Orange Cake with Creme Fraiche and Chocolate Drizzle

By cecelia26_

Ingredients

• For the Crème Fraiche:
• 1 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons buttermilk
• Combine heavy cream and buttermilk. Cover with a kitchen cloth in a warm, draft free place and let sit until thickens, but still a pourable consistency (12-16 hours). Stir and refrigerate until ready to use (can be refrigerated for up to 1 week).
• For the Cake:
• 1 cup crème fraîche
• 2/3 cup vegetable oil
• 1 cup sugar
• Grated zest of 2 large oranges
• 1/4 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (from about 1 orange)
• 2 tablespoons lemon juice (from about 1/2 lemon)
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
• 3 large eggs
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/8 teaspoon table salt
• For the Drizzle:
• 1/3-1/2 cup heavy cream
• 2 tablespoons unsalted butter
• 4 ounces semisweet or milk chocolate chips
• Pinch of salt

Details

Adapted from twolazygourmets.com

Preparation

Step 1

For the Cake:
1.Preheat oven to 350ºF.
2.Oil or butter a 10-inch Bundt pan or 9-inch round cake or springform pan.
3.In a large mixing bowl, whisk together crème fraîche, oil, sugar, orange zest, orange juice, lemon juice, and vanilla.
4.Add eggs and whisk until incorporated.
5.Add flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt and whisk until just combined. (Don’t worry if there are small lumps; you don’t want to overmix this cake or it will become dry.)
6.Pour batter into prepared pan and bake in preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until the top is golden brown and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.
7.Remove cake from oven, place the pan on a wire rack, and let cool for 15 minutes.
8.Remove the cake from the pan by running a knife around the side of the pan and inverting it directly onto the wire rack. (If you’ve baked the cake in a flat-bottomed round cake pan rather than a Bundt pan, invert the cake onto the rack and flip it over so that the bottom of the cake, not the top, is resting on the wire rack—otherwise you’ll end up with unattractive indentations from the cooling rack on the top.)
9.Let cool completely.
10.Transfer to a large plate or cake platter before glazing.
11.When cake is completely cooled, drizzle the chocolate glaze over it until covered to your liking (you may have extra glaze left over) and let sit at room temperature at least 1 hour before serving.
12.Serve at room temperature.

For the Drizzle:
1.Place ⅓ cup of the cream along with the butter, chocolate, and salt in a microwave-safe dish and heat on high for 1 minute, or until ream begins to boil.
2.Stir to melt butter and chocolate. If a thinner consistency is desired, add a touch more of the cream and stir to combine.

Makes about ¾ cup.