Chocolate Orange Loaf Cake (gluten free & dairy free)
My gluten and dairy free chocolate orange loaf cake combines a rich chocolate orange sponge with a delicious chocolate orange buttercream. It’s topped with grated orange zest and segments of dairy free chocolate orange – a perfect festive recipe! If you do make my chocolate orange loaf cake I’d love to see, don’t forget to tag me in your photos over on social media!
Frequently Asked Questions
Which butter do you use for the the buttercream?
I use the Stork ‘perfect for baking’ 250g gold packet butter which is naturally dairy free and available in most major UK supermarkets. If you can’t get hold of this butter, it’s always best to use a hard dairy free butter block instead of a soft spread for a dairy free buttercream as soft spreads can sometimes cause the mixture to curdle.
How long will the cake last?
My chocolate orange loaf cake will last in airtight container for up to 4 days however is always best on the day you make it.
Which flour do you use for the cake?
For this recipe, and the majority of my bakes, I use the FREEE Gluten Free Self Raising Flour which works really well in gluten free baking.
Which dairy free chocolate orange do you use for the topping?
I use the Buttermilk dairy free Chocolate Orange Segments.
Chocolate Orange Loaf Cake
Ingredients
For the cake
- 200 g dairy free butter block
- 200 g caster sugar
- 4 medium eggs
- 2 teaspoons orange extract
- 1 tablespoon dairy free milk
- 170 g gluten free self raising flour
- 1/4 teaspoon xanthan gum (omit if your flour blend already contains this)
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 30 g cocoa powder
For the buttercream topping
- 150 g dairy free butter block (See FAQs)
- 270 g icing sugar
- 30 g cocoa powder
- 2 teaspoons orange extract
- 1 tablespoon dairy free milk
- Zest of 1 orange
- 10 dairy free chocolate orange segments (See FAQs)
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180°C and line a standard loaf tin.
- Make the cake batter by whisking butter and caster sugar in a large bowl until creamy. Add the eggs 1 at a time and continue to whisk until fully combined. Add the orange extract and dairy free milk and whisk again.
- In a separate bowl mix self raising flour, xanthan gum, baking powder and cocoa powder. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix well.
- Transfer the mixture to the lined baking tin and bake in the oven for 45-50 minutes, until a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool in the tin before making your buttercream.
- Make your buttercream by beating butter with an electric whisk until creamy. Slowly add your icing sugar and cocoa powder, continuing to whisk until creamy and combined (this can take around 5 minutes). Whisk in the orange extract and dairy free milk.
- Spread (or pipe for a neater cake) the buttercream on top of the cake and decorate with the grated zest of an orange and the dairy free chocolate orange segments. Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days.
I absolutely love seeing what you’ve created, so if you do make this recipe (or any other recipe from my website) don’t forget to tag me over on my social media pages @glutenfreealice and use the hashtag #glutenfreealice
This cake is incredibly delicious! It baked up perfectly. I am in the US and baked at 355 for about 50 minutes. The icing is heavenly. No one would believe it’s dairy and gluten free!
Hi Amanda,
Thanks so much for the lovely comment! I’m so glad you enjoyed the cake 🙂
Alice