Dark Chocolate-Blood Orange, Tangerine Cake with Blood Orange Ganache

Ingredients:

For Chocolate Cake

For Blood Orange Ganache

Directions:

For the Chocolate Cake

Preheat the oven to 350ºF.

Lightly grease two 9-inch cake pans, one muffin pan, or one 13x9-inch pan with Blood Orange Fused Olive Oil.

Mix together all the dry ingredients in a large bowl.

Thoroughly mix together the liquid ingredients in a separate large bowl until smooth.  Add the dry ingredients into the wet and mix using a mixer on low.  

Pour the mixture into the prepared pans and bake for 30 minutes (cupcakes will take about 15 min.)

Make sure to not over-bake the cake, it should spring back when lightly touched, and a cake skewer inserted in the middle of the cake should come out clean.

Cool for 20-25 minutes before removing the cakes from the pans to cool completely. Apply ganache when cool.

For the Blood Orange Ganache

Heat the cream in a sauce pan over medium heat until just about simmering.  Place the chocolate chips in a heat-proof bowl.   Pour the cream over the chocolate and allow to sit for five minutes.  Gently whisk the chocolate and cream until smooth, consistent, and free from any lumps.  

Add the Blood Orange Fused Olive Oil to the chocolate and whisk to thoroughly incorporate.

Allow to cool until it reaches a spreadable consistency. Gently spread the slightly cooled ganache over the completely cooled cake.  

Serve with lightly sweetened whipped cream and a tangerine segment as garnish, if desired. 

Serves 12 small, but decadent servings.