I have been debating with myself wheter I should add this recipe on my blog, as it is not Italian as such. The final argument that tipped me over was the pure pleasure received by every person that ate a slice of this cake. I felt that it had to be shared with you, especially in the lead up to Christmas and the opportunity you might have to make a loved one a cake. I baked this cake for a special friend and went through so many recipes to try a cake that I thought exampled a sense of occasion. Also as I walk through the winter markets here in Italy and down the streets there are oranges everywhere as they are now in season. The vibrant colour of the oranges is a total contrast to the dark streets and overcast skies. This cake is rich, moist and dense, and the combination of the dark chocolate against the sweet zesty orange is a sophisticated sensation.
What you need:
380g dark chocolate
235g butter
100ml freshly squeezed orange juice
Five eggs
105g sugar
100g self raising flour
One tablespoon vanilla extract
Zest of two oranges
For the icing:
250g unsalted butter at room temperature
Three cups of icing sugar
One tablespoon of milk
How to make:
1: Place a metal bowl over a bowl of boiling water. Add the chocolate to the bowl and melt, than add the orange juice, butter and zest. Take of heat and set aside
2: Whisk the eggs together with the sugar until light and fluffy and almost double in size. Add the vanilla
3: Lightly stir in the chocolate mixer to the egg mixture, keeping it light
4: Sift in the flour and combine
5: Pour the batter into a round spring form baking dish (line with cooking paper). Place in a pre-heated at 160 degrees oven for about 40-50 minutes
6: Remove and cool on a cooling tray
To make the icing:
1: Whisk the butter until light and fluffy then add 1/2 cup of sugar at a time until completely combined. Add a little milk to create a spreadable consistency (keep covered in the fridge until ready to use
Spread on a well cooled cake. I spread the icing on a slightly warm cake and wrote "Italia" on top but of course the icing melted and the cake turned into a big mess. None the less, the cake was still delicious
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