Chocolate Orange Layer Cake

This Discover Cooking with California Olive Oil Recipe Contest submission comes to us from Katie Chaney of We Olive El Dorado Hills. Katie says:

“This deep dark chocolaty cake is moist,  delicious, and made with We Olive Blood Orange Olive Oil. You can smell and taste the orange coming through in this delightful combination while mixing, baking and frosting! The frosting is made with more Blood Orange Olive Oil which lends a silky quality to the cake. It’s easily spreadable, yet sets up firmly making slicing this medium density cake much easier. This cake is best after refrigerated, but if you can’t wait that long, eat it a la mode with some simple vanilla bean ice cream or orange sherbet. You will make this time and time again – this is a fool-proof, fail-safe and very easy recipe. Enjoy!”

Serves 12

Ingredients:

For the Cake Batter

• 2 c flour
• 2 c sugar
• 3/4 c cocoa
• 2 t baking powder
• 1 1/2 t baking soda
• 1 t salt
• 1 t strong coffee powder
• 1 c milk
• 1/4 c canola oil
• 1/4 c We Olive Blood Orange Olive Oil
• 2 eggs
• 2 t vanilla
• 1 c boiling water

For the Frosting:

• 1 1/4 c butter (melted)
• 1/4 c We Olive Blood Orange Olive Oil
• 1 c cocoa
• 5 c powdered sugar
• 1/2 c milk
• 2 t vanilla
• 1/2 t strong coffee powder

1. Preheat conventional oven to 350 degrees/convection oven to 320 degrees. In a large bowl, sift together all dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, blend all wet ingredients (except the boiling water). Slowly add the wet ingredients to the dry ingredients. Once combined, add the boiling water. Mix thoroughly. Pour into 2 8″ or 9″ round well oiled and floured cake pans. Batter will be VERY wet. Bake for 45 minutes. Let cool on rack.

2. In saucepan, melt butter, add all other ingredients except for the powdered sugar. Add the powdered sugar last and beat until smooth and shiny. Turn out into a bowl and let chill for only a few minutes – until it’s a spreadable consistency without melting off the cake.

3. Frost the bottom layer, place the top lay inverted on top of the first layer. Frost the top and sides of cake. Let chill in the refrigerator for about an hour. The butter makes this frosting extra smooth and a little hard which lends itself to easier slicing.

Notes: This recipe would make wonderful cupcakes or mini cupcakes with the chocolate frosting as filling. I’ve even cut these cakes in half horizontally to make a luscious 4 layer cake. There is enough frosting for all. Perfect pairing with any red wine tasting.