Receta Orange Almond Chocolate Chip Cake
This cake has a very unfortunate story. It was made as one of my first holiday baking contributions of the season. But it failed to make an appearance as such.
The Omnivore and I had been invited to our first Christmas party of December. We were rearing to go. We had beautiful Christmas sweaters picked out and were just filled with holiday cheer.
And then I pulled this cake out of the oven. And oh the smell! our plans changed. That’s right. No more party for us. Forget the Christmas sweaters. It was necessary that this cake be kept for ourselves. And we each had a slice. And that routine continued day-in and day-out. And the cake, how she aged beautifully! The flavors deepened and the crumb never dried out. It was neither overwhelmingly orange-y or chocolate-y. Just right.
- Orange Almond Chocolate Chip Pound Cake (adapted from Barefoot Contessa Parties)
- 1/2 pound unsalted butter at room temperature
- 2 cups sugar
- 4 eggs at room temperature
- 1/4 cup grated orange zest (from 4 large oranges)
- 3 cups all-purpose flour plus 2 tablespoons
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- 3/4 cup buttermilk at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure almond extract
- 2 cups good semisweet chocolate chips
- sliced almonds
- Syrup
- 1/4 cup sugar
- 1/4 cup freshly squeezed orange juice
- Ganache
- 8 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 10-inch Bundt pan. Cream the butter and sugar in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment for about 5 minutes, or until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, then the orange zest.
Sift together 3 cups flour, the baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a large bowl. In another bowl, combine the orange juice, buttermilk, and almond extract. Add the flour and buttermilk mixtures alternately in thirds to the creamed butter, beginning and ending with the flour. Toss the chocolate chunks with 2 tablespoons flour and add to the batter. Pour into the pan, smooth the top, and bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour, until a cake tester comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes.
In a small saucepan over medium-low heat, cook the sugar with the orange juice until the sugar dissolves. Remove the cake from the pan, set it on a rack over a tray, and spoon the orange syrup over the cake. Allow the cake to cool completely.
For the ganache, melt the chocolate and heavy cream in the top of a double boiler over simmering water until smooth and warm, stirring occasionally. Drizzle over the top of the cake. Garnish with sliced almonds.