Dark, rich and deliciously easy to make, this chocolate orange Bundt cake is perfectly moist and fluffy, and filled with a layer of orange cheesecake filling. Drizzled with a quick and easy chocolate glaze, it’s ideal for sharing with friends and family.
If you’ve been visiting here for a while, you may have noticed that I love an easy to make cake, especially a Bundt cake like my Biscoff Bundt or the Red Velvet one.
To be honest, I’ve got a slight addiction to making them because they are just so quick and simple, and most importantly, utterly delicious.
And today I’m adding another stunner to the collection with this Chocolate Orange Bundt cake, that’s got a hidden surprise… an orange cheesecake filling!
Trust me, you guys are going to absolutely love this one!
Why you’ll love this chocolate orange Bundt cake
Rich, chocolatey and perfectly combines with a touch of orange; this classic flavour combo is going to have you coming back for slice after slice of this Chocolate Orange Bundt cake. But wait, there’s more…
- Light and moist chocolate-iest of chocolate cakes
- Hidden surprise of a ripple of orange cheesecake filling
- Looks fancy but super easy to make, and no fancy equipment needed
- Easily scaled up to larger Bundt pans for all celebrations
- Perfect for the Holidays as an alternative Christmas cake
- Decorated with the most super simple chocolate glaze ever!
Stick this on your new favourites baking list now!
What is the cheesecake filling?
Yes it does say cheesecake filling and we’re going to bake it right into the centre of our chocolate cake.
This cake is amazing on it’s own, but I couldn’t help but take it a little further and stuff it with an orange cheesecake filling.
Unlike my favourite no-bake cheesecakes, this is a baked cheesecake filling. And is a simple mixture of cream cheese, sugar and egg, with a touch of orange extract and food colour gel.
When baked the egg, binds everything together giving the fluffy light baked cheesecake texture. It works so well with the light, moist cake and is a little extra wow when you serve the cake.
What you’ll need to make this cake
View my Amazon shopping list with equipment and ingredients.
This Bundt cake is perfect for celebrations, afternoon pick-me-ups or even an alternative Christmas cake; and it’s definitely packed full of flavour. Here’s what you’ll need…
The Ingredients
- Full-fat Cream Cheese – For the cheesecake filling; and if you can use either a block cheese or something similar to Philadelphia cream cheese. But remember to use a full-fat version for that fluffy baked cheesecake texture.
- Orange Extract – This will give the filling that orangey flavour that compliments the chocolate cake
- Plain or All-Purpose Flour – This will help give the cake a light, fluffy texture but also help keep a sturdy structure. You’ll also need a teaspoon of plain flour in the filling.
- Baking Powder and Baking Soda – To help the cake rise. Don’t add any more than recommended otherwise batter will rise too much and spill over the sides of the pan.
- Cocoa Powder – Works with the chocolate to make sure you’re cake is perfectly chocolatey!
- Terrys Chocolate Orange – Ideally Terry’s milk chocolate gives a lovely orangey flavour, but you can use either a bar of orange chocolate, or milk chocolate and orange extract.
- Soured Cream – This helps keep the the chocolate cake moist. If you can’t get soured cream, you can substitute for full-fat Greek yoghurt instead.
- Caster Sugar or Superfine Sugar – Sugar is hydroscopic, which means it is able to absorb water, locking in the moisture and keeping the cake light.
- Butter – You can use either salted or unsalted butter with a pinch of fine sea salt. Unsalted gives you more control of how much salt you have in your recipe. Remember to bring this up to room temperature before using.
- Eggs – Gives you lift and lightness to your cake, and also the cheesecake filling. Take them out of the fridge before you want to use them; 15 minutes should be plenty of time.
Recommended ingredients
The Equipment
There is absolutely no fancy equipment needed here! All you need to grab is a handheld mixer and a couple of mixing bowls, or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment if you prefer.
If you want to colour the cheesecake filling, I highly recommend using an orange food colour gel, to give you a nice bright colour.
TOP TIP: To measure how much cake batter your Bundt pan holds, fill it with cups of water and measure how many it takes; this equals how much cake batter you will need.
Recommended ingredients
How to make chocolate orange Bundt cake
Full measurements and instructions can be found on the printable recipe card
I know I’ve said it already but this is possibly the best chocolate Bundt cake recipe. It’s really easy to make and it’s got a super simple chocolate glaze that you’ll make over and over again.
So what are you waiting for, let’s go!
The Cheesecake Filling
We’re using a baked cheesecake filling here, so don’t panic it’s not going to melt when it’s in the oven.
In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the full-fat cream cheese, egg, caster sugar, plain flour and orange extract, until smooth. If you want to, add a touch of orange food colour gel to give it a lovely bright colour.
The Cake
The Bundt cake batter is made in two parts – a chocolate paste and a butter and sugar mixture.
Start off my creaming the butter and sugar together in a large mixing bowl using a handheld mixer or you can use a stand mixer with the beater attachement.
When the mixture is light and fluffy, add the eggs one at a time; beating everything together until you get a thick, pale mixture.
In the meantime, melt the chocolate orange then add in the soured cream, cocoa powder and warm water. Mix this together until it forms a smooth paste, then add into the batter mixture. Continue to mix these together until everything is well combined and chocolatey.
Finally fold in the flour, baking powder and baking soda until you have a smooth chocolate orange cake batter.
Filling the Bundt Pan
Spoon the batter into a greased Bundt pan until it is about half full. Then with a smaller spoon, make a channel in the batter for the cheesecake filling to sit in.
Spoon the cheesecake filling into the channel, being careful not to let it touch the sides of the pan. Then spoon the remaining cake batter over the top. Gently smooth of the top of the cake batter, and try not to push down on the filling.
Pop it in a preheated oven at 180C/ 350F for about 40-45 minutes.
TOP TIP: Don’t mess with melted butter and flouring your Bundt pan. Get into all the nooks and crannies with this quick and easy homemade cake release.
The Chocolate Glaze
This is the easiest chocolate icing you’ll ever make, and it’s perfect for drizzling over this amazing Bundt, dipping doughnuts in or topping cupcakes with.
In a small bowl, whisk together icing sugar, cocoa powder and a splash of milk. The mixture should be smooth and thick but still a little runny. Then drizzle it all over the top of your cooled cake!
TOP TIP: If the glaze is too stiff or thick add a drop of milk to loosen the consistency. If it is too runny a 1/4 teaspoon of icing sugar to thicken it up.
Step by step live video
Frequently asked questions
This recipe uses a 7-inch Bundt pan, which equates to about 1.25 litres or 6 cups of batter. To size up the recipe fill your chosen Bundt measure the capacity or the number of cups to takes; that will be the same as your cake batter.
A 7-inch Bundt cake will serve between 10 and 12 slices.
The cake is best stored at room temperature in an air-tight container.
The cake will keep fresh for up to 3 days.
No, not if you don’t want to. The cake batter includes chocolate orange so you will still get the flavour if you decide to leave it out. There’s no need to adjust the cake recipe either.
Yes you can. Ensure the cake is complete cool, then wrap it well in plastic wrap or clingfilm to prevent freezer burn. The cake can be frozen for up to 2 months. Remember to defrost thoroughly before decorating and eating.
Baking tips for the best ever Bundt
Let me reassure you that just following the recipe is going to give you one of the best tasting chocolate cakes ever. But if you want to make sure it’s really awesome, then check out these top tips.
- Make sure the butter is at room temperature – This sounds a simple tip, but it makes a lot of difference to the texture of your cake. Having room temperature soft butter, means not only is it easier to cream into the sugar, but it helps incorporate air in the batter helping your cake rise.
- Make a channel for the cheesecake filling – When you add the first half of the batter, use a spoon to make a channel where you can add the filling mixture. This helps to stop the filling from breaking free and touching the sides of the cake pan.
- Don’t overfill the Bundt pan – Only fill your cake pan to no more than 2/3s full, you don’t want it overflowing. Also place it on a baking sheet before popping it in the oven just in case. If you have any batter leftover, pop it into cupcake liners for an extra treat.
- Use a quick and easy homemade cake release – Making sure you get into all the nooks of a Bundt pan when you are greasing it can be hit and miss. So ditch the cake spray, and make your own cake release. You’ll be able to see where it is on the pan and it’s so much cheaper! One you’ve tried it, you’ll never use anything else again – it’s a baking miracle!
- Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes – If the cake is not cool enough when you try to take it out of the pan, it’s still too soft and can break. Also if you leave it in for too long, it can also break as you try to take it out. The sweet spot, is to cool for about 10-15 minutes, then turn out onto a wire rack.
More chocolate orange recipes to try
If you liked this chocolate orange bundt cake recipe here are some other recipes that I think youād enjoy…
Chocolate Orange Bundt Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
For the Cheesecake Filling
- 125 g Cream Cheese Full Fat
- 25 g Caster Sugar or Superfine Sugar
- 1 Eggs Medium
- 1 tsp Plain Flour or All Purpose Flour
- 1 tsp Orange Extract
For the Cake
- 100 g Butter Softened
- 200 g Caster sugar or Superfine Sugar
- 2 Eggs Medium
- 150 g Plain Flour or All-Purpose Flour
- Ā½ tsp Baking Powder
- Ā¼ tsp Baking Soda
- 75 g Terry's Chocolate Orange or Orange Chocolate
- 30 g Cocoa Powder
- 80 ml Soured Cream or Greek Yoghurt
- 50 ml Water Boiled
For the Glaze
- 25 g Icing Sugar or Powdered Sugar
- 25 g Cocoa Powder
- 15 ml Milk
VIDEO
Instructions
- To make the cheesecake filling: In a small mixing bowl, add the cream cheese, caster sugar, egg, plain flour and orange extract. Mix everything together with a spoon until you have a smooth mixture.
- If you want to colour the cheesecake filling, add a drop of orange food colour gel and stir into the cheesecake filling until evenly distributed.
- To make the cake: Preheat the oven to 180C/350F and grease your bundt pan with quick and easy homemade cake release.
- In a large mixing bowl, add the butter and sugar and using a handheld mixer beat together until light and fluffy. Alternatively, use a stand mixer
- Add the eggs, one at a time, and mix well until fully incorporated. Beat until you have a pale, thick and creamy mixture.
- Add the chocolate to a small heatproof bowl, place over a saucepan of simmering water. Make sure that the bowl does not touch the water. Heat until all the chocolate has melted. Alternatively, melt in the microwave.
- Add the soured cream, cocoa powder and boiled water to the melted chocolate and stir together until you have a smooth chocolate paste.
- Add the chocolate paste into the egg mixture, and whisk together until well combined.
- Sieve the plain flour, baking powder and baking soda into the chocolate mixture, and fold together until you have a smooth cake batter.
- Spoon the cake batter into the greased bundt tin, until about half full. Then using a teaspoon make a channel in the centre of the batter and pour in the cheesecake filling. Spoon the remaining chocolate cake batter over the top and gently smooth over.
- Place the Bundt pan on a baking sheet, and bake at 180C/350F for 40-45 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.
- When baked, leave to cool for 10-15 minutes in the pan before turning out onto a wire cooling rack.
- To make the glaze: Mix together the icing sugar, cocoa powder and milk in a small mixing bowl. If the glaze is too thick, add a drop of milk to loosen it; or if it is too runny add a 1/4 teaspoon of icing sugar.
- Drizzle the glaze over the top of the cooled cake and serve.
Notes
- Cake Pan Release – whether youāre a butter person or more of a release spray fan, Iāll guarantee that youāll never use anything else again once youāve tried this quick pan release recipe. Make a batch and keep it in the fridge, itās magic!
- Fill about 2/3s full – donāt be tempted to fill your bundt pan to the top, otherwise when you bake it youāll end up with an overflowing mess. For best releases donāt fill it more than 2/3s full, and if you have any batter leftover pop it in cupcake liners for a little extra treat.
- Let it cool in the pan – demolding the bundt when itās still warm in the tin risks it breaking or leaving pieces of your pan design between. So make sure you let the cake cool in the pan for 10-15 minutes, then turn out.
- Think about the design – there are so many intricate cake pan designs out there, and it would be a shame to cover them up with frosting or a glaze. If you have a fancy design like a gingerbread house bundt pan, then just a dusting of icing sugar does the job.
Nutrition
DISCLAIMER
The nutritional information provided is approximate and is calculated using online tools. Information can vary depending on various factors, but we have endeavoured to be as accurate as possible.
