This Chocolate-Orange Marble Bundt Cake is moist with plenty of orange flavor. The chocolate marble complements pairing with orange. This is perfect with a cup of hot tea or coffee for brunch, or for an afternoon snack.
My friends, at Tate’s Bake Shop sent me a copy of their newest Cookbook “Baking For Friends“. That means I can add this cookbook to their “Tate’s Bakeshop Cookbook“, where I posted my version of their Signature Chocolate Chip Cookies. Yay!
I enjoyed flipping through the recipes, and I bookmarked a few. The one recipe that really stood out to me was the Chocolate-Blood Orange Cake. The photograph was so pretty, and this marbled cake reminded me of my mom’s own Marmor Kuchen.
Blood oranges weren’t in season so I used Navel Oranges for this recipe. The recipe lists 2 ounces, each, of bittersweet and unsweetened chocolate. The batter ingredients includes two sticks of butter, and one cup of sour cream. I love adding sour cream to cakes because I can pretty much be guaranteed that the cake will be moist.
Half the batter has orange zest added to it. My own little addition was to add a little bit of Pure Orange oil and a little bit of Buttery Sweet Dough Flavor. These are baking ingredients that I use all the time, and I think they add some extra flavor to my baked goods.
The other half of the cake batter has the melted (and cooled) chocolate whipped into it. (I omitted using mini chocolate chips.) The batter is spooned in, alternately.
The recipe suggests to bake for 50 minutes, but when I inserted a long skewer, the cake was done at 40 minutes.
I love this Heritage Bundt Pan, because it makes a really pretty cake. I find that, if sprayed properly with a non-stick baking/flour spray, that cakes pop right out. The cake is cooled, in the pan, for about 10 minutes.
A simple syrup of orange juice and sugar is very slowly poured over the cake, so that it soaked completely in– and then is allowed to cool completely.
TASTING NOTES: My husband immediately detected the orange cake flavor. He’s one of my toughest critics, because he knows I want his honest opinion. He loved it! The cake is super moist, and I love the balance of the chocolate with the orange. (Personally, I didn’t miss not having added the mini chocolate chips.) You can’t taste the sour cream, but I’m sure that ingredient really helps with the tender and moist crumb of this cake. I think you can easily substitute lemon juice and zest, which is what my mother often did. Actually, I’d make this cake without the chocolate. The batter is awesome!
Chocolate-Orange Marble Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 2 ounces unsweetened chocolate coarsely chopped
- 2 ounces bittersweet chocolate coarsely chopped
- 1-3/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 3/4 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 2 sticks butter room temperature
- 1-1/2 cups sugar
- 3 large eggs room temperature
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 Tablespoon pure vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips optional, I omitted them
- 1 large navel orange zested and juiced (or use blood oranges)
- 1/4 teaspoon pure orange oil optional
- 1 teaspoons LorAnn’s Buttery Sweet Dough Flavor optional
For the syrup:
- 1/2 cup fresh orange juice can easily substitute lemon or blood orange juice
- 1/4 cup sugar
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F and position oven rack in the center of the oven. Lightly butter and flour a 9-inch fluted or plain tube pan and tap out the excess flour. Or, generously spray the cake pan with a baking non-stick spray such a Baker's Joy.
For the cake:
- Melted the chocolate in a microwave proof bowl in 30-second intervals, stirring at each interval, until melted; about 2 minutes. Let cool until tepid.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt.
- In a large bowl (or in a stand mixer), beat the butter, and sugar with an electric mixer set on high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes.
- One at a time, beat in the eggs, scraping down the sides of the bowl after each addition. With the mixer on low speed, gradually add the flour mixture then the sour cream and vanilla (and Sweet Buttery Dough Flavor, if using).
- Transfer half of the batter to a medium bowl. Add the tepid chocolate mixture and chocolate chips (if using) and stir well.
- Add the orange zest (and orange oil, if using) to the plain batter.
- Spoon the batters alternately into the prepared pan. Using a table knife, swirl them together to create a marbled effect.
- Bake until a long bamboo skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean– between 40 and 50 minutes (depending on your oven). Let cool on a wire cooking rack for 10 minutes.
For the syrup:
- In a small saucepan, bring the orange juice and sugar to a boil over medium-heat, stirring often to dissolve the sugar. Strain into a glass measuring cup.
- Invert the cake onto the cooling rack and unmold. Place the rack on a plate (or baking sheet). Slowly drizzle the syrup all over the cake. Use a dessert spoon to scoop up any remaining syrup and drizzle it back over the cake.
- Let the cake cook completely on the rack.
Notes
A beautiful cake pan makes all cakes special. This cake looks delicious! Thanks for sharing your reviews. Sour cream gives a good crumb to cakes, I think.
Long-time follower/liker of Tate's Bake Shop on FB.
And of course I follow you on FB, Debbie! (and Twitter, Instagram, et al.)
I tweeted: https://twitter.com/cspod/status/331331853053206528
@cspod
I'm in St Louis and have not heard of Tates. I can't wait to try it if I win. I'm a big fan of yours though and I want to thank you for your hard work in sharing all your great recipes. Your're always helping me impress my husband !!!
This cake is beautiful. What a difference the pan makes! Thanks for sharing.
I follow you on FB.
I love Tates signature cookies and have had high success from their last cookbook. I am sure their latest is filled with tasty treats.
So gorgeous Debby!!
Beautiful cake….I love the pan…
Terry said from nana27851@yahoo.com
liked both pages .Have followed you a while
What a interesting looking cake pan, love the recipe, cake looks amazing.
oh my god,that cake looks so good
I love that pan you use!!! Its such a pretty shape!!!
I got that Bundt pan as a wedding gift and still haven't used it. This may be the recipe that does the trick!
I "like" Tate's Bake Shop on Facebook
And I already "like" you on Facebook!
I've always been on the fence about chocolate and orange together but your cake looks so good that I obviously need to re-evaluate my opinion!
Orange and chocolate go so well together… looks like a nice moist cake.
I am now very hungry. Must eat cake!
junerlisle at gmail dot com
I Like Tate's Bake Shop on Facebook as June Lisle.
junerlisle at gmail dot com
I Like A Feast for the Eyes Food Blog on Facebook as June Lisle.
junerlisle at gmail dot com
i love that cake pan! and the cake looks delish!
michelenj66@gmail.com
im a facebook fan of yours! 🙂
Thanks for a chance at a great giveaway! I have the heritage bundt pan and have been waiting for the perfect recipe to christen it. I follow you via email.
I have this book and I love it!! That cake mold is gorgeous! and I am sure the cake is yummy!
Chocolate and orange…sounds wonderful.
Debbie you are one heck of a baker, that cake looks beautiful and I love chocolate and orange together! Wow, and the pan is so cool!
I'd love to win this!
whittikere(at)yahoo(dot) com
Liked them on FB Ann R.W
Following you and tweeted https://twitter.com/whittikere/status/331647376139898880
Liked you on FB Ann R.w
Oh my, I can't wait to try this recipe. Chocolate combined with orange – Yum!
I liked you o Facebook.
I Liked Tate's Bakery on Facebook.
Can't wait to try this recipe! Thank you so much for sharing. I visited and liked Tates Bake Shop and am also now following/liking you on FB. Thanks for giving me a chance for the give-a-way.
Joyce
Chocolate and orange together is probably my favorite flavor. You've gone and done it again, what a terrific cake recipe. I have to make it!
Oh I am so excited to try this one. Love the recipe.
Beautiful cake and a beautiful bundt pan!
I'd love to win
I liked Tate's on FB
I liked A Feast for the Eyes Food Blog on FB
https://twitter.com/lovetolive55/status/332398426136399872
I need a bundt pan like yours! 🙂
The cake is beautiful! So enjoy your recipes!
Fantastic recipe, just made it for Valentines Day!!! I used blood oranges but I skipped the extra chocolate chips…..
Hi Debby!!! Love your blog. I discovered it today. I can’t see the recipe of this “Tate’s Bake Shop Chocolate-Orange Marble Cake”, how can I do to get it? The link of the cookbook doesn’t work. Thank you!! ♥️
Thank you for contacting me. I am pleased to say that I did create a new recipe card that is now visible on the post. It has been quite a project to recreate over 500 recipe cards, since my former website changed the coding– and they are no longer visible! Ugh. However, thank you for reminding me of what a great cake this is!