A super-decadent home-baked Chocolate Orange Celebration Cake topped with orange macaron. Perfect for a smallish wedding, big birthday or any other special cake day. Gluten Free.
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DON’T LOSE THIS RECIPE! PIN chocolate Orange Celebration Cake FOR LATER…

A gluten free Chocolate Orange Celebration Cake for a small wedding
This chocolate orange celebration cake is no ordinary cake. It’s a gluten free celebration cake, made at short notice for a simple wedding in unusual circumstances. Requested by a friend to celebrate her son’s marriage, it was pulled together with just 5 days notice. And let’s be clear… although I bake cakes, I am not a baker of wedding cakes…
But that’s fine! It wasn’t actually a wedding cake that was requested… It was a ‘cake for a wedding’. Yeah right! It’s amazing how a simple shift of words can persuade agreement. Whatever the semantics, this cake was to take a starring role and was to be cut by the newly married couple… Ummmm? Sounds like a wedding cake to me!




A chocolate orange celebration cake with criteria
When I say unusual circumstances, I am referring to the summer that brought lockdown and restrictions on all manner of gatherings, whether nuptial or not. The original wedding that had been planned was not the wedding that took place. Indeed, I have no doubt that the planned wedding was complete with a real wedding cake fit for a lavish celebration. But needs must…
Having somewhat reluctantly agreed to take on this special cake and with no time to back out again, the cake criteria were laid out. This particular cake needed to fit a number of needs… Specifically :
- To be a chocolate orange celebration cake that would have a sumptuous wow factor.
- Which could feed over 20 people in celebratory proportions.
- Specifically made with 10 inch (25 cm) tins.
- It had to be able to travel (without damage) half way across the country in the boot of a car, packed with a number of overnight bags…
- On the hottest weekend of the year with temperatures due to reach over 30 C.
- With no pre-arranged refrigeration or cool space to store it overnight before the wedding when it reached its destination city…
- …And no single venue, meaning that it might need to be carried from registry office to park to reception to pub by foot on its journey.
With little time to reflect enough to become anxious and cogs starting to turn fast, my chocolate orange celebration cake (aka the gluten free wedding cake) was created.




What went into this gluten free wedding cake?
It’s a good thing I’m reasonably organised. Making a gluten free wedding cake (even one this simple) with 5 days notice, needs on-the-hoof planning. But what does a chocolate orange celebration cake fit for a wedding consist of?
Gluten free chocolate and orange sponges
The actual sponges used for this gluten free chocolate orange celebration cake were relatively straight forward. Picking favourite tried and tested recipes that were already on Gluten Free Alchemist made life a little more controlled.
Although the cake could have been made using a single chocolate orange sponge recipe, that didn’t somehow cut it. A celebration cake needs to be a head-turner inside and out. So, alternating layers for visual impact seemed a better choice… Two chocolate layers using my versatile, ‘go to chocolate cake’ recipe and one orange from my ‘celebratory orange cake’ recipe. Both of the chosen sponges used ground almonds and home-made buttermilk for moistness and structure, so were well-paired for texture as well as lasting freshness.
Because of their qualities, the two recipes also allowed flexibility to bake them 3 days before the cake was needed, with time to mature to perfect moistness for the wedding.




Buttercream or ganache?
With promised temperatures of 30 C+, my chocolate orange celebration cake needed to be robust. There was no way coating it in butter icing would hold out in the heat and that would also be way too sweet and sickly. A little in the layers on the other hand, protected by the rest of the cake may just work.
Covering with firm ganache made with good quality dark chocolate, may also just make it through. And it would give the added advantage of providing external structure to the cake, encasing the sponge to keep it fresh and being exceptionally decadent for the occasion. (I really don’t like working with fondant, and it seemed a little too passé for this young couple)
Decisions made, the chocolate and orange sponges were layered and crumb-coated with some gorgeously citrussy orange butter icing and slathered with a rich layer of dark ganache… Not so thick that it would be excessive, but just enough to make an impression.
Rough or smooth ganache?
The observant will note that this particular chocolate orange celebration cake has a ganache coat that is a little rough and ready. I did consider working it to perfect smoothness, but with the expected heat and travel requirements, any damage from heat and knocks would be better hidden under an imperfect surface.




What the heck to put on the top?
There was one more decision to make. What should go on top of the cake by way of decoration? The heat meant that both butter icing and any chocolate decoration was out of the question. There was no time to order in any commercial decoration, and flowers would not last the journey or the heat… Which left me with only one option. My absolute nemesis… the macaron.
Nemesis or not, if macaron could be pulled off, they could be flavoured and coloured to make this celebration cake truly special. And they would be able to take a few hours in the warm.
Having decided on chocolate orange French macaron, I used a recipe that was an amalgamation of about 20 others found on the internet. If you’ve ever explored the world of macaron recipes, you will know that there are no two the same, either in ingredients or process. So, despite my fear, I decided to combine a little wisdom from previous attempts and partly wing it.
Luck it seems was on my side. Apart from a slight lack of uniformity in size, the resulting orange and chocolate macaron looked the part and decorated the cake with perfect spacing.
How easy was this gluten free chocolate orange celebration cake?
Setting aside my macaron fears, this gluten free chocolate orange celebration cake was actually relatively easy to make. There are basically only three parts (+ the macaron) to making and decorating the cake :
- Sponge
- Butter icing
- Ganache
Although large, there isn’t really much skill involved. If you are a moderate baker, then you can make it too. And seriously… If I can overcome the macaron fear, anyone can.
I wasn’t originally planning to post this cake on the blog at all. But after getting lots of requests from posting a couple of photos on social media, I have given the full set of recipes below… including the macaron! But if you don’t want to make a huge cake, then you can find smaller versions of the cake sponges elsewhere on the blog (Chocolate Cake & Orange Cake).




Putting the cake together
There aren’t specific instructions within the recipes below for how to ‘put together’ this chocolate orange celebration cake, so let’s have a quick run through here. There are no dowels or extras to worry about, which makes the whole thing pretty straight forward…
- Layer the sponges with butter icing in the two internal layers (not on the top) on your chosen cake board (securing the base cake to the board with a couple of dabs of butter icing or ganache).
- Preferably using a cake turntable, thinly crumb-coat the sides and top of the cake (using a large palette knife and cake scraper) with the remaining butter icing. And then chill to set.
- Spread the ganache over the sides and top of the cake using a large palette knife. Either scrape to a clean edge and surface with a cake scraper or scrape relatively rough. Save a spoon or two of ganache to stick the macaron onto the cake.
- Chill the cake to let the ganache fully set.
- Once the macaron are ready, secure to the top of the cake with little dabs of the saved ganache. You may need to soften the saved ganache by warming for literally a couple of seconds in the microwave.
- Done!




Key Equipment used to make this cake
- An accurate set of Kitchen Scales
- Measuring Spoons
- A good set of mixing bowls
- Zing Silicone Spoon-Spatula
- Extra large Mixing Bowl
- Microplane Zester
- Sturdy Electric Hand Whisk
- Two loose bottomed 10 inch Non-Stick Cake Tins
- Good quality reliable Baking Paper
- Three-Tier Wire Rack
- Cake Turntable fro decorating
- Angled-Blade Palette Knife
- Extra Tall Cake Scraper
- High-powered Stand Mixer
- Large Baking Trays
- Good-grip Disposable Piping Bags
- 1.6cm round piping nozzle
- Food bag clips




Keep up to date
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If you like this recipe, then take a look at the other cakes we’ve made and shared too. Or grab a coffee and spend a while browsing our gluten free Recipe Book Index for lots of great ideas. From breakfast to dinner, savoury to sweet, healthy to decadent… at Gluten Free Alchemist life is always Positively Coeliac and Adventurously Gluten Free.




Gluten Free Chocolate Cake (for 10 inch sandwich)
Key equipment
- 2 x 10 inch/25 cm round loose-bottomed non-stick baking tins
- Oven
- measuring jug
- fork
- small sieve
- kettle
- teaspoon
- silicone/wooden spoon or spatula
Ingredients
Chocolate Sponge
- 370 g plain white gluten free flour blend eg. Gluten Free Alchemist Mix A – See NOTES
- 2 tsp xanthan gum
- 2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 3 tsp GF baking powder (level)
- ½ tsp fine sea salt
- 480 ml/g milk dairy free if necessary
- 2 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 80 g cocoa powder
- 160 ml/g boiling water
- 210 g butter (or good quality dairy free alternative) softened
- 560 g caster sugar
- 4 large eggs UK large
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 210 g ground almonds (almond meal)
Instructions
- Base-line two 10 inch/25 cm round loose-bottomed non-stick baking tins with baking paper.
- Pre-heat the oven to 180 C/350 F/Gas 4.
- Weigh and mix together the flour, xanthan gum, bicarbonate of soda, baking powder, and salt. TIP : weigh into an airtight container and shake well to blend. Set aside.
- Weigh or measure the milk into a jug and add the white wine vinegar. Stir thoroughly and leave to stand at room temperature for 10 to 15 minutes, until it has a slightly curdled appearance. This will make 'buttermilk'
- Sift the cocoa powder into a small bowl. Add the boiling water a little at a time, gently stirring through until you have a smooth paste. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, cream the butter with the sugar using an electric whisk until pale and fluffy.
- Break the eggs into a small bowl and beat with a fork to blend, before gradually adding a little at a time to the butter mixture, beating thoroughly between each addition.
- Add the vanilla extract and cocoa paste and beat again, until smooth and well-blended.
- Gently fold in the ground almonds using a large spoon or spatula.
- Finally add and fold through the dry ingredients and milk mixture, alternating a little dry followed by a little 'buttermilk' (about a third of each at a time). Fold gently to ensure as much air remains as possible and stop when the ingredients are JUST amalgamated to avoid over-mixing.
- Split the mixture between the two prepared cake tins evenly and smooth the tops with the back of a spoon. (you will have a little left for a couple of 'tester' cupcakes should you need them).
- Bake for approximately 30-40 minutes until the tops spring back and a skewer inserted comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and leave in the tins for about 5 minutes, before carefully turning out on a wire rack to cool (if necessary due to any sticking, run a sharp knife around the edge of each cake before turning out). Leave to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
© 2019-2023 Kate Dowse All Rights Reserved – Do not copy or re-publish this recipe or any part of this recipe on any other blog, on social media or in a publication without the express permission of Gluten Free Alchemist
Orange Sponge Cake (gluten free) – 1 layer 10 inch round cake
Key equipment
- 1 x 10 inch/25 cm round loose-bottomed non-stick baking tin
- Oven
- measuring jug
- fork
- silicone/wooden spoon or spatula
Ingredients
- 200 g plain gluten free flour eg. Gluten Free Alchemist Mix A – See NOTES
- 1½ tsp GF baking powder
- ½ tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ⅔ tsp xanthan gum
- ¼ tsp fine sea salt
- 116 g ground almonds
- 220 ml/g milk dairy free if needed
- 1 tbsp white wine vinegar
- 100 g unsalted butter room temperature
- 265 g caster sugar
- 2 large eggs UK large – room temperature and lightly beaten together
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp orange extract
- 1 large orange – zest only finely grated
Instructions
- Base-line a 10 inch cake tin with baking paper and pre-heat the oven to 180 C/350 F/Gas 4.
- Weigh and thoroughly mix together the flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, xanthan gum, salt and almonds (TIP : weigh into a large airtight container and shake vigorously). Set aside.
- Pour the milk and vinegar into a jug and stir so that the liquid becomes clumpy. Set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl, use an electric whisk to cream together the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy.
- Gradually add the egg a little at a time, beating thoroughly between each addition until fully amalgamated and smooth.
- Add and beat through the vanilla and orange extracts and the orange zest.
- Add and gently fold in the dry ingredients and the milk mixture, alternating wet with dry about a third at a time, until it has all been added and the batter is smooth, but just incorporated. Be careful not to over-mix.
- Transfer the cake batter to the tin and smooth the surface.
- Bake for 25 to 35 minutes until well risen and a skewer inserted comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and leave in the tins for about 10 minutes before turning out on to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Nutrition
© 2019-2023 Kate Dowse All Rights Reserved – Do not copy or re-publish this recipe or any part of this recipe on any other blog, on social media or in a publication without the express permission of Gluten Free Alchemist
Orange Butter Icing and Dark Chocolate Ganache for 3 layer 10 inch cake
Key equipment
- sharp knife
- chopping board
- saucepan
- hob
- plate
- wooden/silicone spoon/spatula
Ingredients
Orange Butter Icing
- 380 g unsalted butter
- 760 g icing sugar
- 1½ tsp orange extract
- 1 tbsp orange juice approx (to loosen)
Dark Chocolate Ganache for Covering
- 900 g dark chocolate good quality – semi-sweet and minimum 53% cocoa solids
- 450 g double cream
Instructions
Orange Butter Icing
- In a large bowl, beat the butter until smooth.
- Gradually add and beat in the icing sugar and orange extract until light and fluffy.
- Add and beat in a little orange juice to loosen to a consistency that is spreadable.
Dark Chocolate Ganache for Covering
- Chop the chocolate into small pieces and place in a heat proof bowl.
- In a saucepan, heat the cream until it is just starting to simmer.
- Immediately remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate.
- Push the chocolate down so that it is under the surface of the cream and tilt the bowl back and forth to allow the hot cream to seep into the cracks.
- Cover the bowl with a plate to keep the heat in and leave to sit for 5 minutes.
- Now gently stir until the chocolate has completely melted and the ganache mixture is smooth. If any lumps of chocolate remain, place the bowl over a saucepan with a small amount of simmering water and gently heat and stir until smooth.
- Leave the ganache at room temperature to cool and thicken to spreading consistency.
Notes
Nutrition
© 2019-2023 Kate Dowse All Rights Reserved – Do not copy or re-publish this recipe or any part of this recipe on any other blog, on social media or in a publication without the express permission of Gluten Free Alchemist
Chocolate Orange Macaron (small)
Key equipment
- stand mixer
- lemon juice
- kitchen paper
- food bag clip
- baking sheets
- disposable piping bag(s) (plus 1.6 cm round nozzle or scissors)
- Oven
- Small saucepan
- plate
Ingredients
Macaron Shells
- 110 g egg whites (from 3 to 4 eggs) NOT from a carton (see NOTES) – aged and at room temperature (aged weight)
- 125 g ground almonds almond meal
- 200 g icing (powdered) sugar
- ¼ tsp cream of tartar
- 40 g granulated sugar
- ½ tsp orange extract (pure)
- Orange (or red + yellow) food colouring paste or powder do not use liquid colour
Dark Chocolate Ganache
- 200 g dark chocolate good quality (min 53% cocoa solids)
- 100 ml double cream (=100g)
Instructions
PREPARATION BEFORE MAKING
To age the egg-whites
- Use a spotlessly clean bowl (wiped with lemon juice to completely degrease) for the egg whites.
- Very carefully crack the eggs and separate the whites from the yolks, being super-careful not to get ANY yolk in with the whites.
- Take the bowl of whites and either loosely cover with a cloth or kitchen towel or with clingfilm that has had a few holes pierced in the top.
- Leave the egg whites at room temperature for a few hours before using.
- Save the yolks to use in another recipe or make an enriched omelette/scrambled egg/frittata.
Equipment preparation
- Prepare 2 or 3 large baking sheets by lining with good quality non-stick baking paper.
- Either trace circles about 3½ cm (1½ inches) in diameter onto the baking paper, with a gap between each (flipping the paper over onto the baking sheet so that the drawn side is underneath), OR use a printed macaron template that can be placed under the baking paper whilst you pipe (remembering to remove before baking).
- Make sure your mixing bowl and balloon whisk head for the egg whites are spotlessly clean and grease-free. I wash mine in very hot water with soap, then allow to air-dry, before wiping again (using clean kitchen paper) with a solution of hot water and lemon juice.
- Prepare a disposable piping bag by either snipping the end to make a hole about 1½ cm in diameter, or by inserting a round nozzle (approx. 1.6 cm).
- Attach a food-bag clip just above the nozzle/end, to prevent the mixture leaking out when you fill the bag.
To make the Macaron Shell batter
- Weigh the ground almonds and icing sugar into a blender and pulse for a few seconds to blend and grind the almonds very slightly finer. Be careful not to over-blend as the almonds will turn to almond butter. Set aside.
- Weigh 110g aged egg whites (that must be room-temperature) into the bowl of the mixer.
- Start to whisk slowly until bubbles start to form and the egg whites become foamy.
- Add the cream of tartar and increase the speed of the mixer to high.
- Little by little, add the granulated sugar, whisking continually until all the sugar is incorporated and dissolved.
- Whisk until the mixture has become thick and glossy with stiff peaks. But be careful not to over-mix as this will make the egg whites dry and brittle.
- Add the almond-icing sugar mixture along with the orange extract and a little food colour and very gently fold into the egg whites using a large spatula-spoon or spatula.
- Continue to gently fold until the dry ingredients are incorporated and until the mixture reaches a ‘molten lava’ consistency (when it leaves a ribbon trail that takes about 20 seconds to sink back into the mix). Be very careful not to over-mix.
Pipe the macaron
- Transfer the mixture to the prepared, clipped piping bag.
- When ready to pipe, remove the clip and pipe straight down at a right angle onto the templated circles, until it almost reaches the border.
- When you have finished, carefully remove any paper templates from underneath the baking paper.
- Take each baking sheet in turn and hold evenly about 12 cm (5 inches) above the work top or a hard kitchen floor. Flat-drop the tray several times, to bang out any air bubbles.
- Leave the trays at room temperature for between 30 minutes and an hour, to allow the batter to dry slightly and until a skin forms. This is super-important. You will know they are done, when you lightly touch the edges and they are no longer sticky.
Bake the macaron
- Preheat the oven to 150 C (130 Fan)/300 F/Gas 2.
- Bake one sheet at a time (adjusting times/temperature from your experience on the first batch).
- Bake times will vary from 11 to 15 minutes for small macaron.
- When done, the macaron should have a dry, slightly shiny top and the shell should be reasonably firm and not wobble when pressed. The bottoms should not be wet.
- Take out of the oven and allow to cool on the trays before carefully lifting off the baking paper.
Make the ganache
- While the macaron are cooling, make the ganache.
- Chop the chocolate into small pieces and place in a heat proof bowl.
- Heat the cream in a saucepan until it is just beginning to start to simmer.
- Immediately remove from the heat and pour over the chocolate.
- Push the chocolate down so that it is under the surface of the cream and tilt the bowl back and forth to allow the hot cream to seep into the cracks.
- Cover the bowl with a plate to keep the heat in and leave to sit for 5 minutes.
- Now gently stir until the chocolate has completely melted and the ganache mixture is smooth. If any lumps of chocolate remain, place the bowl over a saucepan with a small amount of simmering water and gently heat and stir until smooth.
- Leave the ganache at room temperature to cool and thicken to soft piping consistency.
Fill the macaron
- While the ganache is cooling, pair up equal-sized macaron shells in a row on the work surface – one top side up and one top side down.
- When the ganache has reached piping consistency, transfer to a piping bag fitted with a 1.6 cm nozzle or snip off the end.
- Pipe a good-sized blob of ganache into the centre of each of the flat-facing macaron shells and sandwich with the second shell, gently squeezing together until the filling can be seen at the edge.
- Store in an airtight container in the fridge until ready to use/eat.
Notes
Nutrition
© 2019-2023 Kate Dowse All Rights Reserved – Do not copy or re-publish this recipe or any part of this recipe on any other blog, on social media or in a publication without the express permission of Gluten Free Alchemist




CHOCOLATE ORANGE CELEBRATION CAKE SHARED WITH :
- Cook Blog Share with Lost In Food
- What’s for Dinner #269 with The Lazy Gastronome
- Creative Muster #401 with Fluster Buster
- Fiesta Friday #345 with Angie and Spades, Spatulas & Spoons
- Full Plate Thursday #502 with Miz Helen’s Country Cottage
I made (half and without the macarons) this recipe this weekend. Thank you. Thank you. Thank you.
I was a wonderful baker before having to go gluten free, I had enough fails that I resigned from even trying. This absolutely gorgeous cake piqued my interest, and it was so decadent and rich and perfect that I think it singlehandedly made me want to bake again.
You are SO welcome Trisha.
I know how hard it can be when you feel like the rug has been pulled from under your baking feet. And I also know that many GF recipes just don’t come up to scratch for texture or anything else.
It makes me super-happy when a recipe gives someone the confidence to bake gluten free. So thank you for taking the time to feed back.
Just shout if you need any advice or help with anything.
Kate x
I adore the combination of orange and chocolate – this would be the bestest ever celebration cake in my opinion!
Awww… thanks lovely. It’s a bit of a classic isn’t it?! xx
I love this flavor combo. And GF doesnt hurt. I dont make many layer cakes but Mrs. L does. It will be on my table soon I am sure.
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Thank you for sharing at #OverTheMoon. Pinned and shared. Have a lovely week. I hope to see you at next week’s party too! Please stay safe and healthy. Come party with us at Over The Moon! Catapult your content Over The Moon! @marilyn_lesniak @EclecticRedBarn
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Thank you Marilyn. Enjoy x
This pure Brice Bogtrotter! I love it!
Ha! Or ‘Bruce’ even….
Thanks Chloe. Even us GF folk can do posh cake xxx
This looks absolutely incredible! I love chocolate cake and this looks perfect.
Thank you Cat x
This cake is incredible. I can’t believe how much I love it. So classic and that chocolate – wow #cookblogshare
Awww thanks Sisley. Such a lovely comment. It was more than worth the effort. x
This is stunning! You can never go wrong with chocolate and orange!
Ha ha… Thanks Kat. Chocolate and Orange is a classic and always lovely. And since that’s what the bride and groom wanted, that’s what they got x
One word – WOW! What a cake – that’s amazing. I love the macarons on top too.
Thank you so much Veronica. It’s a cake I am proud of x
oh my goodness that is just gorgeous! Really a show stopper I bet your guests enjoyed saving for a special occasion
Thank you Deborah. It was a lot of work, but well worth it x
It looks absolutely fantastic – perfect to top with those macarons too! I love those flavours and it did really well to travel so far too.
Thank you Corina. The travel was my biggest worry. Especially with the heat. But the macaron were definitely a good idea x
This cake is absolutely stunning! I’m sure it was the highlight of the wedding day.
Thank you so much Leslie. It was a bit of an epic bake. But I think it went down well xx