Orange Sponge Cake with Dark Chocolate Glaze
Automatically translated from Romanian. See the Romanian original
A fluffy orange-flavored sponge cake, inspired by the Italian panettone, covered in a crunchy dark chocolate glaze.
Ingredients
Method
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Separate the egg yolks from the whites and beat the whites into stiff peaks with the salt.
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Once you have achieved stiff peaks, add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and mix for another minute.
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Beat the yolks together with the sugar until you obtain a light and fluffy mixture.
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Add the zest and then the orange juice, the sifted flour, the softened butter in small pieces, and the baking powder. Mix well.
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If the batter seems too thick, add 2-3 tablespoons of milk, depending on how juicy the oranges were.
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Add the beaten egg whites, folding them in with a spatula (or a wooden spoon) using a bottom-to-top motion.
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Pour the mixture into a round pan greased with butter (22 cm in diameter) or a silicone mold of the same size (no greasing required).
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Bake in a preheated oven at 170°C for 10 minutes, then increase the temperature to 180°C and cook for 30 minutes, until the surface turns golden (check with the toothpick test).
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Remove from the oven and prepare the glaze.
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Melt the dark chocolate in a bain-marie along with the butter.
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Cover the cake with the glaze using a spatula. Optionally decorate with crushed almonds.
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Let the glaze cool and set before serving, in a cool place, not necessarily in the refrigerator.
The story behind this recipe
Chocolate should marry oranges. The combination is divine! This fluffy cake with its crunchy chocolate glaze immediately makes me think of Italian panettone. The effort and cost are low, so it would be a shame not to try the recipe. For the cake, I used: 300g flour, 200g sugar, 3 eggs, 8g baking powder, 2 oranges, 80g butter, vanilla (optional), a pinch of salt, a little milk, and lemon juice. For the glaze: 200g dark chocolate (min 70% cocoa) and 50g butter. Preparation: First, separate the egg yolks from the whites and beat them into stiff peaks with the salt. Once you have achieved stiff peaks, add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice and mix for another minute. Beat the yolks together with the sugar until you obtain a light and fluffy mixture. Add the zest and then the orange juice, the sifted flour, the softened butter in small pieces, and the baking powder. Mix well. If you think the batter is too thick, add 2-3 tablespoons of milk. It depends on how juicy the oranges were. Now add the beaten egg whites, folding them in with a spatula (or a wooden spoon) from bottom to top. Pour into a round pan greased with butter (22 cm in diameter) or a silicone mold (which doesn't need to be greased) of the same size. Bake in a preheated oven at 170°C for 10 minutes, then increase the temperature to 180°C and cook for 30 minutes, until the surface turns golden (perform the toothpick test to check if it's done). Remove from the oven and prepare the glaze. Melt the dark chocolate in a bain-marie along with the butter. Cover the cake with the glaze using a spatula. I decorated mine with crushed almonds. Let the glaze cool and set before serving. You can leave it in a cool place, not necessarily in the refrigerator. Enjoy!
