Chocolate & Orange Honey Cake

This delicious cake would make the perfect accompaniment to a hot cup of tea for an afternoon snack, or even as a nice breakfast cake. The cake doesn’t need any frosting; it is very flavorful on its own, and the richness of the honey really comes through. This cake tastes even better after a day or two, as the honey flavor comes out even stronger. Chocolate & orange is a delightful combination, and really brings out the bold flavor and smooth sweetness of the honey in this recipe.

Ingredients:

• 1 1/4 cup flour
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 tsp ground ginger
• 1/4 tsp salt
• 1 cup honey (Try our Orange Blossom Raw Honey)
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup olive oil
• 1 tbsp orange zest
• 1/2 cup freshly squeezed orange juice*
• 1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips**

(*, **, see Special Tips below)

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour an 8x8 inch baking pan.
2. Sift together all dry ingredients.
3. In a large bowl, whisk together honey, eggs, oil, and orange zest. Slowly add dry ingredients into the honey mixture, then slowly add in orange juice and mix until just combined.
4. Pour into pan and scatter chocolate chips over the top of the cake. Bake for 35-40 minutes, until cake is golden and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.

Special Tips:

• I used one large navel orange for the zest and freshly squeezed juice and it yielded the perfect amount. Be sure to strain out any pulp from the orange juice.
• If you would like to mix in the chocolate chips, toss chips in a little bit of flour to prevent sinking, then add them in at the end of step 3 and gently combine.