Dessert

Chocolate Orange Brownie Cake

Chocolate Orange Brownie Cake ~ A delicious treat that’s somewhere between a brownie and a cake with rich chocolate and tangy orange tasted throughout.Chocolate-Orange Brownie-Cake ~ The Complete Savorist

Is it a brownie? Or is it a cake?  I have no idea, so it’s a brownie cake.

But does it matter? It’s delicious.

My late former MIL shared a few of her recipes with me over the years. She gave me her recipe for homemade brownies.  I followed the recipe and the brownies were more like cake than the brownies I was used to. But still brownie like that I can’t say it was a cake. Regardless of what it was, it was still utterly delicious.  It was her recipe that I used and tweaked to make this chocolate-orange brownie-cake.

I love playing with flavors, which is apparent in my savory cooking.  But with baking, I felt I wasn’t skilled enough and that I wouldn’t be able to play with flavors like I can with savory foods.  Since October, I have tried to bake once a month.  I know this doesn’t sound like much, but for me, it’s huge progress.  I wanted to make a dessert I was already somewhat familiar with and then just adapt it, trusting in my cooking instincts.  This could have gone terribly awry, I know this.  Baking is much less forgiving than cooking.

This was an exercise in patience, something I don’t have much of.  But as silly as it may sound, it was also an exercise in trusting in myself, putting further aside the notion that I can’t bake. The exercise was a success. Granted what I was doing was NOT rocket science by any means, but we all have our own Everest to tackle, even if just in our minds and over something as inconsequential as baking. Baking is turning out to be easier and more enjoyable than I ever thought.

Chocolate-Orange Brownie Cake ~ The Complete Savorist

Chocolate Orange Brownie Cake

Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Author: Michelle De La Cerda
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Ingredients

  • 2 sticks of butter; very soft
  • 6 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 1 cup orange juice; room temp
  • 2 eggs
  • 2 cups flour
  • 2 cups sugar
  • 1/2 cup buttermilk (or 1/2 cup milk with 1 tsp white vinegar)
  • 1 tsp vanilla
  • 1 tsp baking soda

Frosting

  • 1 stick butter; very soft
  • 6 tbsp milk
  • 3 tbsp cocoa powder
  • 1 lb powdered sugar
  • 1 tsp orange extract

Instructions

  1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Grease a 9x13 pan and set it aside
  2. Using a hand or stand mixer, beat the butter, sugar and add 2 tbsp cocoa powder.
  3. Once combined, add one egg until thoroughly mixed.
  4. Add another 2 tbsp of cocoa powder, mix well.
  5. Add another egg until thorough mixed
  6. Add the final 2 tbsp of cocoa powder.
  7. Slowly pour in the orange juice.
  8. Add flour, about 1/4 cup at a time, stopping occasionally to scrape down the sides.
  9. Add the vanilla, baking soda, and buttermilk. Mix well and scrape down the sides.
  10. Bake for about 25 minutes or until done.
  11. When brownie-cake is done, allow to cool on a wire rack, once cool, frost.

Frosting

  1. Whip butter, cocoa, and orange extract together.
  2. Alternate adding powdered sugar and the milk until all have been added.
  3. Occasionally stop and scrape down the sides.
  4. Frost when the brownie cake has cooled.
  5. Serve and Enjoy.

Chocolate-Orange Brownie Cake ~ The Complete SavoristChocolate-Orange Brownie Cake ~ The Complete Savorist

Chocolate-Orange Brownie Cake ~ The Complete Savorist

She loves the frosting, despite being sick! Poor baby.

Chocolate Orange Brownie Cake ~ The Complete Savorist

Thank you for sharing!

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35 Comments

  • Reply
    The Food Hunter
    January 20, 2015 at 12:41 pm

    That last photo is adorable

  • Reply
    lizzy
    January 20, 2015 at 12:44 pm

    An interesting twist w/ the orange, I love it!!! I will def. try these

  • Reply
    Nicole Neverman
    January 20, 2015 at 12:51 pm

    I am dying to try this beautiful brownie cake. It sounds amazing! I love anything chocolate orange. Great job!

  • Reply
    Gerry @ Foodness Gracious
    January 20, 2015 at 1:21 pm

    Two great flavors coming together 🙂

  • Reply
    Dini @ Giramuk's Kitchen
    January 20, 2015 at 2:12 pm

    I think it looks brilliant! the close up of the cake/brownie picture shows how wonderful the crumb is too. Plus you can’t go wrong with orange and chocolate 🙂 Love the combination!

    • Reply
      Michelle
      January 20, 2015 at 3:35 pm

      Thank you Dini! The photography for this cake/brownie was sooooo difficult. Worse than neutral colored foods, but it was oh so delicious.

  • Reply
    Dorothy at Shockingly Delicious
    January 20, 2015 at 2:39 pm

    Oh, but you CAN bake!

    • Reply
      Michelle
      January 20, 2015 at 3:36 pm

      Apparently, that might be true. I’m really loving it.

  • Reply
    fabiola@notjustbaked
    January 20, 2015 at 3:15 pm

    I love love orange and chocolate so mush, they work perfectly together.

    • Reply
      Michelle
      January 20, 2015 at 3:36 pm

      Thank you Fabiola! Classic combo.

  • Reply
    Shelley @ Two Healthy Kitchens
    January 20, 2015 at 3:34 pm

    Orange and chocolate are such a lovely combination! And I just love having the dilemma of not being able to figure out if something is a brownie or cake! Really, in that situation, you just have to keep taking more nibbles … and more nibbles … until you finally figure it out! 😀 Hope it cheered up that poor little sick sweetie pie, too!

    • Reply
      Michelle
      January 20, 2015 at 3:37 pm

      Thank you Shelley, we ate it and ate it and never could decide what it was exactly. But it was good. And the little one is a frosting addict, she enjoyed it.

  • Reply
    Kristen
    January 20, 2015 at 5:18 pm

    MMMM! Chocolate and Orange are such a classic combo. Brownie or cake, I don’t care, just hand me a piece!

    • Reply
      Michelle
      January 20, 2015 at 5:34 pm

      Exactly how I feel Kristen.

  • Reply
    Laura @ Family Spice
    January 20, 2015 at 6:51 pm

    Chocolate goes with everything – especially oranges! I could lick that whisk, too!

    • Reply
      Michelle
      January 20, 2015 at 8:27 pm

      The child will fight you over the whisk. 😉

  • Reply
    Healing Tomato
    January 22, 2015 at 11:10 am

    5 stars
    This recipe looks so good! I would eat this cake everyday.

    • Reply
      Michelle
      January 22, 2015 at 12:16 pm

      Sadly, I did eat it every day until it was gone…It took a week and by the end it was a bit dry, but I wasn’t going to waste it.

  • Reply
    Elena
    January 24, 2015 at 10:43 am

    I love the orange-chocolate combo. This cake looks so good!

  • Reply
    christine
    January 24, 2015 at 10:48 am

    I love the combo of chocolate and orange flavors together.

    • Reply
      Michelle
      January 24, 2015 at 11:37 am

      Same here Christine…just after Chocolate and raspberry.

  • Reply
    Ashley (QLCC)
    January 24, 2015 at 2:09 pm

    Chocolate and orange just GO together, I’ve never thought to put them in a brownie, nor a “brownie cake”! I love it!

    • Reply
      Michelle
      January 24, 2015 at 7:09 pm

      Thank you Ashley…they do go well together.

  • Reply
    Mike Benayoun
    January 25, 2015 at 6:34 pm

    This vibrant orange slice makes me drool 😉

    • Reply
      Michelle
      January 25, 2015 at 8:55 pm

      Do you need a napkin. 😉

  • Reply
    Debra from Bowl Me Over
    January 25, 2015 at 10:09 pm

    Orange and chocolate are such a perfect combination. Mmmmm!!!

  • Reply
    Mary Ellen
    January 26, 2015 at 3:22 pm

    I love orange and chocolate together, this cake looks great! LOVE those passed down recipes, they are the best….

    • Reply
      Michelle
      January 26, 2015 at 3:44 pm

      I agree Mary Ellen, family recipes are the best.

  • Reply
    Arman @ thebigmansworld
    March 13, 2015 at 1:37 am

    When a brownie met a bake…Love it. I’ve started enjoying the orange/chocolate combination (after eating a delicious chocolat orange chocolate.

    • Reply
      Michelle
      March 13, 2015 at 8:31 pm

      I want a chocolat orange chocolate.

  • Reply
    Laura @MotherWouldKnow
    March 13, 2015 at 12:56 pm

    Chocolate and orange in a brownie/cake – nothing could be better in my book!

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