Chocolate, Orange and Caramel

I felt like trying something new.

Okay, fine — chocolate and orange isn’t exactly new. But chocolate, orange and salted caramel? Maybe not groundbreaking, but it’s something I hadn’t tried before. Have you? Now, rumour has it that not everyone is a fan of the chocolate–orange combo (hard to believe, I know, I'm firmly a Team Orange kinda girl 🍊). But if you do like it, I really think this might be something for you. I only spread a thin layer of salted caramel between each cake layer — just enough to add a hint of that sweet-salty thing going on. Honestly, I think that balance is the key to making all the flavours work together. Just enough of everything, so to say!

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Ah, ganache. The simplest of spells — just chocolate and cream — yet it can go so wrong. Trust me, I’ve been there. Too much cream, too little cream, the wrong kind of chocolate, or that one time I used chocolate that had quietly gone bad (we don’t talk about that one).

 

For some reason, I rarely read up before I bake. I just… go for it. Hence, all the “learning experiences.” This time though, I decided to get a second opinion — from ChatGPT. Yes, my brother calls me a cavewoman this being the first time using it, but I figured: why not? Better to spend time (and money) on cake that works, right? And honestly — Greta (that’s what I call her) delivered. I had to tweak the recipe a bit, because trust has to be earned 😉, but the ganache turned out to be the best one I’ve ever made. So, 10/10 points!

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About the decorations. Should we talk about them? I may have… possibly… gone a tiny bit overboard with the buttercream. But then again, can there ever really be too much when it comes to cake decor?

Well, okay — maybe sometimes. If I were aiming for something elegant and classy, I’d definitely tone it down a notch. But this time, it was full-on I went with the thought: "The more decorations, the more festive, right?".

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See you soon -

and enjoy the eye candy!