Chocolate Orange Layer Cake

I’ve been looking for an excuse to make this cake for a while and finally whipped it up for my co-workers’ birthday. It was definitely a bit messier to make than some cakes and I used quite a few bowls for the various icings but it was well worth it – the combination of fluffy cake, orangey mouse and rich chocolate ganache was absolutely sinful.

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

• 1 cup boiling water;
• 2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa;
• ⅓ cup bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped;
• Cooking spray;
• 3 tsp flour;
• 1¾ cup sugar;
• 6 tbsp butter, softened;
• 2½ tsp vanilla extract;
• 3 large egg whites;
• ½ cup sour cream;
• 1 cup cake flour;
• 1½ tsp baking powder;
• 1 tsp baking soda;
• ½ tsp salt.

For Filling:

• ⅓ cup orange juice;
• 3 tbsp sugar;
• 2 tsp cornstarch;
• 3 tsp unsweetened cocoa;
• 1 tsp flour;
• Dash of salt;
• 1/8 cup bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped;
• 1 cup frozen whipped topping (like Cool-Whip), thawed.

For Glaze:

• 2 tbsp evaporated low-fat milk;
• 2 tbsp butter;
• ½ cup bittersweet chocolate, finely chopped;
• powdered sugar (for top).

Recipe Directions

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Coat 2 9-inch cake pans with cooking spray and line bottoms with wax paper. Coat paper with cooking spray and dust each pan with flour.
2. For Cake: Combine boiling water and cocoa in a bowl, stir until smooth. Add ⅓ cup bittersweet chocolate and stir until smooth. Set aside. In separate bowl combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt, set aside.
3. Beat sugar, butter and vanilla in bowl of electric mixer on medium high for 2 minutes. Add egg whites, one at a time and beat well after each addition, then add sour cream and beat for 2 additional minutes. Add flour mixture to cocoa mixture alternately to sugar, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat until just combined.
4. Divide batter between two pans and bake for 30 minutes, or until wooden pick comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes then invert onto racks and cool completely. Discard wax paper.
5. For Filling: combine all ingredients but whipped topping in small saucepan over low heat and bring to a boil for one minute, stirring frequently. Pour into a bowl and chill until cold, usually about an hour. Fold in whipped topping. Spread filling over top of 1 cake layer, leaving small, half-inch border. Top with remaining layer and press down gently until filling reaches edges of cake.
6. For Glaze: combine milk, butter and chocolate in microwave safe bowl and microwave 1 minute or until smooth. Spread evenly over top of cake and allow to drip over the edges. Allow to dry and sprinkle top with powdered sugar, if desired. Enjoy!