Chocolate Orange Marble Cake

I have been invited to a pot luck on Saturday night and I had no idea what to make to bring. As I rifled through my cupboards, I found a packet of yellow cake mix and chocolate cake mix. I am not partial to a "plain" marble cake and with the orange tree as laden as it is this year, I thought I'd take full advantage of the goodness from our garden.

So I decided to use the delicious fruit from our garden and create this semi-homemade cake.

It is really easy, completely semi-homemade, and will be great for the party on Saturday night.

Its rustic exterior is a great compliment to the homemade goodness that the orange tweaks this recipe to become.

You're definitely going to want to give this one a try. Paired with a cup of coffee in the afternoon, this will make a great "coffee cake".

Happy Cooking, Happy Eating!


Ingredients:
1 pack chocolate cake mix
1 pack yellow cake mix
6 eggs
1 1/2 cups oil - divided into 2 xs 3/4 cups
1 cup water
1 cup fresh squeezed orange juice (you can substitute for concentrate but it will lose some of the freshness taste)
Rind from 1 orange (or 1/2 TBSP)

Orange Glaze:
1 cup confectioners sugar (Icing sugar powder)
1/4 tsp orange rind
1 1/2 TBSP fresh squeezed orange juice (or more if needed)

Heat oven to 350*F

1. Empty contents of the yellow cake mix into a bowl, add three eggs, 3/4 cup oil, 1 cup orange juice, and 1/2 TBSP orange rind. Mix well on high speed for 2 minutes. Set aside.
2. Empty contents of the chocolate cake mix into a separate bowl, add three eggs, 3/4 cup oil, 1 cup water and mix well on high speed for 2 minutes.
3. In a greased and floured cake pan (you can use a bundt tin or a 6" tall cake tin), ladle the chocolate and orange cake mixes into the pan to create a "marble" inside. DO NOT MIX OR STIR!
4. Bake in a 350*F oven for 1 hr and 10 minutes (or until cake is cooked through and a toothpick inserted to the middle comes out clean).
5. Let cool overnight or until completely cooled. (I let the cake sit for 24 hours to allow the orange flavour to permeate the cake.)

Orange Glaze:
1. In a clean bowl, add 1 cup of confectioners sugar, 1/4 tsp orange rind, and orange juice. Mix very well until smooth and runny, but not too liquid.
2. Place cake over a sheet of aluminium foil ensuring the sides are sticking out past the cake to "catch" excess glaze.
3. Pour the glaze over the very top of the cake and let it drizzle down the sides. It is supposed to look rustic.

Cut a slice of orange and then cut it in half. Cut down the flesh of the orange, make sure to not cut in to the rind. Twist it and then place on top of the cake.

Keep in fridge to let icing set about 20-30 minutes.  Bring to room temperature before serving.

Our orange tree, packed full of fruit this year

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Easy Chocolate Cake Cookies

This is one of the easiest cookie recipes I have ever come across. It's semi-homemade and fast. I had these done in about 45-mins from start to finish.

The cookies are very chewy and incredibly moist. You can get creative and try this out with other flavours of cake mix.

Ingredients:
1 box chocolate cake mix
2 eggs
1/2 cup oil

Heat oven to 350*F

1. Beat everything together, I did it with a wooden spoon as it'll come together into a ball. This will be the longest step as you have to ensure that everything mixes in well together. At the end of combining everything, I "kneaded" the dough just to bring it together. It will be a beautiful and shiny colour when it's well combined.

2. Roll dough into 1" balls and set on a plate or board

3. Before placing onto a cookie sheet, roll each ball into white sugar to well-coat

4. Place on a cookie sheet, and using a fork, press down very slightly

5. Bake for about 8-10 minutes (I baked for 10 minutes and they were perfect)

6. Once cooked, let sit for about 1 minute then transfer to a cooling rack

This recipe will make approx 3 dozen cookies.

Enjoy!