Orange and Chocolate Cake

Oh my oven, how I have missed you!  It finally cooled down enough around here to put something in the oven.  And when I say cooled down, I mean it is less than ninety degrees.  The birthday parties are over and we are getting back to normal.  When I say normal, I mean as close to normal as our family can get.  He he.

I finally get a day where I can bake all day long if I want to.  The kids have really taken to these projects and are anxious to help out in the kitchen.  Isabelle helped me with this recipe from start to finish.  We had a great time, working as a team.

This week’s recipe comes from “The Only Bake Sale Cookbook You’ll Ever Need”. This book is chock full of great recipes to bake with minimal effort.  I used this cookbook previously when I made the Tangy Lime Poppy Seed cake.  There are no pictures in this cookbook, but you don’t really need them.  The instructions are easy to follow and the recipes always turn out!

Orange Chocolate Bread leapt out at me while I turned the pages of the cookbook.  The concept of chocolate and orange is absolutely fabulous and it is a tried and true combination of flavors.  My mother loves chocolate and orange.  So I made this recipe partially in honor of her. Also I was hungry for it!  The hardest part about this recipe was keeping my children’s fingers out of the bowl after I mixed it together.  Ok, I admit it; I had a hard time keeping my fingers out too!  My house smells so delicious.  I have the windows open and the fans blowing.  I think everybody walking by is so jealous!

 

Orange and Chocolate Cake

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 cup sugar

2 teaspoons baking powder

½ tsp baking soda

1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder

½ tsp salt

2 large eggs, lightly beaten

½ cup plain low-fat yogurt

1 cup frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed

2 tablespoons grated orange zest

3 tablespoons butter, melted

1 cup mandarin orange segments, drained and chopped

3 tablespoons chopped semisweet chocolate

1. Preheat the oven to 375.  Lightly coat a 9x5x2 ½- loaf pan with baking spray.
2. Sift the flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa, and salt into a large bowl.
3. Combine the eggs, yogurt, orange juice concentrate, orange zest, and butter into a small bowl and stir until well mixed.
4. Add the liquid ingredients to the dry ingredients and stir until just moist.
5. Gently fold in the orange segments.
6. Spoon the batter into the pan.  (Keep your fingers out of the mix!  I know it will be hard)
7. Sprinkle with chopped chocolate.
8. Bake for 40 to 50 minutes, or until golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
9. Cool for 10 minutes in the baking pan.  Remove from pan and serve warm or transfer to a wire rack to cool completely before slicing.