A Southern Grace: poor orange

August 7, 2010

poor orange

Yum

I feel sorry for the orange--what a bummer to be one of the few words that rhymes with nothing else.


On the flip side, it describes a lovely color and is the name of a fabulous fruit, so I guess it has a few things going for it.

We've been inundated with recipes combining chocolate with raspberries and cherries. There's the occasional pairing of chocolate and blueberries, pears, or apples. Bananas and strawberries bathe in the stuff on a regular basis. Where does that leave the orange (or, for that matter, other citrus fruits?)(or, dare I say it, melons?)? The only time I've ever seen chocolate mate with orange is in a truffle from a box of chocolates, and those are always my least favorite. Sad but true.


Clearly it's time that the chocolate-orange combination got some love and I submit these mini loaves as proof of that. They're delightful--refreshing in all the right ways and exploding with flavor. Moist, too. Now, if one of you comes up with an edible chocolate-watermelon concoction, be sure to let me know...


And hey--exciting news for Julie of Mommie Cooks! She won the Blog2Print giveaway.

Orange-You-Glad-You-Gave-'Em-a-Shot Chocolate-Citrus Loaves
(based on these)
3/4 cup orange juice
1 egg
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon nutmeg
1 cup chocolate chips
1 cup pecans, chopped

Preheat oven to 400F. Spray a muffin tin or mini loaf pan with cooking spray and set aside.
Whisk together the orange juice, egg, and oil. Combine the dry ingredients together in a separate bowl, then add all at once to orange mixture. Stir to combine. Fill the prepared molds about 3/4 full and bake 20 minutes for muffins and around 30 minutes for mini loaves. Remove from the oven and let stand in tin for 5 minutes before attempting to remove.

60 comments:

scrambledhenfruit said...

Those lonely orange truffles (we call them orange creams) in your chocolates box would be the first to go here- they're hubby's favorites. He'll love this recipe! Thanks!

Marjie said...

My dearly beloved gobbles the orange creams, too. And I often pair orange with cranberry in quick breads and muffins! I do love oranges, regardless of their rhyming inabilities!

Rosa's Yummy Yums said...

A droolworthy combination! Orange give such a fabulous dimension to baked goods!

Cheers,

Rosa

José Manuel said...

Que esponjoso, se ve maravilloso. Y la combinación de sabores increible. Saludos

lisa is cooking said...

I love orange and chocolate together! This sound fantastic, and I like the pecans in there too. (In fact, I did make a chocolate-watermelon concoction of sorts a while back! http://lisaiscooking.blogspot.com/2009/09/watermelon-sorbetto.html)

Valerie Harrison (bellini) said...

One4 of my favourite things are those chocolate oranges from Terry's that you get in your sticking at Christmas. For me it is THE combination.

Carolyn Jung said...

Chocolate and orange are one of my fave combos, especially if it includes the citrus rind. There's just something so wonderful about that sweet-bitter rind that is sublime with earthy, dark chocolate.

CC11 said...

Orange and choc is awesome! There's a bar called Terry's and they are in the shape of an orange and you smash it on the table and all of the chocolate orange segments separate - loved it as a kid.

And maybe orange / porridge? Close enough to rhyming?

Kerstin said...

Cute recipe name :) And your loaves look lovely - I always enjoy the chocolate/orange combo too!

pam said...

One...I am trying desparately to come up with a word that rhymes with orange, and two...I have always, always loved the chocolate orange combination.

Joanne said...

Ah the plight of the orange. How tragic!

You definitely revved it up with this cake though! delicious.

Amy @ cookbookmaniac said...

Chocolate and orange is a magnificent flavour combo. Whoever came up with that should go down int he guiness book of world records. Yummy!

Y said...

That loaf looks so good! Sadly for orange, not everyone is enamoured by the chocolate + orange combo either (what's wrong with some people!?). I quite like orange with certain spices, eg. cardamom and cinnamon. Or rhubarb and orange also comes to mind.

Angie's Recipes said...

I believe that's a delicious combination!
Congratulations to Julie!

Lisa-Marie said...

I have a chocolate cake recipe that includes a clementine, boiled whole till it's soft and blended. It is utterly delicious, and your recipe looks like the next one to be added to my chocolate-orange repertoire!

kat said...

I always think of chocolate & orange as a classic combination, maybe its because of those chocolate oranges you see around Christmas

Julie M. said...

Really?? I won? Woohoo!! Thank you so much Grace, I'm absolutely stoked!!!!

This bread looks so good! I love chocolate paired with just about anything and your beautiful pictures make it too good to resist!

Thanks again! I can't wait to check out the book!!!

A Plum By Any Other Name said...

Chocolate and watermelon ... great point. There has to be some sort of recipe out there. Reminds me of the watermelon roll from Friendlies. I think the seeds were made out of chocolate chips. I'll have to keep you posted should I stumble across anything!

Lucie said...

The orange and chocolate pairing is a favorite here in France. My mother always makes candied orange strips dipped in dark chocolate whenever we have friends over in the US...I could eat that combination all day long! Love your mini loaves!

Jacqueline Meldrum said...

I love the combination of chocolate and orange, so this would be one for me.

My all time favourite orange and chocolate combo is a scoop of dark, dark chocolate ice cream hugging a scoop of orange sorbet. Mmmmmmm :P

LyB said...

Chocolate and orange is a fabulous combination! This recipe sounds delicious, Grace!

Lyndas recipe box said...

These loves look extra yummy Grace...the gooey chocolate chips combined with the tangy orange bread sounds wonderful. Another very tasty creation!

tamilyn said...

Orange you glad.....cracks me up every time!

Lorraine @ Not Quite Nigella said...

Hehe your first line made me laugh! :P I must admit I'm not a huge chocolate and orange fan. But it does look good!

shaz said...

I hadn't realised how hard it was to rhyme with orange :) But I love choc-orange combos, this one looks scrumptious!

BIg Boys Oven said...

it looked rather moist and a well accomplished cake! :)

Cara said...

I'm picky about my orange-chocolate combination. Like you, I don't really care for the orange filled truffles. But, have you ever had this candy? I remember it being yummy! I think they also come in lime flavor. I looove me some lime & chocolate though :)

http://www.amazon.com/Terrys-Chocolate-Orange-6-17-Ounce-Boxes/dp/B001LN2QU2/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=grocery&qid=1281358008&sr=8-1

Ingrid_3Bs said...

I've never had orange and chocolate together....have to give it a try!

Congrats to Julie!
~ingrid

TKW said...

Ha! I always hated those chocolate orange truffles, too. But this sounds like a completely different animal. Must try it.

Gloria Baker said...

Love chocolate and orange!! And this look delicious!! gloria

tasteofbeirut said...

sounds so delicious and so easy!

FOODESSA said...

Grace...I could only wonder...how many people enjoy all these yummy cakes you keep baking up!

Chocolate and orange are a combo I personally use often especially when the oranges are in season.
The depth of flavour is incredibly aromatic.

Thanks for this very simple and tasty cake ;o)

Ciao for now,
Claudia

The Teacher Cooks said...

Chocolate and orange are the perfect combo for a cake. YUM!

Suze said...

I love the orange chocolate combo! At Christmas there are those chocolate balls that you smash and it breaks into segments...LOVE those. Great job on the cake! :)

Jayanthy Kumaran said...

Gorgeous cake recipe..:)
Do drop in at my space sometime...!

Juliana said...

Lovely combination, orange and chocolate...and sure this looks delicious...so moist :-)

The Blonde Duck said...

Lovely as always!

Cocina Savant said...

Grace,
Sadly, the orange chocolates leave last for me too. But I would rather have cake than candy, and this looks fantastic. Melon and chocolate could be an intriguing combo, but I have never had a watermelon cake. Food thoughts to ponder...

Chef Dennis Littley said...

I never thought about it before that the poor orange has no rhyming friends....but it does always say "orange you glad to see me!!" and it certainly looks like you were with that beautiful orange cake....it goes so well with chocolate too!! Great job!

Lori said...

I love the chocolate and orange combo. I have to say that some chocolate and orange muffins I made are on of my favorite muffins. I bet yours were some tasty as well! Here's to the orange and chocolate duo.

Xiaolu @ 6 Bittersweets said...

You're right, orange gets chipped a lot, but the flavors really do go well together. Your loaves look so tender and moist, my mouth is starting to water. Thanks for another awesome recipe!

Anonymous said...

Chocolate and orange is a great combo, will be sure to try these yummy loaves!

pierre said...

in french orange rhymes with ange which means angel ! Pierre

Jennifer said...

Good point, I guess I dont ever really cook with oranges in sweets. Nice recipe!

Chef Fresco said...

How creative! I love the addition of orange! Definitely an overlooked fruit when it comes to baked goods..

megan said...

yum, have you ever had one of those chocolate oranges? It's a ball of chocolate that's shaped like an orange and has orange flavoring and you eat it by breaking it into sections. they're wonderful :)

La Bella Cooks said...

Always the perfect combo and one that needs to be on my plate right now. You always have something wonderful going on, Grace!

Mimi said...

I love muffins and I love chocolate and orange together so this is a perfect recipe.
Mimi

VegeCooking Club said...

A combo I don't think I've tried but it's now on the list!

marla@familyfreshcooking.com said...

Just look at all those oozy chocolate chips on the bottom of this! I do love orange and chocolate, used to munch on Jaffa Cakes in the UK as a kid. A shortbread, orange marmalade, chocolate covered cookie thing. Sooooo good! Your cake brings back some great memories. xo

sweetlife said...

orange and chooclate togerhter are always a perfect combo, poor orange, lol...yummy
sweetlife

pigpigscorner said...

I'm not really a huge fan of orange and choc combo, the texture looks awesome though!

MaryMoh said...

I have yet to try the chocolate orange combo. Trying to imagine. I think it will be good cos I have eaten orange chocolate...very delicious. Love that close up pictures. Looks very tempting.

laura said...

These sound awesome, grace! I am a huge chocolate orange fan and these sound perfect. ( :

kimberleyblue said...

Oh my gosh! I love citrus desserts, and even moreso when they're paired with chocolate. Talk about perfection!

I have a lovely recipe for a chocolate orange bundt cake - I love the idea of a loaf though! An orange glaze on top of these would be magic!

Jeanne @ CookSister! said...

Mmm, chocolate and orange... I'm sure I have a recipe somewhere for orange choc chip muffins - must dig it out!!

Deborah said...

Orange and chocolate are one of my favorite combinations.

eatme_delicious said...

Mmm chocolate and orange are delicious together!

Anonymous said...

That photo should be illegal! wow! a match made in heaven - chocolate and orange and oh so gooey!!

Laura said...

I have issues with fruit and chocolate paired together--but my husband would die for this.

I thought of you the other day as I ordered my first ever shwarma wrap. Isn't that what you like? Or am I confused? :) At any rate, it was tasty!