This dark, unbelievably rich cake feels like a sin to eat – it’s just sooooo naughty. The other joy of it is that it is very easy to make, so spectacular from every aspect really.
Serves 12
What you need…
200g butter, softened
A little plain flour
175g soft dark brown sugar
Zest and juice of 1 orange
3 large eggs
200g self-raising flour
25g cocoa powder
1 tsp ground ginger
25g dark chocolate, grated
for the syrup
50g golden caster sugar
Juice of 1 orange
50ml water
for the decoration
75g butter
125g dark chocolate, chopped
1 tsp ground ginger
25g white chocolate
What to do…
Preheat oven to 180c / 350f / gas 4. Grease a 20cm ring tin and dust it with the plain flour.
Using a food processor or electric mixer, whisk the butter, sugar and orange zest in large bowl until the mixture is soft, creamy and lighter in colour.
Mix in the eggs, one at a time, then add in the self-raising flour, cocoa, ginger, dark chocolate and orange juice. Mix everything together until smooth. Spoon into the tin and bake for 30-40 minutes, until the top of the cake springs back when lightly pressed.
Meanwhile, make the syrup. Put the sugar into a pan with the orange juice and 50ml cold water. Bring to the boil and simmer for 4-5 minutes, until syrupy.
With a skewer or cocktail stick, pierce the cake all over the top, then pour over the syrup. Cool in the tin for 5 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
To decorate, melt the chopped chocolate in a heat-proof bowl in a steamer over a saucepan of simmering water; then mix in the butter until dissolved. Mix in the ground ginger.
Drizzle over the cake and allow to set for 10 minutes. Melt the white chocolate, also in a steamer over boiling water, then drizzle over the dark chocolate and leave to set. Your dark chocolate, ginger and orange cake is ready to take it’s place at the centre of the table!
Serve this wonderfully rich cake with a spoonful of double cream. If you’d rather a lighter, dairy-free alternative, mix together some soya natural yogurt with runny honey and a wee dram of Limoncello. Lurvvelly!!!
Inspired by…
Harrods Magazine – yes, seriously!
How easy…
Dead easy to make this spectacular cake that wouldn’t look out of place at a celebration
