Chocolate Chiffon Cake with Orange Chocolate Glaze
A fluffy and soft chocolate chiffon cake that is made even more special with orange chocolate glaze. This elegant chiffon will be loved for its pure decadence and simplicity.
I always have this soft spot for chiffon cakes. Baked in tube pans, their nakedness and simplicity appeal to me in a very sophisticated way. They are tall, soft and elegant. They have their own distinct beauty when set alongside fully frosted cakes.
Look at this chocolate chiffon cake and try not to crave chocolate. The moist crumbs and its softness are revealed in its unfrosted state, obviously alluring and enticing anyone who ever stare at it to have a slice. Well, as for me, I don’t have trouble eating up one big, fat slice.
This is the cake that you serve to anyone who is not a fan of elaborate cakes, with icing and all. The simple chocolate chiffon with a thin chocolate glaze is not overwhelming, but will definitely fix a sudden chocolate craving.
The chocolate glaze in this cake gets heightened in flavor by the addition of orange juice. The orange flavor does not mess up the chocolate in any way, instead, the tiny hint of citrus gives such a delightful contrast to the overall flavor.
Pointers for Baking Chocolate Chiffon Cake
- Like the Pineapple chiffon cake, this is baked in a 10 inch tube pan. You want one that has a removable bottom for easy unmolding of the cake.
- Since you will put a lot of batter in the pan to yield a tall, fat cake, you need to bake it at a low temperature of 325 F and the cake should be positioned in the lowest rack of the oven when baking it.
- This chiffon cake bakes for 60-65 minutes. You will see cracks on top of the cake while it is baking and that’s perfectly fine. Since we are going to invert the cake for serving, it would not matter at all. It would not affect the texture too, as you will soon see for yourself a fluffy chiffon cake that is soft and has risen beautifully.
- I let this cake cool completely before unmolding it. To cool, I simply set it on top of a mug, inverted. If you don’t feel comfortable doing that, you can also set it on a baking rack. It is just that it is more free of any moisture as it let out its heat when it set high on top a mug than on the wire rack.
- And as with any chocolate cake, one nice thing is that the flavors get better each day. Store this cake in a covered container at room temperature only. It stays fresh and soft for up to 3-4 days, and the chocolate flavor intensifies each day.
Also, check out:
- Ovaltine Cake with Whipped Icing
- Mango Chiffon Cake with Swiss Meringue Buttercream
- Ube Chiffon Cake with Whipped Cream icing
- Mocha Cake Roll
- Mocha Cake
Chocolate Chiffon Cake with Orange Chocolate Glaze
Ingredients
FOR THE CHIFFON CAKE
- 7 large eggs separated then let stand in room temperature for half an hour
- 3/4 cup boiling water
- 1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 and 3/4 cup cake flour
- 1 and 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 and 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp. salt
- 2 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup canola oil
- 1/4 tsp. cream of tartar
FOR THE ORANGE CHOCOLATE GLAZE
- 1 cup icing sugar
- 3 tbsp. unsweetened cocoa powder
- 3 - 4 tbsp orange juice
Instructions
MAKE THE CHIFFON CAKE
- Place your oven rack to the lowest position in the oven. Preheat oven to 325 F. Combine the boiling water and cocoa powder until the cocoa powder is dissolved and the mixture is smooth. Set this aside to cool. Combine cake flour, salt, sugar and baking soda in another bowl.
- In a large bowl, whisk the egg yolks with oil and vanilla extract. To this yolk mixture, add the dry ingredients and the cocoa mixture; Mix everything until smooth and well blended. In the bowl of a stand mixer ( or use a handheld mixer), Beat the egg whites and cream of tartar to stiff, shiny peaks.
- Fold a little amount of the egg whites to the yolk batter to thin down the yolks batter a little bit. Fold the remaining egg whites to the yolk batter until the color is uniform. Pour batter into an ungreased 10-inch tube pan and bake at 325 F for 60-65 minutes. A skewer inserted into the center of the cake should come out clean. Cool the cake inverted on top a coffee mug, or lay it on top a cooling rack. To unmold, gently run a knife along the center and the edges of the cake, detach the base part of the tube pan and run a knife along the base of the cake. Gently invert the cake onto your serving plate.
MAKE THE GLAZE
- In a bowl, whisk together sugar and cocoa powder until blended. Add 3-4 tbsp of orange juice and stir mixture until smooth and until the consistency is perfect for pouring into the cake. Pour glaze on top of the cake letting some to drip down the sides. Store cake covered in a container at room temperature for up to three days.
Notes
Nutrition
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I looked up another recipe to confirm the oil because it didn’t say to add the canola oil. It was delicious! Just letting you know.
Hello, Audrey! Thank you for trying it out! I am glad you liked it 🙂
In the ingredients you list baking soda but in the instructions you say baking powder. Can you please clarify?
Thanks!
Hi Anne! Thank you for pointing that out. It is baking soda 🙂 I will correct the recipe accordingly. So yes, baking soda, not baking powder.
I have a huge sweet tooth so I like everything…but there is a special place in my heart for a simple, unadorned chocolate cake.
We are the same. You can’t go wrong with a simple but tasty chocolate cake!