A delicious cake topped with a dark chocolate shell – this vegan chocolate orange marble loaf is the perfect dinner party treat to impress your guests!
Chocolate and orange is always a winning combination in my eyes, especially in cake form. I’ve taken it a step further and topped my marble loaf with a dark chocolate shell for extra yumminess and decadence! You can’t go wrong with adding more chocolate, can you?
I don’t bake many cakes, but when I do it’s usually in the form of a loaf, like this lemon loaf, chocolate banana bread or chocolate peanut butter banana bread. I find loaf cakes so much more delicious and satisfying. They’re so dense and moist, which is what I look for in a cake. I’d take that over a slice of dry spongy cake any day! I also don’t like frosting, which a lot of spongy cakes need to balance their dry texture.
What’s even better than a loaf cake? A marble loaf cake! My mum used to make the best marble bunt cake for me and my brothers growing up. She only made it every now and then, so it was a real treat that we used to look forward to. That’s why I have such fondness for marble cake. It’s also like having two cakes in ones – vanilla and chocolate!
If you don’t like orange, you can leave out the orange zest and substitute the orange juice for dairy-free milk of choice and add 1 tsp of vanilla to make it a vanilla and chocolate loaf cake. You can also omit the chocolate shell, but I would highly recommend you give it a go!
What you’ll need to make this vegan chocolate orange marble loaf:
Wholegrain/wholemeal spelt flour – which I love using instead of plain white flour. It works just as well in things like cakes and muffins, but is higher in fibre. You’ll be able to find it in most supermarkets.
Ground almonds – Another ingredient that helps add density and richness to the loaf.
Sugar – I like to use maple syrup, but any liquid sweetener will work like honey, agave, etc.
Cocoa – to make the rich chocolate swirl.
Orange juice and zest – as a natural way to add a citric/orange flavour.
Oil – I used coconut oil, but any will work.
Milled flaxseed – this works as a binder and an egg substitute. If you don’t need the recipe to be vegan feel free to use a regular medium egg. Ground chia seeds will also work.
This vegan chocolate orange marble loaf is:
- Vegan
- Dairy-free
- Egg-free
- Soy-free
- Dense, moist and rich
- Made using healthier ingredients
- And looks stunning!
Vegan Chocolate Orange Marble Loaf
Ingredients
- 160g wholemeal spelt flour or plain flour
- 50g ground almonds
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 2 tbsp ground flaxseed
- 5 tbsp warm water
- 120ml orange juice
- Zest of 1 orange
- 120ml maple syrup
- 60ml coconut oil
For the chocolate mixture
- 4 tbsp cocoa
- 3 tbsp milk of choice
For the chocolate shell
- 150 g dark chocolate
- 1 tbsp coconut oil
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180C/160C fan/350 F.
- Add the ground flaxseed to a small dish along with 5 tbsp water. Leave to set for 10 minutes.
- Mix the flour, ground almonds, baking powder and salt in a large bowl, then fold in the set flaxseed mixture, orange juice, maple syrup, orange zest and melted coconut oil. Mix to form a smooth batter.
- Divide the batter in half, then add the cocoa and milk to one half.
- Line a loaf tin (I used a 21×11 cm loaf tin) with baking paper. Spoon large dollops of each mixture into the tin, alternating the flavours, then use a sharp knife to swirl the batter around (but don’t over swirl!).
- Bake for 50 minutes, then leave to cool completely before adding the chocolate.
- Break up the dark chocolate into a bowl and add the coconut oil. Melt in the microwave, then pour over the cake. Refrigerate until the chocolate has set and enjoy!
Nutrition
Hello what can be used instead of maple syrup
Any liquid sweetener will work like honey, agave, etc. Let me know if you try it!
Hi, can I use dates molasses instead of maple syrup? Thank you can’t wait to try it ?
Hi Lilian 🙂 Yes it will work, as long as you don’t mind the batter being a lot darker in colour. Let me know if you try it! x
Hi Nadia,
I love this recipe. I already made it twice.
However my cake didn’t rise. I followed your exact method and used a different baking powder the second time I made it . But still it didn’t rise much.
What do you think the problem is?
Thank you!
Hi Irene 🙂 Glad you like the recipe! What size tin did you use? I used a fairly small loaf tin, maybe try using a smaller tin or double the quantities to make a bigger cake? Hope that helps.
Machallah 3lik Nadia?????
Thank you 🙂 xx
Hi, can I sub the ground almonds and spelt flour for just gluten free flour ?
It haven’t tired just gluten-free flour to make this cake, so it may completely change the outcome. Sorry I can’t give you an exact answer unless I try it myself ? Please do let me know how you get on if you try it!
frustrating to not know size of loaf pan…. I have several different sizes
Thinking cause ingredients are so minimul that a 4 x 8 might be what you used?
Hi Sharan 🙂 Yes I used a 4×8 inch loaf pan.
Hi Nadia, this looks wonderful! If I were to make it as an 8” round cake, would I need to change the baking time or quantities?
Thanks!
Hi Aleks 🙂 I haven’t tried baking this recipe in a round cake tin, so I can’t give you an exact baking time. I would suggest starting with 20-25 minutes, then insert a skewer to see if the centre is cooked. Sorry I can’t give you a more precise answer!
Thanks Nadia! The cake was done in 20 mins (I have a hot oven)! Really flavourful cake with a great texture! 🙂 Delicious!
Sorry, I forgot to leave a rating before! It’s 5 stars from me! ?
Thank you for leaving a rating. It really helps me out a lot! So glad you enjoyed it so much 😀 xx
Hello, there is baking powder listed twice. One should be baking soda, would you please update it?
Thanks
Shail
sorry I updated the theme and had to update the recipes too. The 1/4 tsp is salt 🙂
Hi I have a question. What temperature should I bake the cake at ??
Hi Dishita 🙂 Bake it in a preheated oven at 180C/160C fan/350 F.