Chocolate Orange Sauce

Easy to make and oh-so-delicious, this sauce tastes just like a chocolate orange. It’s a perfect way to use up a surplus of oranges this citrus season.

The story

This chocolate sauce was so good I had to pause everything and re-do my posting schedule for it. Usually, I make a thing and add it to the end of the queue of recipes to share.

Not this.

Honestly, I was stirring and thinking, “This might be chunky, but I don’t think it’ll seize, so at least I can use it for our BBQ tonight. Buuuttt…I don’t know if it’ll make it on the blog.”

Famous last words.

After it smoothed out nicely, I kept stirring as it cooled (as you should with any ganache), thinking I’d take a few photos then see how it tasted. My toddler watched me from inside as I snapped some shots in the last light of day then finally tasted it.

Oh man.

I ran inside and texted my best friend that she will need to try this recipe ASAP. Never mind the fact that she was on vacation. I know she likes chocolate oranges—the ones wrapped in foil where you have to smack them on the counter to get them to break apart—and that’s exactly what this sauce tastes like. So obviously she needed to know about it immediately. That’s how we roll.

I wasn’t even trying to mimic any particular flavor, I just wanted to use up the rest of the homegrown oranges we’d been gifted by my husband’s YiaYia. I’d already used half of them in the orange olive oil cake that was in the oven, and I figured an orange-based sauce or curd or frosting would go well with it. Also, I wanted something quick and easy. Because #toddlermomlife robbed me of my afternoon as my sixteen-month-old napped on me. So chocolate sauce it was. And it was a perfect chance to try a technique I’ve been dying to use.

As you might imagine, I watch a lot of cooking and baking shows. They’re always infusing or steeping milk with things like orange peel or rose petals or lavender. It’s been in the back of my mind for a few years to start experimenting with that technique. But you have to have the right ratios, give it enough time to steep and infuse the flavor, and make sure you don’t scald (or burn) the milk. Plus, you don’t want it too hot or it could scramble the eggs or curdle the batter. So I’ve hesitated.

I think it’ll become regular practice for me now.

It was honestly easy to infuse the cream. I learned quickly that you need to stir frequently to prevent a film. And it came to room temperature faster than I expected. So simple.

While I made this as a glaze for an orange cake, you could use it on anything. Spice up fondue night, drizzle it over ice cream, create a dessert waffle. It firms up nicely in the fridge so you can dip cookies or ice cream cones in it for some pizazz. Or put it on a good old fashioned spoon.

Tips for this recipe

Stir while cooking and cooling

During the two rounds of heating the cream, it’s important to stir frequently with a rubber spatula, scraping the bottom and sides, to avoid burning it or a film developing. As the pot cools, it can still burn the milk and a film is always likely to form during cooking, so keep stirring occasionally during that step.

Avoid the pith

The pith (the white, spongy part between the peel and actual sections of oranges) is bitter. Be careful to avoid it and only peel the orange part of the peel for a more orangey flavor.

Use organic oranges

Since you’re only using the peel here, you want that part clean of an flavor but orange, so organic or homegrown is best.

Use a large bowl

You don’t want the sieve sitting right on top of the chocolate simply because melting ganache (which is technically what this is) it finicky. You don’t want the sieve interfering with the very fast one-minute wait time between pouring the cream and furiously stirring. Plus, precious melted chocolate could get stuck and that’s just tragic. It’s best to use a small or medium sieve and a medium or large bowl so the sieve is at least 2 inches above the chocolate.

Use high quality chocolate

I ran out of baking chocolate and had to use half chocolate chips. Thankfully they were good ones, because chocolate chips can be difficult in ganache if they weren’t tempered correctly when they were made. So use good quality baking chocolate or chocolate chips with the fewest ingredients possible so they don’t compromise the tempering process. Guittard and Ghirardelli are my favorites, along with (surprise) Trader Joe’s.

Use dark chocolate

Obviously I think that since it’s in the ingredients list. But I know I like to take liberties with recipes, so I have to assume you have the same rebel heart. Dark or semi-sweet chocolate will yield the best “chocolate orange” flavor. Lighter varieties would do in a pinch but won’t have that same iconic taste.

Don’t heat above medium

High heat will scald the cream and affect the final taste. Plus, staying at medium and below gives more time for the orange peel to impart its flavor.

Store in the fridge and reheat carefully

Due to the high content of cream, you need to refrigerate leftovers. They should last 1-2 weeks if sealed tightly. You can reheat in the microwave in 5-10 second intervals, stirring in between each time. If you’re like me and don’t own a microwave, you can reheat it by placing in a pot of gently simmering water (see below) and stirring frequently.

Chocolate Orange Sauce

• prep time: 5 minutes
• cook time: 10-15minutes
• cool time: 30 minutes
• total time: 45 minutes

Yields: 1 cup sauce

Ingredients:

• ¾ to 1 cup heavy whipping cream (depending how thin you want it, I used ¾ cup)
• 1 medium to large orange
• 4 ounces semi-sweet or dark baking chocolate, finely chopped, or high-quality chocolate chips (by weight, not volume)
• 1 tablespoon Grand Marnier (optional, adds to the orange flavor)

Instructions:

1. Infuse cream. Using a potato peeler, peel the outer layer of the orange peel (just the orange “zest” part, not the pith). Add the peel and cream to a small saucepan and heat over medium until gently boiling, stirring frequently with a rubber spatula. Scrape bottom and sides to avoid any burnt milk. Once it reaches a gentle boil (small bubbles appear and the surface ripples slightly), turn down to low and stir constantly for 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and let steep 30 minutes or until it reaches room temperature.
2. When the cream and orange mixture is cool, add chocolate and Grand Marnier to a medium heatproof mixing bowl. Set a medium fine mesh sieve over it so the bottom is at least 1-2” above the chocolate.

3. Bring the cream and orange mixture back to a very gentle boil over medium or medium-low heat, stirring constantly. Immediately pour through the sieve over the chocolate, pressing the orange peel gently to get some of the liquid out. Discard the peels. Let chocolate sit for 1 minute, then stir quickly with the rubber spatula (or a whisk, but I like ability to scrape down all parts of the bowl with the spatula). Stir until the mixture is smooth. Set aside to cool, stirring occasionally to prevent a film.

4. Store in the fridge for up to 2 weeks. See tips above for reheating instructions.

Enjoy!