Sometimes we just want a basic cake, and this one is just perfect for any afternoon: not too much work, and it has enough flavor that you won’t be (necessarily) asking for some frosting.

What you’re gonna need:
-Mixer
-Oven
-A 13x9x2 inch pan, either covered with foil or greased and dusted with flour, your pick (I generally pick the foil for rectangle pans, by the way).

Ingredients:
-1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
-1 1/2 cup granulated sugar
-3/4 cup cocoa powder (not dutch)
-2 tsp baking soda
-1 tsp baking powder
-1 tsp salt
-1/2 cup vegetable oil
-2 eggs
-3 tsp orange extract
-1 cup buttermilk
-1 cup orange juice (100% juice, no added sugar)

Instructions:
-Preheat the oven to 340ºF
-If you don’t have your pan prepared by now, don’t forget to line it with foil or grease and dust it with flour. Set aside.
-In a big bowl (not the mixer one), combine all the dry ingredients. Set aside.
-In the mixing bowl, mix all the remaining ingredients until very well combined. Add in the dry ingredients little by little, beating just enough, so everything is well combined. Don’t forget to scrape the sides with a spatula.
-Pour the batter into the prepared cake pan, and bake it for about 28 minutes, in case you have the exact same size that we’ve used here. However, we strongly advise you just do the toothpick test – that is, if you insert a toothpick right in the middle of your cake and it comes out clean or with just very few crumbs on it, it’s time to take your cake out of the oven.

That’s it!

Oh, and in case you want some buttercream for your cake, check out this recipe here: Chocolate Orange Buttercream