake,  use the frosting to pipe a spiral that covers the top. Using a knife, start in the middle of the cake and pull lines through the frosting to the edge (like spokes on a wheel).

Helpful Hint: Don't use orange candy melts like me. They harden too quickly.

 Enjoy!