I’m obsessed with chocolate orange. It’s such a great flavour that’s so nice to bake with. This Chocolate Orange Traybake is a super simple bake, that’s fast, and ideal for parties or weekend treats.
Christmas baking for me usually means a lot of chocolate orange, and mint chocolate.
I’m not really that bothered about mince pies, Christmas pudding or Christmas cake.
While I do have a few mincemeat recipes that I absolutely love, After Eights, Terry’s Chocolate Orange and probably Bailey’s are my personal festive flavours of choice.
This is why there are tons of chocolate orange recipes on my blog!
I love chocolate orange brownies, cheesecake, and loaf cake. But this chocolate orange traybake recipe is much faster, and it’s just a variation of a simple sponge, so it’s really easy and you’ve probably got most of the ingredients already.
As well as being a festive treat, this chocolate orange tray bake cake is ideal for kids’ birthdays and after-school treats at any time of the year. It’s delicious and a big favourite in our house!
Ingredients for Chocolate Orange Traybake
There are a few chocolate orange cake recipes that I’ve seen that are super fussy, with lots of ingredients and instructions. I’m sure they taste fantastic. But that’s not my style.
I’m a lazy baker, and if I’m honest, I’m not that good at it. So, I like to keep my cake recipes as easy as possible. That’s why I bake so many loaf cakes and traybakes!
For my Terry’s Chocolate Orange Traybake Sponge, I use:
Margarine – Swap for room-temperature unsalted butter if you prefer.
Caster Sugar
Eggs
Orange Extract – Mine’s a Sicilian Orange, but any will do.
Self-Raising Flour – If you only have plain, add a teaspoon of baking powder.
Cocoa
Terry’s Chocolate Orange
Can You Make This Traybake with Different Orange Chocolate?
Yes, absolutely! Terry’s Chocolate Orange is fairly cheap around Christmas, and often on offer, so it’s easy to use. But any orange chocolate is fine, whether segments or blocks.
Because this recipe also uses orange extract, you can also increase this a little (I’d try ½ teaspoon to start) and use regular milk chocolate instead.
Can You Use Dark Chocolate?
Yes, dark chocolate orange is another fantastic flavour combination. Either use a block of dark orange chocolate or dark chocolate with orange extract.
What Can You Use Instead of Orange Extract?
If you don’t have orange extract, you can just use orange chocolate, for your Terry’s Chocolate Orange Tray Bake but the flavour won’t be as strong.
You can also use freshly squeezed orange juice, but orange extract has a much stronger flavour, so you’ll need a lot more juice, which will affect the texture of your bake.
I’d try the juice from half an orange, and zest too for more flavour, and I’d add 15g more flour. You may also need to increase the bake time.
How to Make a Chocolate Orange Traybake
This recipe for chocolate orange traybake follows the same pattern as most of my other bakes. Watch the video below, or see the recipe card at the bottom of the post for full quantities and instructions.
Terry’s Chocolate Orange Buttercream
I top my orange chocolate traybake with a good layer of orange chocolate buttercream, which you can pipe or spread on top.
Most buttercream recipes call for 1 part butter and 2 parts icing sugar. But I prefer the taste and texture of equal quantities, especially if I’m adding chocolate.
I like a buttery icing, as opposed to a very sweet icing.
But this does mean my buttercream is fairly stiff. If it’s too stiff, stir through a splash of milk before using.
You might also notice from my photos that my chocolate orange buttercream icing is a lighter colour than you’d expect from chocolate icing. This is because I don’t add cocoa. All of the flavour, and so colour, comes from melted chocolate orange.
It’s a fairly delicate flavour. If you want a darker, more chocolatey buttercream, simply replace 15-20g of the icing sugar with the same quantity of cocoa powder.
Make sure your melted chocolate orange is cool before folding through, and if you want a stronger orange flavour, add ½ teaspoon of orange extract.
Decorating an Orange Chocolate Traybake
You don’t need to decorate your chocolate and orange traybake at all. You can leave it topped with buttercream and it’s perfect.
I’ve added some Terry’s Chocolate Orange segments and a few orange sprinkles that I’ve got because I bake with orange chocolate so regularly!
Orange zest would look great too, or a drizzle of melted white chocolate with a little orange food colouring.
Chocolate Orange Traybake
Ingredients
For the Cake:
- 150 g Margarine (or room-temperature butter)
- 150 g Caster Sugar
- 3 Medium Eggs
- 1 Teaspoon Orange Extract
- 125 g Self Raising Flour
- 25 g Cocoa Powder
- 100 g Terry’s Chocolate Orange (Or other orange chocolate)
For the Chocolate Orange Buttercream:
- 100 g Butter (at room temperature – not margarine)
- 100 g Icing Sugar
- 75 g Terry’s Chocolate Orange
To Decorate:
- 12 Chocolate Orange Segments (optional)
- Orange Sprinkles (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 160 Degrees C (fan-assisted) and prepare a baking tin by greasing and/or lining it with baking paper.
- Carefully melt the chocolate orange and leave to one side to cool.
- Whisk together the margarine and sugar until creamy.
- Add the eggs and orange extract and whisk for a few minutes until smooth.
- Add the flour and cocoa and whisk.
- Pour in the cooled melted chocolate and whisk until the mixture is smooth.
- Tip into the prepared tin and spread evenly.
- Bake for 15-20 minutes, checking the centre is cooked with a skewer before removing it from the oven.
- Leave in the tin to cool before removing, and peeling away the baking paper.
- For the chocolate orange buttercream, first, melt the chocolate orange carefully and leave it to one side to cool.
- Beat or whisk the butter until soft.
- Add the icing sugar and whisk until smooth, this is easiest with an electric whisk.
- Pour in the cooled melted chocolate and whisk.
- Spread or pipe onto the cooled cake.
- Cut, or score squares, sprinkle over orange sprinkles if using and top each square with a segment of Terry’s Chocolate Orange.
Video
Notes
- I melt my chocolate in a small pan, but you can also use the microwave or a Bain Marie.
- I use an electric whisk, but you can do it by hand if you prefer, just make sure the mixture is smooth.
- When I bake traybake cakes I use my brownie tin, which you can see below. It’s 10 inches by 8 inches. You can use any deep tin, but if the size is significantly different, you’ll need to either adjust quantities or bake times.
Any nutritional information is given as a general guide only and may not be accurate. The information is provided using an online calculator and is specific to my ingredients. Please make your own calculations if you want precise information.
