Chocolate Cake with Crystallised Oranges

By lovinghomemade on December 23, 2014 • ( 8 )

My camera has decided to go on strike for the moment and I am having to use my phone to take photos instead, which is really not helping, as you can see! Combined with the lights on my Christmas tree going just as I put the last decoration on it and my laptop mouse pad disappearing on a Christmas break half way through this post, it has not been my week for technology…

This recipe came to me highly recommended by my friend Kate and I thought it would make an interesting change from a standard birthday cake for my mum. The crystallised oranges add a bit of colour, flavour and drama to a dense chocolate cake covered with ganache. If you are familiar with Jaffa Cakes you could consider this an adult version. And this cake even has the added benefit of hidden prunes – kids will never guess…

Having never attempted to crystallise an orange before I was a little worried about how they would turn out but they seemed to work. They become very sticky and chewy but also suprisingly easy to cut neatly with a sharp knife. If you like marmalade you will love them and if, like me, you don’t, you may still be pleasantly surprised. I also think this cake would make a great festive centrepiece on a dessert table.

Recipe

Ingredients

Cake

100g chopped pitted prunes

60ml water

1 teaspoon bicarbonate of soda

115g butter

55g dark chocolate

150g dark brown sugar

2 eggs

85g plain flour

55g cocoa powder

1 teaspoon ground ginger

Ganache topping

200g dark chocolate

100ml double cream

Crystallised oranges

200g caster sugar

100ml water

2 or 3 oranges

Method

Set the oven to 150ºC and grease and line the base of a loose-based 8″ cake tin.

Put the chopped prunes into a saucepan with the water and cook for 3 to 5 minutes. Mix in the bicarbonate of soda (it will fizz) and set aside to cool down.

The bicarbonate of soda bubbles when added to the prunes

Melt the butter and chocolate in a saucepan.

Put the sugar into a large bowl, pour the chocolate mixture in and beat together.

Add the eggs and continue beating.

Ready for the dry ingredients

Sieve in the flour, cocoa powder and ginger and fold in.

Finally fold in the prune mixture.

Spoon into the prepared tin and bake for around 35-45 minutes or until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.

Ready to bake

Allow to cool in the tin for a while before removing and leaving to cool completely on a wire rack.

When the cake is completely cool make the ganache:

Melt the cream and chocolate together and whisk until smooth and silky. I think I let my chocolate get too hot and my ganache definitely did not look as good as it could have. Luckily it didn’t affect the taste. Allow to cool a little and spoon over the cake. Smooth the top and sides with a palette knife.