Blood Orange Bundt Cake with Salted Chocolate Ganache

The other day I scored a pretty sweet deal on some blood oranges. Yes, they are going out of season, but I will continue buying them to the last because they are seriously the best oranges EVER :). And the best oranges ever naturally make the best desserts -- this gluten-free, vegan, and refined sugar-free blood orange bundt cake with salted chocolate ganache is no exception. Actually, I'm pretty sure this is one of my best cakes to date -- not exaggerating in the least.

I was actually planning on sharing a different recipe today altogether, but those blood oranges in the fridge were begging to be used, so I decided to make room for some kitchen time first. After making this, I just had to share straight away though. It was so good that I literally finished making it, took some photos, ate a slice {or two...} and ran to the computer to share the recipe because I just didn't think this should wait.

This is a serious chocolate orange lovers' cake. It's moist. It's spongy. It has a wonderful flavor balance. It's amazing with a cup of coffee or tea. It's a stop everything you're doing and go make this cake kind of a dessert. Are you still here? Go get some blood oranges and get started. Promise -- you'll enjoy it to the last morsel.

Oh, just a quick note -- do pick good quality blood oranges. The smaller kind with a thin rind work best. They have the best flavor, color, and the peel has a very mild flavor that's actually quite pleasant. If you can't find blood oranges, use regular. It'll still be a great cake. But blood oranges make this bundt cake extra special ;).

Blood Orange Bundt Cake with Salted Chocolate Ganache

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★★★★★ 5 from 5 reviews

• Author: Audrey @ Unconventional Baker
• Prep Time: 15 minutes
• Cook Time: 55 minutes
• Total Time: 1 hour 10 minutes
• Yield: 1 bundt cake
• Category: Cake
• Method: Baked
• Cuisine: Dessert

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Description

A moist, spongy bundt cake for serious chocolate orange lovers. {Gluten-Free, Vegan, Refined Sugar-Free}

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Ingredients

Wet:

• ⅓ cup blood orange juice
• 1 cup unsweetened applesauce {if you have pulp from juicing the oranges, use as much of it as you've got + applesauce to make up a cup in total}
• 1 ½ cups maple syrup {or agave, brown rice syrup, etc.}
• ¼ cup olive oil
• 2 tsp pure vanilla extract
• 1 tsp almond extract
• 1 tbsp lemon juice

Dry:

• 1 cup brown rice flour
• ¾ cup tapioca starch
• ½ cup sweet rice flour {aka glutinous rice flour/moci/mochico flour}
• ¾ tsp guar gum
• 1 tbsp cinnamon
• 1 tbsp cocoa powder
• ⅛ tsp of each of the following: nutmeg, cloves, cardamom
• dash of salt
• 1 tsp baking soda

Fold-Ins:

• 1 coarsely chopped blood orange {or more to taste}, peel included {if your orange peel is very thick and bitter, then only use a little and discard the rest, but including some or all adds a better flavor}

Salted Chocolate Ganache:

• ¾ cup chocolate chips or chopped chocolate bar of your choice
• 2-3 tablespoon coconut oil or non-dairy butter
• ¼ tsp coarse sea salt {or exclude if your butter is salted}
• 1 tsp pure vanilla extract
• ½ tbsp maple syrup {or agave, brown rice syrup, etc.}

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Instructions

1. Preheat oven to 350F. Grease a non-stick bundt cake pan and set aside.
2. Mix all wet ingredients in a mixing bowl. Add in dry ingredients and mix everything thoroughly. Quickly add in the fold-in chopped orange, mix through, and immediately transfer the cake batter into the bundt pan. Make sure it is distributed evenly.
3. Bake in a pre-heated oven for approximately 55 minutes, or until a skewer inserted down the center comes out dry. Remove from oven and cool on a wire rack. Once cool to the touch, place the cake in the fridge for about 15 minutes to chill externally {this will help the chocolate topping set faster}.
4. To prepare the chocolate topping, melt the chocolate, then stir in the rest of the ingredients until smooth. Pour or drizzle over chilled cake as desired. Serve immediately, or can place in the fridge for about 15 minutes for the chocolate topping to harden more. Enjoy!

Notes

*I used a 250ml measuring cup for this recipe.