Chocolate Loaf Cake
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With a soft, fudgy crumb and three kinds of chocolate, this loaf cake is pure chocolate comfort. It’s the kind of treat you’ll be glad to have on the counter whenever a craving hits.
An everyday chocolate loaf cake seems easy enough to bake but, in cooking, the simplest things are often the hardest to get right. The challenge is that most chocolate cakes get their chocolate flavor solely from cocoa powder. This works well in a layer cake when you have a thick chocolate buttercream to add richness and flavor, but in a naked loaf cake, cocoa powder alone leaves you wanting.
This chocolate loaf cake recipe from Ina Garten’s latest cookbook, Cook Like a Pro: Recipes & Tips for Home Cooks (Clarkson Potter, 2018), calls not just for cocoa powder, but also bittersweet chocolate and chocolate chips. The result is a luscious snack cake that tastes as rich and chocolaty as a brownie and needs absolutely no frosting.
“My family is in heaven, saying it is “fancy bakery quality!””
What you’ll need To Make Ina Garten’s Chocolate Loaf Cake
- Bittersweet chocolate, cocoa powder, coffee granules & chocolate chips: These ingredients work together to build deep, layered chocolate flavor.
- All-purpose flour, baking powder & salt: The dry base of the cake—flour provides structure, baking powder gives it lift, and salt balances the sweetness and rounds out the flavor.
- Unsalted butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, large eggs & vanilla extract: This combination creates the moist, tender crumb—creamed butter and sugars add richness and sweetness, eggs bind the batter and add structure, and vanilla rounds out the flavor.
- Jump to the printable recipe for precise measurements
Step-by-Step Instructions
Step 1. Start the chocolate mixture. Pour the boiling water into a 2-cup glass measuring cup. Add the bittersweet chocolate, cocoa powder, and coffee granules, and stir until the chocolate melts. Set aside to cool.
Step 2. Mix the dry ingredients. In a medium bowl, whisk together 2 cups of the flour with the baking powder and salt. Set aside.
Step 3. Toss the chips. In a small bowl, toss the chocolate chips with the remaining 2 tablespoons of flour. This helps keep them from sinking during baking. Set aside.
Step 4. Cream the butter and sugars. In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Pro Tip: Make sure the butter is room temperature. It should be soft enough to press a finger in easily, but still hold its shape. This ensures proper creaming with the sugars.
Step 5. Add the eggs and vanilla. With the mixer on low, add the eggs one at a time, mixing just until incorporated. Adding the eggs one at a time helps them incorporate smoothly into the batter and doesn’t break the emulsion. Add the vanilla and mix briefly to combine.
Step 6. Alternate the dry and wet ingredients. Add the flour mixture and the chocolate mixture in thirds, alternating between the two and beginning and ending with the flour.
Step 7. Finish the batter. Fold in the chocolate chips with a rubber spatula, mixing until evenly distributed, then divide the batter equally between the prepared pans and smooth the tops.
Step 8. Bake. Bake in a 350°F oven for 45 to 55 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cakes cool in the pans for 15 minutes, then turn out on a wire rack to cool completely. When ready to serve, use a serrated knife for clean slices. The cakes will stay fresh for 2 to 3 days; freeze for longer storage.
More chocolate Cake Recipes You May Like
Chocolate Loaf Cake
Moist, fudgy, and packed with three kinds of chocolate, this loaf cake is the perfect slice-and-snack treat to have on hand.
Ingredients
- 1 cup boiling water
- 5 ounces bittersweet chocolate, best quality
- 2 tablespoons natural unsweetened cocoa powder, such as Hershey's
- 1 teaspoon instant coffee granules, such as Nescafé
- 2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 2 cups plus 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled off, divided
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, best quality
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 cup packed dark brown sugar
- 3 extra-large eggs, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and set an oven rack in the middle position. Grease two 8x4-in loaf pans with nonstick cooking spray with flour, such as Baker's Joy or Pam with Flour.
- Pour the boiling water into a 2-cup glass measuring cup, add the bittersweet chocolate, cocoa powder, and coffee granules, and stir until the chocolate melts. Set aside to cool for at least 15 minutes.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the 2 cups flour, the baking powder, and salt and set aside. In another bowl, toss the chocolate chips with the remaining 2 tablespoons flour and set aside.
- In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment or beaters, beat the butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together on medium speed for 2 minutes. With the mixer on low, add the eggs, one at a time, and then the vanilla, scraping down the bowl with a rubber spatula. The mixture may look at little curdled at this point; that's okay. Alternately in thirds, add the flour mixture and the chocolate mixture, beginning and ending with the flour. (Don't worry if there are a few bits of unmelted chocolate in the chocolate mixture.) Fold in the chocolate chips with a rubber spatula. Divide the batter equally between the prepared pans, smooth the tops, and bake for 45 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. (Test in a few places because you might hit a warm chocolate chip.) Cool in the pans for 15 minutes, turn out on a cooling rack, rounded side up, and allow to cool to room temperature. Slice with a serrated knife.
- Make-Ahead/Freezer-Friendly: The cake will stay fresh at room temperature for 2 to 3 days. It can also be frozen; after it is completely cooled, wrap it securely in aluminum foil, freezer wrap, or place in a freezer bag. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator before serving.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (24 servings)
- Serving size: 1 slice
- Calories: 251
- Fat: 12 g
- Saturated fat: 7 g
- Carbohydrates: 35 g
- Sugar: 24 g
- Fiber: 1 g
- Protein: 3 g
- Sodium: 128 mg
- Cholesterol: 46 mg
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
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Just made this and my family is in heaven saying it is “fancy bakery quality!” I have to confess that I’m a truly terrible baker and do not enjoy baking at all! However, with Chef Jenn’s clear step by step instructions, even I was able to make a chocolate masterpiece!
The best chocolate loaf I ever made, now it is my family’s favorite! Thank you for the recipe.
I baked the loaves yesterday and after cooling I had a slice. It was absolutely delicious. I followed the recipe to the letter except I had 8.5 inch pans instead of 8 inch and they still came out beautifully.
Just finished baking these loaves and look just like your picture. I made them with the ingredients that you listed. I can’t wait to taste . Thank you Jen & Ina.
My low rating is based on appearance. One loaf fell and both loaves had several pieces fall off when removed from loaf pan 😕. I’m too disappointed to try a slice right now — will do that tomorrow.
This was just Wow!
This reminded me very much of a European cake, which I love because it’s all about the flavor rather than the sugar or fat. My cakes were definitely tender and soft, while at the same time I found it a bit of a “cakey” cake than a fudgy one. I won’t use the word “dry,” but there was a certain denseness to the crumb that comes from using the unsweetened cocoa, which I just loved. I did use successfully use whole wheat pastry flour, which doesn’t have a strong or bitter taste and my husband and I didn’t even notice it was there. A definitely sophisticated dessert. I will make this again!
I’m a bit confused by this recipe. Generally if natural cocoa is used (as in this recipe) then baking soda is used as the leavener. Here the recipe calls for natural cocoa and baking powder. Is this correct? Also, I have dutched/alkalized cocoa on hand. Will it work in this recipe. Thanks!
Hi Diane, I know it’s unconventional, but because this is not my recipe, I’m not sure what Ina’s reasoning was for choosing baking powder instead of baking soda. And for the most predictable results, I’d stick to the recipe. Hope you enjoy!
Love this because it’s good and it makes two loaves, one for eating and one for sharing. Try adding a heaping tablespoon of flour before the third egg. That should eliminate that curdled look!
I’ve made triple chocolate loaf several times and have been very happy with the outcome. So easy to make and so full of chocolate! My family love it and ask for it often.
I’m a chocolate connoisseur and this is the perfect chocolate cake ever! Love that dash of coffee and salt in it.