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    Home » Recipes » Vegan Baking Recipes

    Published: Nov 10, 2022 · Modified: Nov 17, 2024 by DJ · This post may contain affiliate links · 1 Comment

    Easy Vegan Chocolate Orange Cake

    Jump to Recipe Jump to Video Print Recipe

    If you love chocolate orange treats around the winter and festive period, you're going to adore this vegan chocolate orange cake recipe which one of my favorites when the weather turns cold.

    Topped with a zesty orange glaze, these chocolate loaf cakes take less than 30 minutes to make. Complimenting the orange flavors is a light, airy and fluffy cake texture which will blow your mind.

    A single, moist slice of vegan chocolate orange cake on a white serving board. The rest of the cake is in the background. this recipe

    I love to serve this cake warm with dairy-free single cream more so than any others of my cakes as it really brings out those seasonal flavors. The contrast between the temperatures is truly beautiful.

    Try some more vegan chocolate cake recipes such as, my vegan chocolate snickers cake, vegan chocolate blueberry cake, vegan brownie cheesecake and eggless chocolate peanut butter cake loaf. They're all delicious, I promise!

    Jump to:
    • Why You Will Love This Cake
    • Ingredient Notes
    • Substitutions & Variations
    • How To Make Vegan Chocolate Orange Cake
    • Expert Tips
    • Recipe FAQs
    • More Vegan Orange Recipes
    • Easy Vegan Chocolate Orange Cake

    Why You Will Love This Cake

    • Amazing Consistency - The crumb of this easy chocolate cake is so tender which is always a great thing. There are no dense textures in the cake either. Instead, the texture is unbelievably soft and moist just like my vegan gingerbread loaf cake which is just how you want it to be.
    • Great Topping - My favorite part of the loaf cakes has to be the glaze topping. Yes, the chocolate cake itself is bursting which orange flavors, but the glaze takes those flavors to a whole new level. It's sharper, tangier and incredibly moreish - even on its own!
    • Perfect For Christmas - Although this cake is great all year-round, I especially love to bake it around Christmas and New Year, just like I do with my vegan chocolate shortbread cookies. When it is baking inside the oven, it infuses the whole house with the decadent and homely fragrances that it produces.
    • Allergy Friendly & Plant Based - This vegan chocolate orange cake recipe is fully vegan and dairy free.

    Ingredient Notes

    The ingredients needed to make a vegan chocolate orange cake, laid out neatly over a white, marble background.
    • Apple cider vinegar - When this wonderful vinegar is combined with the soy milk, vegan 'buttermilk' is created. This will then react with the leavening agents inside the cake batter and ultimately give the cake an amazing, light consistency.
    • Brown sugar - This is almost always the most effective kind of sugar when making a chocolate cake. With the wrong ingredients and ingredient ratios, chocolate cake can easily become dry. Luckily, brown sugar contains lots of molasses which gives the loaf cakes lots of moisture.
    • Canola oil - Canola oil is the same thing as rapeseed oil. They're called different things in different parts of the world. I love to use this oil as it always gives me great outcomes in my cake recipes, in comparison to other types that I've tested.
    • Freshly squeezed orange juice - This will be used for both the cake and the glaze. If you're looking for a strong orange flavor throughout this dessert, make sure that you don't use any artificial orange juices. Instead, squeeze the juice yourself from an actual orange.
    • Zest of 2 oranges - The orange zest is arguably more important than the fresh orange juice as this has a deeper and more concentrated flavor. Therefore, leaving this out would do you and your cake a huge disservice. You'll find this powerful ingredient inside my eggless sicilian orange cake loaf and eggless orange blueberry cake loaf. It works with greta success every time.

    See recipe card for full information on individual ingredients and quantities.

    Substitutions & Variations

    • You can make these cakes gluten-free by making one simple substitution. The all-purpose flour needs to be replaced by a wheat-free alternative. These days there are so many alternatives that you can find inside grocery stores. I often like to use a 1:1 gluten-free, baking-specific all-purpose flour blend.
    • If you like, you can add an extra topping to the cake, you certainly can. I say this because when I make orange cakes, I like to have a nutty element alongside those flavors as you'll see in my vegan orange almond cake and vegan chocolate orange macadamia nut clusters. Some nuts that you can add to the top of the glazed include chopped cashews, peanuts and hazelnuts.

    How To Make Vegan Chocolate Orange Cake

    For the full method, please refer to the recipe card at the bottom of this post.

    Two greased loaf cake tins.

    1: Grease two loaf cake tins with vegan butter.

    The soy milk in a measuring jug, curdling.

    2: Make the vegan buttermilk and let it curdle.

    The dry ingredients for the chocolate cake combined inside a large bowl.

    3: Combine the dry ingredients inside a large bowl.

    The wet ingredients including the vivid orange zest have been added to the bowl.

    4: Add the wet batter ingredients.

    The dry ingredients have been folded in nicely into the wet ingredients to form a smooth chocolate batter.

    5: Fold the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients.

    The cake batter has been poured into the two cake tins.

    6: Pour the cake batter into the cake tins. Bake inside the oven.

    The two cakes have been baked and are cooling down.

    7: Let the cakes cool fully.

    The orange glaze for the cake in a small bowl.

    8: Make the orange glaze. Spoon it over the cakes.

    Expert Tips

    Use a high-quality cocoa powder - Using a good quality cocoa powder will give you that perfect, rich taste that you want in a festive chocolate orange cake. It will really elevate those chocolatey flavors.

    Don't over-mix the cake batter - Instead of mixing the batter, gently fold your chocolate orange cake batter until all the ingredients are just combined. This will give you a fluffier cake.

    A full loaf of chocolate orange cake with lots of orange on top and dripping down the sides. The front of the cake is sliced off and the texture is moist inside.

    Recipe FAQs

    Why is my chocolate cake dry and crumbly?

    This could be because the oven temperature is too high. Always check on your cakes just before they're due to come out of the oven. Every oven is different and some cakes bake faster than expected.

    How will I know when my chocolate cake is ready?

    Stick a skewer into the cake. If it comes out clean, this means the cake has baked and is ready to come out from the oven.

    How can I store vegan chocolate orange cake?

    Store this cake at room temperature in an airtight container for 4 days.

    More Vegan Orange Recipes

    • A close up image of a loaf of my vegan cranberry orange cake. Powdered sugar sifted on top.
      Super Moist Vegan Cranberry Orange Cake with Streusel
    • A large slice of vegan orange poppy seed cake. It is filled with white buttercream and topped with chocolate.
      Vegan Orange Poppy Seed Cake with Chocolate Ganache
    • Three golden cranberry muffins on a brown serving plate.
      Vegan Cranberry Orange Muffins with Streusel
    • A thin slice of my vegan chocolate orange cheesecake being shown close up to the camera. It has a small slice of orange on top.
      Vegan Chocolate Orange Cheesecake (No-Bake + Gluten Free Option)

    If you tried this Vegan Chocolate Orange Cake Recipe or any other recipe on my website, please leave a 🌟 star rating and let me know how you go in the 📝 comments below. I love hearing from you!

    A loaf of my vegan chocolate orange cake, covered generously with orange glaze.

    Easy Vegan Chocolate Orange Cake

    This vegan chocolate orange cake is full of festivity and richness! The orange glaze definitely balances the flavors nicely. Give it a try!
    5 from 2 votes
    Print Pin Rate
    Course: Dessert
    Cuisine: Chocolate Orange Cake
    Diet: Vegan
    Prep Time: 10 minutes minutes
    Cook Time: 20 minutes minutes
    Total Time: 30 minutes minutes
    Servings: 12 Slices
    Calories: 205kcal
    Author: DJ

    Ingredients

    Chocolate orange cake batter:

    • 200 ml soy milk
    • 1 teaspoon apple cider vinegar
    • 175 g all-purpose flour sifted
    • 25 g cocoa powder
    • 150 g brown sugar
    • 2 teaspoons baking powder
    • 0.5 teaspoon baking soda
    • 1 teaspoon salt
    • 50 ml canola oil rapeseed
    • 50 ml freshly squeezed orange juice
    • Zest of 2 large oranges
    • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

    Orange glaze:

    • 160 g powdered sugar
    • 2.5 tablespoons freshly squeezed orange juice
    US Customary - Metric

    Instructions

    Preparation:

    • Preheat the oven to 177 Celsius (350F).
    • Grease two 20cm x 10cm loaf cake tins with cold vegan butter. Set aside.

    Make the cake:

    • Make the vegan buttermilk by mixing the apple cider vinegar into the soy milk. Set aside for 7-8 minutes while the buttermilk curdles. Measure out the other ingredients while you wait.
    • To a large bowl, add the flour, cocoa powder, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt. Mix to combine.
    • Next, pour in your curdled soy milk. Also, add the oil, orange juice, orange zest and vanilla extract. Carefully fold the chocolate orange cake batter until there are no lumps of flour remaining.
    • Equally, pour the chocolate cake batter into the two prepared loaf cake tins and bake in the center of the oven for 20 minutes. A skewer will come out clean when it’s ready.
    • Let your two baked cakes cool in their tins for 15 minutes, then carefully remove the cakes from the tins. Transfer the cakes to a cooling rack to cool completely.

    Make the glaze:

    • Add your powdered sugar to a small bowl. Then add the orange juice. Mix.
    • Spoon the glaze over your cooled cakes.

    Video

    Notes

    • Using a good quality cocoa powder will give you that perfect, rich taste that you want in a festive chocolate orange cake. It will really elevate those chocolatey flavors.
    • Instead of mixing the batter, gently fold your chocolate orange cake batter until all the ingredients are just combined. This will give you a fluffier cake.

    Nutrition

    Calories: 205kcal | Carbohydrates: 40g | Protein: 2g | Fat: 5g | Saturated Fat: 1g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 1g | Monounsaturated Fat: 3g | Trans Fat: 0.02g | Sodium: 327mg | Potassium: 105mg | Fiber: 1g | Sugar: 26g | Vitamin A: 81IU | Vitamin C: 5mg | Calcium: 79mg | Iron: 1mg
    Tried this Recipe? Tag Me Today!Mention @vegan_treats_blogger or tag #vegantreatsblogger!

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    Reader Interactions

    Comments

    1. Anonymous says

      January 07, 2023 at 7:24 pm

      5 stars
      10/10

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    5 from 2 votes (1 rating without comment)

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