A Hallowed Dessert

Host: Welcome to another exciting installment of "Things that go with chocolate"!  Today's episode features an intriguing new contestant – a zesty fruit-forward little number that's both a color and a flavor – let's give it up for our guest star: Orange!  Orange, tell us a little about yourself, and why you think you deserve to win "Things that go with chocolate"!

Orange:  Thank you, it's great to be here.  Frankly, I'm surprised it's taken you so long to invite me.  I mean, if you've ever had a chocolate orange in your Christmas stocking, you already know what a team player I am.   And of course, there are chocolate orange sticks, with that delicious orange jelly filling, chocolate-covered candied orange peel, orange-infused chocolate bars, dried orange slices dipped in chocolate....I don't mean to shake my own tangerine here, but Chocolate and I have been kind of an item, know what I'm saying?

Host:  Interesting, interesting.  Well, you know what they say: "Past pulp is no guarantee of future marmalade."   What do you have that's fresh and juicy for the judging section?  

Orange: You know, it really scrapes my rind to have to be constantly proving myself.  I would think with my blossoming reputation in the orchard –

Host:  Now, now, no need to be bitter about this.  Let's leave off navel-gazing and concentrate on the present.  Everyone gets the same treatment here on "Things that go with chocolate", and I'm afraid you'll have to let the judges decide for themselves.

Orange:  OK, sorry, didn't mean to get my pulp in a squeeze.  Today's offering is an moist orange layer cake with a dark chocolate filling and an orange glaze.  I think you'll find it has rich flavor and universal a-peel.  

Host: We have a winner! Not only delicious, but a perfect Halloween dessert.   Thank you for playing "What goes with chocolate?", and tune in next time for a berry exciting show!!

Notes  

This is a gluten-free recipe.  If you do not want it a gluten-free cake, you can substitute cake flour for the gluten-free flour, and omit the xanthan gum.  

To achieve a nice orange color, I used several drops each of red and yellow food coloring.  The uncooked batter was about the color of a creamsickle, which made a nice orange cake that was not too garish.  

The amount of chocolate filling given here makes a fairly thick chocolate layer.  If you are not as fond of chocolate as I am, you could cut back on the amount of chocolate filling.  (It's pretty much like chocolate pudding, so ... you know what to do with the leftovers.)

Inspiration

I got the idea for this cake when I was thinking about Boston Cream Pie (which seems a little plain to me), and wondering what other flavor combinations could be used in a similar, but more exciting, fashion.  

The chocolate filling is from Betty Crocker's Picture Cookbook (1950).  The cake is is half-size version of "Starlight Cake", from the same book, with the addition of orange juice and zest.  I also experimented with orange flavoring, but I felt the version with juice and zest had a better flavor.  

When I actually made the cake, I thought it looked like a harvest moon, and just in time for Halloween!