Easy Chocolate Orange Sheet Cake (video)
Dessert doesn’t have to be intimidating or complicated! This super easy and delicious chocolate orange sheet cake is made with orange marmalade and topped with a simple chocolate ganache! These little cake bars pack a ton of chocolate and orange flavor and they’re a great way to finish any meal!
Watch My Chocolate Orange Cake Video!
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The Best Chocolate Orange Sheet Cake
My mom shared this recipe with me because it’s been such a great hit with everyone! The chocolate cake itself isn’t too sweet and the chocolate ganache on top adds a bit of richness to the cake. I love the combination of orange and chocolate – it’s a classic combo that never gets old! You get a bit of the bitterness and citrus-y flavor from the orange rind in the orange marmalade, which goes so well with this cake.
If you want to add even more orange flavor, try adding the zest of 1 or 2 oranges into the cake batter. It will add more fresh orange flavor! You can also add orange oil, which packs a really powerful punch of orange flavor. It can even be added to the chocolate ganache for extra flavor.
How to Make Chocolate Orange Cake Bars
These cake bars so easy to make and are sure to be a hit with everyone! Here’s how to make them:
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Preheat the oven to 350F. Line a 9×13-inch baking pan with parchment paper and butter sides; set aside.
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Place the eggs, sugar and vanilla into a mixer bowl and whisk until eggs are light, fluffy and almost white in color. In a small cup, dissolve the instant coffee in 2 tablespoons of water, then add to the eggs. Add the marmalade and sour cream and use a spatula to gently fold in the ingredients.
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In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder and baking powder. Sift the dry ingredients into the batter in small batches. Fold in the flour completely after each addition; fold gently to keep the eggs as light and fluffy as possible.
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Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly to the edges. Bake in preheated oven until top is completely set, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven onto wire rack to cool completely.
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To prepare the ganache: heat the heavy cream until hot. Stir in the chocolate chips until a smooth ganache forms. Set into the refrigerator to set. Once cooled, use a flat spatula to spread the ganache over the top of the cake. Cut the sheet into small squares and top with orange candies, if desired. Store covered.
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Candied Oranges
For the topping this easy sheet cake, I purchased jelly orange slices, but candied orange will also work great for this recipe. Just slice a few oranges and prepare a sugar syrup: 1 cup sugar and 1/3 cup water. Bring the sugar syrup to a simmer in a large frying pan, then add the orange slices. Cook the slices for 3 to 5 minutes, until the meaty part of the fruit is translucent. Remove the slices onto a wire rack and allow to cool, then add to the cake!
More Recipes!
Enjoyed this sheet cake recipe? Check out some of my other recipes you’re sure to enjoy!
- Orange Marmalade Cake – delicate orange cake with marmalade, orange buttercream and chocolate ganache!
- Chocolate Orange Cheesecake – rich chocolate cheesecake with orange zest, topped with orange whipped cream!
- Orange Upside-Down Cake – this two-layer upside down cake is made with orange slices and a simple whipped cream frosting!
- Orange Cranberry Holiday Cake – you’ll love the berry and citrus cake for the holiday season!
Enjoyed this recipe? Save it to Pinterest for later!
Supplies/Tools
Need some supplies to make this recipe? You can get them here (Amazon affiliate links):
- These marmalade citrus slices are the easiest topping for these cake bars.
- Add a bit of orange oil to the batter or ganache for more flavor!
- I love this set of nesting glass mixing bowls for prepping ingredients – keeps everything organized!
- And this brownie pan is great for cakes and brownies alike.
Easy Chocolate Orange Sheet Cake (video)
Ingredients
- 5 large eggs
- 3/4 cup white granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 tablespoon instant coffee granuales
- 2 tablespoons water
- 3/4 cup orange marmalade
- 1 cup sour cream or plain Greek yogurt
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup dark cocoa powder
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
For Chocolate Ganache:
- 1/2 cup heavy cream
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- candied orange slices, for garnish
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Line a 9x13-inch baking pan with parchment paper and butter sides; set aside.
- Place the eggs, sugar and vanilla into a mixer bowl and whisk until eggs are light, fluffy and almost white in color. In a small cup, dissolve the instant coffee in 2 tablespoons of water, then add to the eggs. Add the marmalade and sour cream and use a spatula to gently fold in the ingredients.
- In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingredients: flour, cocoa powder and baking powder. Sift the dry ingredients into the batter in small batches. Fold in the flour completely after each addition; fold gently to keep the eggs as light and fluffy as possible.
- Pour the cake batter into the prepared pan and spread evenly to the edges. Bake in preheated oven until top is completely set, about 30 minutes. Remove from oven onto wire rack to cool completely.
- To prepare the ganache: heat the heavy cream until hot. Stir in the chocolate chips until a smooth ganache forms. Set into the refrigerator to set. Once cooled, use a flat spatula to spread the ganache over the top of the cake. Cut the sheet into small squares and top with orange candies, if desired. Store covered.
These look really yummy and I would like to try them but I really do not like coffee. Can you taste the coffee in this recipe? Or can I substitite something else for it?
Thanks for sharing all your great recipes, I have never been disappointed with anything I have tried from here!
You really can’t taste the coffee in this cake you can omit it altogether and the cake will turn out great still! 🙂 Thank you for watching!
I just tried this wonderful cake bars yesterday, you won’t even taste the bitterness of the coffee. It just makes the cocoa tastes stronger. Give it a shot and you won’t regret it
Tatyana! Thank you so much for such an amazing recipe!!! I was Hassitating at first to make it, thought it would be hard to make BUT was I wrong! They are ao simple to make and taste absolutely AMAZING!!! I didn’t have maranta des available so ended up using fresh cut lemon ( very thinly) it was such a great combination. Lemon added such a great flavor… Thank you again for an amazing recipe
I am so delighted that you found my recipe easy and delicious! Thank you for giving it at try! The lemon sounds like a fantastic and delicious addition 🙂
Hi Tatyana
These cake bars look very delicious.
I have two questions.
1. Can I bake this in two 8 inch round cake pans?
2. Can I half this recipe? If so how many eggs do you suggest, 2 or 3?
Pls let me know.
Thank you so much.
Hi Shanna! Thanks for reaching out to me! Yes, you can definitely use this recipe with 8-inch round cake pans. If you want to use this recipe with 8-inch cake pans, I recommend preparing a full recipe. If you did want to make half a recipe, I would go with 2 eggs plus 1 egg white. Enjoy! 🙂
Thank you so much for replying Tatyana.
We love all your recipes.
Tatyana, I made these and was a super hit. We love you!
Awesome! So glad to hear that! 🙂
Love your recipes and videos but I am so disappointed at all the ads.
Hi Lisa! I’m so sorry that the ads are interfering with your experience. Since I offer all my recipes and video tutorials for free, the ads are my main source of income. Running this page and my YouTube is my full time job. Hope you continue to enjoy my recipes! 🙂