A light, fluffy and zesty Chocolate Orange Marble Cake with pretty swirls all the way through. Decorate this cake with luscious vanilla buttercream and mini buttercream oranges for a fun and simple showstopper spring cake that is rich and chocolatey but light and fruity. It is naturally vegan, gluten-free and nut-free.
By Nourishing Amy
Chocolate Orange Marble Cake
Prep Time: 20 minutes
Serves: 9-12 People
Ingredients
For the Cake Sponge
240ml + 2 tbsp plant-based milk, divided
1 tbsp lemon juice
140g caster sugar
80ml light olive or sunflower oil
1 orange, zested
1 tsp vanilla essence
210g self-raising flour (or gluten-free SF flour)
½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
2 tbsp cocoa powder
A pinch of salt
90g Dark Orange and Ginger Chocolate, chopped small
For the Buttercream
90g vegan butter, softened
30g vegan cream cheese
300g icing sugar
½ tsp vanilla essence
1-2 tbsp plant-based milk
Orange and green vegan food gel
Method
Step 1
Preheat the oven to 160Fan/180ºC and line an 8-inch square pan with baking paper.
Step 2
Into a large mixing bowl: whisk together the 240ml milk and 1 tbsp lemon juice. Leave for 5 minutes to curdle. Now add in the sugar, oil, orange zest and vanilla essence and whisk till smooth. Sift in the flour and bicarbonate of soda and add the salt and whisk till smooth
Step 3
Divide the batter into two smaller bowls.
Step 4
For the chocolate batter: sift in the cocoa powder and ad 2 tbsp milk. Whisk until smooth and then fold in half of the chopped chocolate.
Step 5
For the orange batter: fold in the other half of chopped chocolate.
Step 6
To create the marble effect: use an ice cream scoop or large serving spoon to alternate between scoops of chocolate and orange batter, spooning them into the tin in a random pattern. Once both batters have been used up, use a knife to swirl through the batters (don’t overdo it otherwise you’ll lose definition).
Step 7
To bake: place in the middle of the oven and bake for 24 minutes, until risen and springy to touch and an inserted skewer comes out clean. Allow to cool for 10 minutes in the tin then lift out carefully to cool fully on a wire rack.
Step 8
For the buttercream: beat together the butter and cream cheese using a handheld electric or freestanding mixer. Once softened, gradually beat in the icing sugar, vanilla essence and plant milk. Once incorporated, beat for a further 1-2 minutes, till really fluffy.
Step 9
For the oranges: place 75g of buttercream into a small bowl and add 1-2 drops of orange food gel and stir to reach your desired colour. Spoon 50g buttercream into another bowl and add 1-2 drops green food colouring and combine. Place each colour into separate piping bags with small holes at the ends
Step 10
To decorate: place the cake on a serving plate and spoon and spread over the vanilla buttercream. Pipe an orange-coloured round and then use the green buttercream to add on the stalk. Continue to add on as many oranges as you like.
Step 11
To serve: slice the cake with a large, sharp knife into 9-12 squares or slices and enjoy.
Step 12
To store: keep in a sealed container for 3-5 days or you can freeze the unfrosted loaf for 1 month and allow to defrost before decorating.
