A Chocolate & Orange Checkerboard Cake Recipe

A Recipe: Chocolate and Orange Checkerboard Cake Recipe (taken from The Great Australian Bake-Off recipe book 2013) Original recipe here. 

Chocolate and Orange Checkerboard Cake Recipe

Serves 12-16 people

Duration: 6 hours of preparation and baking time 

(as experienced between me and my friend)

Ingredients for the Orange Cake (makes 2 cakes):

2 and 1/2 cups self raising flour

1 and 3/4 cups sugar

3 free-range eggs

1 and 1/4 cups milk

100g butter, melted

1/4 cup vegetable oil

zest and juice (approximately 140ml) of 1 orange

red and yellow food dye (to make a subtle orange batter)

Ingredients for the Chocolate cake (makes 2 cakes):

2 and 1/4 cups self raising flour

1/4 cup dark cocoa

1 and 3/4 cups sugar

3 free-range eggs

1 and 1/4 cups milk

100g butter, melted

1/4 cup vegetable oil

zest and juice (approximately 140ml) of 1 orange

few drops of Parisienne essence to colour darker (optional)

Ingredients for the frosting:

375g butter

45g dark brown sugar

3/4 cup boiling water

600g dark chocolate, chopped

Additional Ingredients to finish:

additional dark chocolate for decoration

zest of 1 orange

*also need: 4x 18cm round cake tins, lined with baking paper; 1-2 baking tray; Cooling Rack; Tea Towels (optional); Toothpicks, and long skewer (optional - used to create cake guidelines)

INSTRUCTIONS

(text also included)

1. Preheat the oven to 170 degrees Celsius. Place all the ingredients for the orange cake batter in a bowl and beat until glossy and combined.

2. Spoon or pour the mixture evenly between 2 of the lined tins. 

Combine all the ingredients for the chocolate cake batter and beat until glossy and combined. Spoon or pour the mixture evenly between the final 2 tins. You will have 4 tins of cake batter.

3. Bake for 45-50 minutes on 2 levels, swapping levels and turning the tins around 35 minutes into baking. 

Allow the cakes to cool slightly in the tins before turning them out. Finish cooling the cakes on wire racks. 

Trim the cakes along the top when cool so they sit flat.

*Tip: to create a flat and evenly baked cake, wrap a wet folded tea towel around the cake tin, and secure with string before placing it into the oven

*Cool all cakes fully; it will ensure for an even and clean cut when creating rings

Chocolate Frosting

4. To make the dark chocolate frosting, combine the butter, sugar and water in a small saucepan and cook until the butter is melted and the sugar has dissolved. Remove from the heat and add the chocolate. Allow the chocolate to melt, stirring to mix well. Chill until spreadable.

5. When ready to assemble, first make the cutting template using the picture as shown (not to scale) make the template with a 6cm inner ring, a 12cm centre ring and a small tab piece so you can measure to the 18cm cake edge. Cut out the template, removing the non-required outer section and 4-hole punched holes. I used A4 plain white paper.

*Tip: when making the template, trace around the cake tin to create the foundation, then use a ruler to measure 6cm inwards around the circumference

*Tip: use a long skewer to poke holes closely together around the template to make it easier and even to cut the cake rings when using a knife

*When frosting, be generous with it, to ensure rings stick together

6. To create the Checkerboard pattern, coat the sides of a orange centre ring with frosting and place it inside a chocolate middle ring. Then coat a chocolate ring centre with frosting and carefully insert it inside the orange middle ring. Repeat the process with the remaining cake so you end up with a cake as illustrated. Repeat with the other 2 cakes, so you get 4 cakes total.

7. Sandwich the cake layers together with additional frosting, alternating layers. Cover the top and sides with the remaining frosting.

8. Melt the additional dark chocolate and spread it evenly onto a baking tray. When it is cool but still malleable, scape it to form chocolate curls. Decorate the cake with these curls and the orange zest. When the cake is cut into wedges, the checkboard pattern will be revealed.

Taken with Nikon D60 DSLR and Sigma 30mm f1.4 lens

Below are some of the ingredients and equipment I used. I prefer Wilton Food colouring for that vibrant colour.

Wilton's Red and Yellow Food Dye

Queen's Parisienne Essence

4x 18cm Baking Pans

Afterthoughts: Well, here I present the most technical and challenging recipe I have ever had the pleasure to tackle. Me and my bestie Betty, I don't know, kind of thought it would be fun to do the hardest recipe out of my 'The Great Australian Bake Off' recipe book and we cleared a whole Saturday for it.
And it was the most memorable and most bonding experience, baking this cake.
It took us about 6 hours to achieve - preparation, waiting time, baking time and decorating. I am happy Betty was there, she was full of useful tips and so precise and intelligent about baking.
At the end, it was absolutely satisfying to cut into the cake and get a perfect checkerboard pattern that was even and defined. And we were so damned proud. Even if we have had failed, just spending such quality time with Betty was more than enough to make it a perfect Saturday <3

Post last updated: 17th August 2026

❤︎ Natalie