Chocolate-orange Cake

Total Time: 55 mins Preparation Time: 15 mins Cook Time: 40 mins

Ingredients

• 1 1/4 cups plain flour
• 1/4-1/2 cup cocoa powder (to taste for chocolate intensity)
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 cup sunflower oil
• 3/4 cup caster sugar
• 1/4 cup yogurt
• 3/4 cup orange juice (i used fresh squeezed)
• 1 teaspoon orange zest
• 1 1/4 cups icing sugar
• 1 tablespoon orange zest
• 1/2 cup golden sultana raisins
• 2 tablespoons orange juice (i used fresh squeezed)
• 2 tablespoons apricot brandy (optional)
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• two pinches orange food coloring (optional)

Recipe

• 1 preheat the oven to 180c (350f).
• 2 lightly grease an 8" round baking pan.
• 3 in a bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking soda and baking powder.
• 4 in another bowl, cream together the oil, sugar and yogurt.
• 5 add the juice, orange zest and flour; mix well and pour into the prepared pan.
• 6 bake for about 35 minutes or till the cake tests done; let it remain in the tin for 10 minutes, then turn it out onto a wire cooling rack.
• 7 when the cake is completely cool, split it in half horizontally.
• 8 to make the filling, put the sultanas, orange juice and apricot brandy in a small microwaveable bowl.
• 9 cover with clingfilm, poke a hole in the top and microwave it for 2-1/2 minutes. let cool, then puree the sultanas - either smooth or coarsely
• 10 pour the pureed sultanas into a mixing bowl, and add the orange food colouring (if using), the vanilla extract and orange zest and mix well.
• 11 add the sifted icing sugar carefully and beat till the mixture is fairly thick, adding more icing sugar if required to make it spreadable but still firm.
• 12 spread the filling on one half of the cooled split cake and top with the other half.
• 13 sift icing sugar thickly over the top (perhaps vanilla sugar pulsed in the blender to make vanilla icing sugar).
• 14 serve with a cup of strong coffee.
• 15 as an alternative to the orange-sultana filling, split cake and fill with thick orange curd (lemon curd with 50% or more orange juice), then top with ganache.
• 16 non-chocolate eaters will find this delicious without the cocoa, adding another 1/4 cup of flour.