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Chocolate Cranberry Clementine Cake on a white plate on a wooden board
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Chocolate Cake with Cranberries and Orange (gluten-free)

Chocolate Cake with Cranberries and Orange has two layers of moist chocolate orange sponge sandwiched with cranberry sauce and generously frosted with chocolate orange buttercream, sugared cranberries and candied orange slices. Made with gluten-free flours
Prep Time1 hour 30 minutes
Cook Time35 minutes
Total Time2 hours 5 minutes
Course: Cake
Cuisine: British
Servings: 16 people
Calories: 796kcal
Author: Georgina Hartley

Ingredients

Chocolate Cake

  • 125 g dark chocolate
  • 150 g white rice flour
  • 60 g oat flour
  • 20 g tapioca flour
  • 90 g cocoa powder
  • 1¾ teaspoons bicarbonate of soda
  • 1 teaspoon espresso powder
  • 1 teaspoon salt
  • 400 g buttermilk
  • 160 g caster sugar
  • 160 g soft light brown sugar
  • zest of 2 oranges + 1 extra orange for the cranberry sauce (see notes)
  • 170 ml olive oil
  • 3 eggs medium size
  • 1 teaspoon bourbon vanilla extract
  • 200 g cranberry sauce see notes

Chocolate Orange Buttercream

  • 500 g unsalted butter
  • 500 g icing sugar
  • 90 g cocoa powder
  • 150 g chocolate melted
  • juice of 1 orange
  • ¾ teaspoon salt
  • 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Sugared Cranberries

  • 120 g + 60g caster sugar
  • 120 ml water
  • 125 g fresh cranberries

Candied Oranges

  • 1 orange
  • 120 g caster sugar
  • 120 ml water
Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Chocolate Cake

  • Pre-heat the oven to 180°C / 160°C fan assisted /gas mark 4 / 350°F and line and grease 2 x 8 inch round cake tins.
  • Melt the chocolate in a bain marie (or in a bowl set over a pan of simmering water) then set aside.
  • In a separate large mixing bowl whisk together the flours, cocoa powder, bicarbonate of soda, coffee and salt and set aside.
  • In another bowl (or a stand mixer) beat together the buttermilk, the sugars, clementine zest, olive oil, eggs and vanilla then add the flour mixture and beat until combined.
  • Pour in the melted chocolate and mix in until fully incorporated.
  • Divide the batter evenly between the two cake tins then place in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes.
  • Turn out the cakes and cool on wire racks before filling and decorating.

Chocolate Orange Buttercream

  • Beat together the butter and sugar for about 10 minutes in a stand mixer until light and fluffy.
  • Add cocoa, melted chocolate, clementine juice, salt and vanilla extract and beat into the creamed butter and sugar until everything is smooth and evenly combined.

Sugared Cranberries

  • Pour the 120g of caster sugar into a medium saucepan with the water. Bring to a low boil until the sugar dissolves.
  • Remove from the heat and allow to cool for 10 minutes.
  • Pour in the cranberries and stir to coat evenly with the sugar syrup.
  • Place in the fridge overnight.
  • The next day remove the cranberries from the syrup with a slotted spoon, pat dry with a kitchen towel then spread out evenly onto a plate.
  • Sprinkle over the remaining 60g of caster sugar and gently roll the cranberries so they are totally coated with sugar.
  • Leave to dry for at least an hour before using.

Assembly

  • Place one of the sponge layers on a cake board and pipe a circle of buttercream at the very edge of the top of the cake to act like a dam for the cranberry sauce.
  • Spread the cranberry sauce on top of the sponge, right to the edges of the buttercream dam.
  • Place the second sponge layer on top and cover the top and the sides of the cake with the buttercream.
  • Decorate the top of the cake with the sugared cranberries and candied orange slices.

Notes

  • Here is the full recipe for making the Caramelised Candied Orange Slices.
  • If you are not gluten-free you can swap the 3 gluten-free flours for 230g plain white flour instead.
  • For the full list of all the different flour substitutions visit the post above.
  • I recommend this Homemade Cranberry Sauce for the cake filling. Alternatively, you can use any leftover cranberry sauce, homemade or shop bought, warm it up in a small saucepan with the zest of 1 clementine and leave to cool until needed.
  • This cake freezes well. Either freeze the sponges individually before decorating with buttercream or freeze leftover cake in slices. In both instances wrap up well to avoid spoilage.
  • The finished cake will keep for up to 5 days if refrigerated, or up to 3 days out of the fridge in an airtight tin.
  • US customary measurements for the ingredients provided are based on a conversion calculator. This recipe was tested with metric measurements and I recommend using a digital scale to weigh ingredients for the most accurate results. READ MORE >>> Why you should always weigh vs measuring with cups 

    Nutrition information

    Please note that the nutrition information provided below is an estimate based on an online nutrition calculator. It will vary based on the specific ingredients you use. Please seek a professional nutritionist’s advice for further clarification.
    The nutrition serving is for 1 slice of cake, assuming the cake is cut into 16 servings. 

Nutrition

Calories: 796kcal | Carbohydrates: 101g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 45g | Saturated Fat: 23g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 3g | Monounsaturated Fat: 17g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 101mg | Sodium: 427mg | Potassium: 372mg | Fiber: 7g | Sugar: 79g | Vitamin A: 880IU | Vitamin C: 6mg | Calcium: 80mg | Iron: 3mg