Orange Chocolate Swirl Cake

Ingredients:

2 and 3/4 cups all-purpose flour

1 and 1/2 tsp. baking powder

3/4 tsp. salt

1 cup unsalted butter or margarine, room temperature

1 and 1/2 cups white sugar

4 eggs, lightly beaten, room temperature

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 cup plus 1 Tbsp. milk, room temperature, divided use

3 Tbsp. cocoa powder

Zest and juice of 3-4 large oranges, separated

Glaze:

1 cup icing sugar + 3 Tbsp. orange juice

or

1 cup chocolate chips, melted

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F, place a rack in the middle of the oven. Grease a 12-cup bundt cake pan with non-stick cooking spray or butter and flour. Set aside.

In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. 

In a separate bowl, beat the butter with an electric mixer until smooth. Add the sugar and cream together with butter on medium high speed until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Gradually add the eggs one at a time, beating thoroughly and scraping down the sides between each addition. Add the vanilla and beat just until incorporated.

Add one-third of the flour mixture and beat on low speed just until incorporated, then add 1/2 cup of the milk, beating again until incorporated. Scrape down the sides in between each addition. Repeat with another third of the flour mixture, then the remaining 1/2 cup of the milk, then the remainder of the flour. 

Divide the batter evenly between two bowls. Gently and quickly mix in the orange zest and 1 Tbsp. orange juice into one bowl. Add 3 Tbsp. cocoa powder and 1 Tbsp. milk into the other bowl and stir until well incorporated.

Spoon the batter into the prepared bundt pan. To create a swirled effect, just randomly scoop big spoonfuls of one type of batter in the pan, then fill in the spaces with the other type of batter. Continue alternating until both batters have been used up.

Bake for 40-50 minutes (depending on your oven), until a cake tester inserted into the middle comes out clean. Cool on a wire rack for 20-30 minutes before removing the cake from the pan. 

To add a little something extra, mix together 1 cup icing sugar with 3 Tbsp. orange juice for a simple glaze. Place the completely cooled caked on a plate or platter covered with wax paper and pour the prepared glaze over the cake. This glaze helps moisten the cake and keeps it moist for days! Or, you could do the same only with melted chocolate drizzled all over the cake - I think that would be even better!

*Recipe by Brooke McMillan