Nigella Lawson’s Chocolate Orange Drizzle Cake

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Oil the bottom of a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan, and line it with parchment paper.

In a stand mixer, beat the butter until soft. Add the brown sugar, and beat again until soft and creamy. Mix in the zest of 1 orange. In another bowl, stir together the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, and cocoa.

Whisk the eggs into the butter-sugar mixture one at a time, alternating with a little flour mixture. Fold in the remaining flour mixture. Add the milk. Stir until smooth. Pour into the prepared pan.

Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 40 minutes. In a saucepan, combine the juice, remaining zest, and confectioners’ sugar. Place over low heat until the sugar dissolves. 

When the cake comes out of the oven, pierce it all over with a toothpick. Slowly drizzle the warm orange syrup over the warm cake so that it sinks in. Allow the cake to sit in the pan until it has cooled, then transfer to a serving plate.

*Nigella Lawson calls for Seville oranges, which she likes because they are less sweet than most. If you want to use Seville oranges but can’t find them, she suggests combining 6 tablespoons orange juice with 3 tablespoons lime juice.