Orange Chocolate Marble Cake

Orange chocolate marble cake, my new go-to recipe for special occasions. You wouldn't even know it's egg free and dairy free!

Happy New Year everyone!  I know, New Year's was last week, but that kind of sums up how my life is going right now.  More to come on that later...

For now, I wanted to share with you a recipe that I discovered over Christmas.  It got such great reviews from friends and family that I made it for two separate occasions, one of which was New Year's Eve.  The best part (for some of you) is that it's Egg-, Dairy-, and Nut-free! 

My special thanks go out to Linda Marienhoff Coss, author of "What's to Eat."  This was the book that got me through the early years of life with a multiple-food-allergy toddler.  She has agreed to let me share her recipe here for all of you.  If you'd like more information about Linda and her other books, you can find her at www.foodallergybooks.com.

Here's the recipe, slightly modified from the original layer cake into a bundt cake with chocolate glaze.

Orange Chocolate Marble Cake:
2 ⅓ c. Flour
1 ½ c. Sugar
1 ½ t. Baking Soda
¾ t. Salt
1 ½ c. Orange Juice
½ c. Vegetable Oil
1 ½ t. Vanilla Extract
1 T. finely grated orange peel (that's tablespoon, not teaspoon)
¾ c. dairy-free semi-sweet chocolate chips (My favorite are Trader Joe's), melted

Preheat oven to 350.  Generously grease and flour a bundt cake pan.

In a large mixing bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking soda and salt.  Add orange juice, vegetable oil, and vanilla.  Beat with a wire wisk until smooth.  Place 1 ½ c. batter into another bowl.  Stir grated orange peel into the original bowl.  Using a spatula, stir melted chocolate chips into the 1 ½ cups of batter in the second bowl.

Alternately spoon orange and chocolate batters into prepared pan.  With a knife, cut through batters and gently mix and swirl to obtain marble effect, being careful not to touch the bottom or edge of the pan with the knife.  Bake in preheated 350 degree oven for 40 minutes, or until toothpick inserted into center of pan comes out clean.  Cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn onto wire rack to cool.

Chocolate Glaze:
1 square Baker's Chocolate
1 c. Powdered Sugar
2-3 T. Water

Unwrap chocolate and place in microwave-safe bowl.  Microwave on high for 2-3 minutes to melt.  Sift powdered sugar into bowl with chocolate.  Add 2 T. water and mix well.  You may need to add one more tablespoon of water to reach desired consistency.  Spoon over top of cake, allowing to drip down sides.  Glaze will harden as it cools.

One note:  I've found that egg-free cakes are best if eaten as soon as possible.  Luckily, in my family, leftover cake has never had to languish too long on the countertop!

So my advice for the new year is to make some cake, get together with friends, and eat the whole thing together.  Diet resolutions are so last-year, don't you think?