The Story Behind Hungrier Jemma's Chocolate Orange Cake (not Terry's)

Eh? Terry's Chocolate Orange Cake?

"No, it's MINE!"

Actually, it's not. This was for my sister, Hungrier Jemma, for her birthday earlier this week!

I had planned this idea with Kylie, my brother-in-law's sister, about a week before. At first, we didn't really know what cake to make Jemma. She does enjoy a good cake, but there's quite of the classics that she doesn't actually really like.

So naturally, we figured 'you can't go wrong with chocolate'. But then we were stuck on what kind of chocolate cake to make. Despite my many baking efforts and rather extensive recipe list, I've not made many large celebration type cakes, or ones with tiers. (I prefer making the portable kind, like muffins and traybakes!)

"How about a chocolate gateaux-type cake?" Kylie suggested.

"Ooh, that sounds good! Do you have a recipe?" I replied.

"Erm, no, it's just my preference!" Kylie laughed.

I scoured my recipe books and found a rather impressive looking 'Brooklyn Blackout Cake' (from the Hummingbird Bakery Cookbook) - a triple layer chocolate sponge sandwiched with chocolate custard and covered with - yep, you guessed it, more chocolate. But reading the recipe was exhausting enough, it looked quite tricky!

Swiftly moving on, I turned to my scrapbook, where I collate recipes from the web and magazines for inspiration. And this is where I came across a Giant Jaffa Orange Cake recipe! I remember ripping this out of a magazine years ago (from one I bought by the way, not just ripped out randomly from one in a shop) and is something I've always wanted to try making.

Unfortunately, on reading it through, I then remembered why I still haven't got round to making it yet. It's just too darn hard. You have to make a jelly the night before, get involved with gelatine leaves, build in a load of chilling time and all sorts. Aint nobody got time for that.

Kylie and I quickly realised that we needed to scale back our ambitions a bit. But seeing the Giant Jaffa Orange Cake reminded me of my sister's current love of those Terry's chocolate orange minis.

Lighhhht. Bullllb.

"Let's make her a Terry's chocolate orange cake! A chocolate orange sponge with the segments on top!" I exclaimed.

"Yes! With orange in the chocolate icing too!" Kylie squealed.

And thus, Jemma's Terry's Chocolate Orange birthday cake was born...

Terry's Chocolate Orange Cake

Print-friendly recipe

For a 9" round tin (10 slices):

250g self raising flour
1 tsp baking powder
175g unsalted butter, softened
125g white sugar
2 eggs, lightly beaten
50ml olive oil
Juice and zest of 1 orange
100g chocolate chips

For the icing:
75g dark chocolate
50g unsalted butter
Zest of 1 orange

To decorate:
12 Terry's chocolate orange segments

1. Preheat the oven to 180 degrees C.
2. Sift the flour and baking powder into a large mixing bowl.
3. Mix in the chocolate chips and zest of 1 orange.
4. In another bowl, beat the 175g butter with the sugar.
5. Beat in the eggs, oil and orange juice.
6. Fold the orange juice mixture into the flour mixture.
7. Pour into a lined tin and bake for 25-30 minutes (or until you can pull a toothpick out clean).
8. As the cake is cooling, slowly melt the dark chocolate with the 50g butter.
9. Once it's all melted, take it off the heat and stir in the zest of 1 orange.
10. Spread atop the cake and decorate with the Terry's chocolate segments!

Happy birthday, Hungrier Jemma!"

More Hungry Jenny cakes here.

Other chocolatey recipes you might enjoy.