Easy Marble Chocolate Orange Loaf Cake

✨What you'll love about this recipe?

• Super easy to make and hard to mess up - trust me here! If you have kids, they can easily make this cake under some mild adult supervision (with the oven, for e.g.).
• Made with simple pantry ingredients - nothing fancy here. You will find most of the ingredients in your pantry and refrigerator and if you need to buy somethings, I can assure you that the closest grocery store will have it.
• Not cloyingly sweet - This loaf cake is very flavorful but the sweetness factor is just right. The unsweetened cocoa powder and the orange makes it perfect!

📋Recipe Ingredients

This easy marble chocolate and orange loaf cake recipe uses a simple list of ingredients that you probably have on hand. Before we get started, here are a few tips on ingredients to ensure your loaf turns out perfectly.

• Butter: Just like for chocolate zucchini muffins, I recommend using room-temperature butter. So plan ahead! Unsalted butter is preferred, but salted won't ruin this recipe.
• Eggs: I always use standard large size eggs (US size). Two large eggs help bind the ingredients together while adding moisture and richness to the cake.
• Cocoa Powder: Use good quality unsweetened cocoa powder to add that rich chocolaty flavor throughout. You be the judge of that, but the depth of flavor definitely comes from quality ingredients.
• Oranges: We blend (or crush) the oranges to add to the batter. I keep one orange unpeeled and peel the other one. Thin and mild-skinned oranges, like mandarins or tangerines, are perfect for this recipe. If you can only find thick-skinned oranges, then you should peel them and then crush them.

Don't forget to check out the recipe card below for a complete list of ingredients along with the quantities.

📖Substitutions, Additions and Variations

Mixing the batter by hand - you can totally mix this batter by hand. You just need a deep mixing bowl and a whisk.

Chocolate and Orange Cupcakes - you can easily turn this recipe into cupcakes. Line a muffin tin with paper liners, fill ¾ full and bake for 15 minutes. 

Powdered Sugar - Finish the cake with a sprinkle of powdered sugar! Optional, but works great since the cake itself is not too sweet!

Orange marmalade - You could replace the crushed oranges with a mix of ¼ cup orange marmalade and ¼ cup orange juice. Not the same, but close!

👩‍🍳Steps to make this recipe

Plan ahead! The eggs and butter have to be at room temperature so make sure to take them out at least an hour before you plan to start making this recipe.

Step 1: Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F or 175 degrees C. Grease a loaf pan with butter or non-stick baking spray and line with parchment paper. Add oranges (one peeled and one unpeeled) to a blender jar (Image 1).

Step 2: Blend until crushed but not completely juiced (Image 2).

Step 3: In the bowl of your stand mixer ( I love my Kitchenaid Stand Mixer) fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and sugar until well mixed and light, about a minute at medium speed. Add eggs (Image 3).

Step 4: Beat in the eggs until silky and pale in color. Add the crushed oranges (Image 4) and mix on low speed for about 10 seconds.

Step 5: Add the dry ingredients (flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda) to the stand mixer bowl with the wet ingredients (Image 5).

Step 6: Mix on medium low speed until just combined (Image 6), about 30 seconds or less. Do not over mix.

Step 7: Take out 1 cup of the batter in a separate bowl and add the remaining batter to the prepared loaf pan (Image 7).

Step 8: To the batter that you took out in a separate bowl, add the cocoa powder (Image 8) and mix to combine. You can add a splash of milk or heavy cream (recommended) if the batter is too thick.

Step 9: Add spoon fulls of the chocolate batter to the orange batter in the loaf pan and swirl or slice through the two batters (Image 9) to create a marble effect in the loaf cake.

Step 10: Bake for 25-30 minutes and carefully take it out of the oven. The loaf should spring back slightly when pressed in the middle, and a toothpick inserted should come out with no raw batter. Let cool for about 10 minutes (Image 10). Slice and enjoy!

🫙Storage, freezing, and reheating instructions

• To store: This loaf cake is perfect for making ahead! Keep it in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days, and you'll find it actually tastes better every passing day.
• To freeze: You can freeze the cake whole or sliced. For the whole loaf, wrap tightly in plastic wrap (I love my Chic Plastic wrap!), place in a freezer bag, and freeze. Alternatively, slice the cake and wrap individual pieces in plastic wrap. Freeze for up to 2 months and let it thaw at room temperature.

❓FAQ

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If you make this recipe be sure to leave a comment and let me know how you liked it! Share it on Instagram with the hashtag #thekitchendocs or share on Facebook, too.

Love – Vaishali