This eggless chocolate orange cake is moist and delicious. It is a very easy to make recipe that is quick and easy to make. Perfect for any celebration.
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Chocolate and orange is a delicious combination. Be it in puddings or in ice cream or in this delicious chocolate cake recipe.
This is my adaptation of eggless chocolate cake recipe from Baker in Disguise blog. This is a super simple and easy to make cake. It uses vinegar to make it soft and fluffy without the use of eggs.
I added orange flavor in the form of extract and zest to the basic cake recipe and it is absolutely delicious.
In addition to being eggless, this cake recipe is also dairy-free and vegan. I topped the cake with a buttercream frosting, so mine is not vegan. I have some vegan frosting ideas below.
Ingredients
You need basic pantry ingredients to make this eggless chocolate orange cake. For dry ingredients:
- all-purpose flour - I sometimes sneak in whole-wheat pastry flour.
- granulated sugar
- unsweetened cocoa powder
- baking soda - make sure that it is fresh and is still active. See tips section on how to check if your baking soda is active or not.
- salt
Wet Ingredients:
- water/ Milk - the original recipe only used water. But I found adding some milk made the cake softer and more moist. So I use ½ cup of water and ½ cup of either dairy or non-dairy milk.
- vinegar - white vinegar or apple-cider vinegar can be used here.
- orange extract & orange zest - these give the cake citrusy punch. You will need zest from 1~2 medium size oranges.
This recipe is made in a 8-inch round cake pan that is at least 2" deep. I like this Wilton cake pan.
Instructions
This is a very simple no fuss, no mess recipe. Mix wet ingredients and dry ingredients separately. Then mix them all together and bake. Here's how to bake this lovely moist cake:
- Preheat the oven. Prepare the baking pan by greasing it and lining the bottom with a parchment paper.
- Microwave water and milk (if using) until they are quite hot to touch.
- In a large measuring cup or a medium mixing bowl, combine the hot water+milk, oil, vinegar, orange zest & orange extract until well combined.
- In a large mixing bowl, combine all the dry ingredients. Flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt go in. Mix well to incorporate.
- Add the wet ingredients to dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. DO NOT overmix. A few lumps here and there are perfectly OK.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the oven for until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and let cool over a wire rack. Frost and Enjoy!!
Frosting Ideas
Now that you made the moist eggless chocolate orange cake ready, it is time to frost it. That said, you can most definitely serve it as is. But if you want to go the extra, I have you covered.
I am not a big fan of buttercream frosting. I think it is too cloyingly sweet and too heavy.
So I use half cream cheese and half butter to make the frosting. Cream cheese has a slight tang that makes it a little tangy and less sweet, just the way I like it.
To keep this cake completely vegan, make one of these frostings instead.
- Whipped coconut cream - vegan banana split cupcakes
- Chocolate ganache - vegan chocolate cake
- Chocolate glaze - vegan chocolate beet cake
Taste Test
This is a lovely chocolate cake which is very moist with a lovely crumb. It can hold up to the frosting as well.
So go ahead double the recipe and make 2 layers for a beautiful celebration chocolate cake and ENJOY!!
Tips
- You can ½ cup of whole-wheat pastry flour for some fiber and nutrition.
- To check whether baking soda is active or not - add a teaspoon baking soda in a small bowl. Stir in a few drops of vinegar or lemon juice. If the mixture fizzes, then the soda is good to use. Otherwise, it is past its prime.
- If you are not a big fan of orange, then feel free to substitute it with vanilla extract.
- To make fancy swirls and designs on the cake, then use about 2~2½ cups of confectioners sugar. But if you are only looking to frost it simply by spreading it over the cake, then use the quantity indicated in the recipe.
Few more eggless cake/ cupcakes recipes to try
Eggless Chocolate Orange Cake
Ingredients
- 1½ cups All purpose flour
- ¾ cup Sugar
- ¼ cup Unsweetened Cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon Baking Soda
- ½ teaspoon Salt
- ½ cup Water*
- ½ cup Non-dairy or Dairy Milk
- ⅓ cup Vegetable or Canola Oil
- 1 tablespoon Vinegar*
- 1 tablespoon Orange zest (from 1 orange)
- 1 teaspoon Pure Orange extract
For the Orange Cream cheese Buttercream Frosting:
- ¼ cup Unsalted Butter, at room temperature
- 4 ounce Cream cheese (about ½ cup), at room temperature
- ½ teaspoon Pure Orange extract
- 1~1¼ cups Confectioners Sugar*
- 1~2 tablespoons Milk or Heavy cream
Instructions
Make the Cake:
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 8" round cake pan. Line the bottom with parchment paper, then grease the parchment as well.
- In a large mixing bowl, sift flour, sugar, cocoa powder, baking soda and salt. Mix well to incorporate all the ingredients.
- Warm water and milk until they are quite hot to touch.
- In a large measuring cup or a medium mixing bowl, combine the hot water+soymilk, oil, vinegar, orange zest & orange extract until well combined.
- Add the wet ingredients to dry ingredients and whisk until just combined. DO NOT overmix. A few lumps here and there is perfectly OK.
- Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake in the oven for 28~35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and let cool for 5~10 minutes. Then carefully flip the pan over a wire rack, peel off the parchment and let the cake cool completely on the wire rack. Frost and Enjoy!!
For the Buttercream Frosting:
- In a stand mixer with a paddle attachment or with a hand mixer, beat butter until smooth. Next add the cream cheese and beat until well blended.
- Add the confectioners sugar, orange extract and beat until light and fluffy.
- Add milk to the frosting and beat to get the desired consistency. Use right away or refrigerate until ready to use. Frosting may have to be beaten again to get the right consistency.
Notes
- You can ½ cup of whole-wheat pastry flour for some fiber and nutrition.
- To check whether baking soda is active or not - add a teaspoon baking soda in a small bowl. Stir in a few drops of vinegar or lemon juice. If the mixture fizzes, then the soda is good to use. Otherwise, it is past its prime.
- You can use all milk or all water in the recipe. I use a 50:50 ratio.
- You can use either white vinegar or apple cider vinegar.
- If you are not a big fan of orange, then feel free to substitute it with vanilla extract.
- To make fancy swirls and designs on the cake, then use about 2~2½ cups of confectioners sugar. But if you are only looking to frost it simply by spreading it over the cake, then use the quantity indicated in the recipe.
Usha Rao
Cake looks very moist! Yum!
Jayanthi Padmanabhan
Gorgeous crumb that. And beautiful cake. Great work Pavani!
Rajani S
The cake looks tall and so lovely. Its great that you could take pictures of the slices :)..Looking forward to the next two cakes (idea collection for my son's birthday party :D)
nandoos Kitchen
very yummy. drooling here.
Manjula Bharath
omg thats a super moist and very delectable cake 🙂 looks soooo yummy!!!
Srivalli
Pavani, no words to express!..the cake looks so moist and so well done!..I am so glad your son asked for a new flavour and surely has a great taste! The frosting and design is so cute and well done...pokeman is also my boys latest crazy and the same talks goes here for hours together as well..luckily they didn't realise they could ask me to bake a cake for them..:))..
Priya Suresh
My lil one is also a great fan of pokemon especially pikachu.. Cake looks fabulous with a beautiful spongy texture,love that cute frosting.
Harini-Jaya Rupanagudi
The cake looks gorgeous and very professional..I am not a great fan of frosting so the bare bones of the cake is enough for me 🙂
Global Tastes & Travels Inc.
cake looks so moist and delicious and love the decorations
Global Tastes & Travels Inc.
cake looks so moist and delicious and love the decorations
Shey divine
Pavani the cake looks absolutely delicious ..
baker in disguise
Oh wow.. this looks amazing!! and you won't believe it.. mom has been after me to introduce orange in the chocolate cake.. because that's one of her all time fav combination .. choc-orange!! just lovely!!
Sandhya Ramakrishnan
What a luscious cake! Lovely bake Pavani!
Angela Desouz
Super chocolate cake recipes im going to try this for my kids bday,Thanks for the share
Bhawana
This chocolate cake with orange flavor is one of the best combinations in baking. Love the texture, and how soft and moist it is looking from the photos.
Shanna
You knocked it out of the park with this one. It is so moist and the orange zest is amazing. Love all your flavor combinations.
Kara
Chocolate-and-orange is one of my favorite flavor combos. This cake looks amazing, can't wait to try it.
Dannii
Chocolate orange is the most perfect flavour combo. This cake looks amazing.
Adrianne
Yes, you are right, chocolate and orange is the perfect combination. I love the sound of this cake, so perfect and enjoyable any time of day!! I will give it a go one day this week. Cheers
Venkat Venkateswaran
Excellent recipe. Very simple and straight . Thanks