Wednesday, December 22, 2010

The 2010 Goodie Tour with Danielle Thorne: Let Them Eat -- Orange Chocolate Cake!

Greetings, Nicole, and thank you for letting me visit your beautiful blog on my 2010 Goodie Tour. I've enjoying visiting all around the blogosphere with my sweet recipes and sweet adventures. I appreciate everyone who has followed me on this sugar trip. (Haha!) Today is my final stop, so I'm not only excited I shared the best for last, I'm also giving away a copy of my environmental romance, TURTLE SOUP, to one of the lucky visitors who comments on this guest post. Did you know TURTLE SOUP has a bonus recipe following the story? Now you do!

For your holiday banquet, tempt your family and friends with this luscious Orange Chocolate Cake that I found browsing through my buddy's cookbook collection a few years ago. Both the cake and the frosting originally come from THE CAKE DOCTOR series (with a few of my tweaks to make it my own). I matched the cake and its topping together. It is a rich, refreshing combination that will amaze your taste buds, and the frosting is my number one favorite – you know – the kind of stuff you want to eat out of the bowl with a spoon. Out of five stars, this recipe is a six, and I use it whenever I want to impress.

ORANGE CHOCOLATE CAKE AND FROSTING

Cake:
1 box of Devil's Food cake mix
1 1/3 cup of fresh squeezed orange juice (I use Tropicana Fresh Squeezed Orange Juice.)
½ cup of vegetable oil
3 eggs
1 teaspoon of orange zest

Grease a 9X13 pan. Blend ingredients in mixer one minute on low. Beat on high for two minutes. Bake about 30 minutes or until cake springs back to the touch.

Frosting:
1 8 ounce package of cream cheese
½ stick of butter
¼ cup of dark (Dutch) cocoa
½ teaspoon of orange peel
2 tablespoons of fresh squeezed orange juice
3 and ¾ cup of powdered sugar

Blend cream cheese and butter on low. And the other ingredient except for the powdered sugar and blend on low. Beat in powdered sugar to spreading consistency. YUM!

Now, to go along with your amazing cake, check out one of my sweet romantic adventures, such as Regency Romance, JOSETTE, or my pirate ship treasure hunt, BY HEART AND COMPASS. Need a getaway? BY HEART AND COMPASS will take you on a trip you'll never forget!

When Lacey Whitman buys a restored Victorian home, she never dreams discovering an antique diary will lead her back to sea and into the arms of the dive bum she’d rather forget. Her habit of living in the past comes to a screeching halt as diver Max Bertrand and the diary of his ancestor take Lacey on the quest of a lifetime: To discover and raise the privateer ship, Specter, and bring the treasure and legacy of a true hero home again. But will finding it cost her heart?


Have a wonderful, sweet holiday season!

Sincerely yours,
Danielle Thorne

17 comments:

Ann said...

Love the cake recipe. Is on my must try list. The synopsis of your book is very intriguing. Sounds like my kind of read. Thank you for both the cake and the book!

Angela said...

Orange chocolate cake, yum!

Talli Roland said...

Nooooooom! Thank you for the recipe! :)

Have a great Christmas, Nicole. xx

DanielleThorne said...

Thx for coming by. And thanks to Nicole for hosting. Hope you enjoy the recipe and Happy Holidays, everyone!

Linda Swift said...

Hi Danielle. Another great recipe. I can tell by your recipes that you are as good a cook as you are a writer and that is amazingly good. I have read all of your books except Josette and I'm going to read it over Christmas on my new Kindle. The winner of your book today will have a very enjoyable read. Happy holidays, Danielle, Nicole, and all. Linda S.

Gina said...

Oh, I am swooning - chocolate and orange are ULTIMATE in my book! And speaking of books, the excerpt is wonderful! Thanks for both yummy treats, Danielle. Nicole, your site is beautiful. Happy Holidays.

Miss Mae said...

This recipe sounds mouth watering! (I'm a sucker for chocolate, and that frosting...oh, it sounds SO RICH!)

I am eagerly anticipating Josette. Can't wait until I hold a copy in my hot little hands. :)

Faith said...

That cake sounds AMAZING... I am now drooling and craving orange chocolate. And cake. Or sugar of any kind. Gaaahhh!!!

DanielleThorne said...

Thanks for visiting. Even if you don't care for those 'chocolate oranges' which I don't myself, this cake is delectable. It's a very refreshing cocoa with zing. It has a light orange flavor--just enough to sweeten the chocolate in a whole other way.

Julie Musil said...

OMG! I shouldn't have read that recipe while I'm super hungry. Now that cake will dance in my mind until I make it. Wow.

By Heart And Compass looks like such a fun read!

Anne Patrick said...

Awesome site, Nicole!

Thanks for another great recipe, Danielle. This one sounds really yummy.

Merry Christmas & Happy New Year everyone!

Mary Anne Landers said...

Thanks for the post, Danielle; and for all your posts on your Facebook page.

Stop me if you've already considered this, but have you thought of writing your own cookbook? Or a series of cookbooks. Or setting up a recipe and cooking tips website.

It's pretty clear you're an expert in this department. And I'm not, which is why I can use help like this. Why so many of us can use it.

Keep up the good work!

maryannelanders@centurytel.net
www.facebook.com/maryannelanders

Gail Pallotta said...

The orange chocolate cake sounds delicious. And, I loved Turtle Soup. Congratulations on your books!

DanielleThorne said...

Thanks for visiting, ladies, and thanks for the kind words. They're taken to heart and much appreciated. Happy Holidays!

DanielleThorne said...

Congrats to Mary Anne Landers. Thanks for coming by Mary Anne--you've won a copy of TURTLE SOUP! I will be in touch shortly!

Thank you again, Nicole, for hosting me on your cool blog.

Happy Holidays!
Danielle Thorne

Mary Anne Landers said...

Thank you so much, Danielle! I can hardly wait to dig into my serving of your "Turtle Soup"!

Hope you, Nicole, and all those who took part in this discussion are having a happy holiday season!

Stephanie Burkhart said...

Dani, your cake sounds FAB!! I'm drooling just reading the receipe! What an awesome goodie tour you put together.

Smiles
Steph