Chocolate Loaf Cake

Last week, almost thirty inches of snow fell in my hometown, Toronto. Baking was my antidote to the weather. As the big flakes of snow drifted down without respite, I filled my freezer with homemade treats including chocolate loaf cake. This cake is the “little black dress” of chocolate cakes. Elegant in its simplicity, it is rich and moist and doesn’t stint on deep, dark, fudgy flavor. It can be served as an après-sledding snack or dressed up with a dollop of whipped cream and some fruit as the finale for a dinner party any time of the year.

Chocolate Loaf Cake

This recipe for chocolate loaf cake by PJ Hammel, of the King Arthur Baking Company, can be whipped together in minutes from ingredients that are probably in your pantry right now. In fact, you can probably treat yourself to a thick slice of this cake in less time than it will take to shovel your front steps.

Assemble your ingredients. Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a 8 1/2-inch by 4 1/2-inch loaf pan using baking spray. (You can use a 9 X 5-inch loaf pan but your cake will not be as high.) Line the pan with a sheet of parchment paper. The parchment paper should extend slightly beyond the sides of the pan so you can use the parchment paper as handles when removing the cake from the pan.

Using the flat beater on your stand mixer, on low speed, beat together the sugar, butter (dairy or plant-based), salt, vanilla, baking powder, espresso powder (if using), and cocoa. The mixture will look like wet sand. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to incorporate all the ingredients. 

Add half the flour to the bowl, beating at low speed to combine. Add all of the milk (dairy or plant-based) and add the rest of the flour, beating just until the mixture is smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake the cake for 60 to 70 minutes until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely (if you can) before cutting a slice. This cake got full marks from our peewee sledding team.

Print Recipe

Chocolate Loaf Cake

Cookies, Cakes, Pies and Desserts

By PJ Hamel, King Arthur's Baking Company – Serves: 10

Prep Time: 20 minutes – Cooking Time: 60-70 minutes – Total Time: 80 minutes

Elegant in its simplicity, this rich and moist chocolate loaf cake doesn’t stint on deep, dark, fudgy flavor.

Ingredients

• 8 tablespoons (113g) unsalted butter, (dairy or plant-based) preferably at room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups (283g) granulated sugar
• 3/4 teaspoon table salt
• 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 2 teaspoons espresso powder, optional, to enhance chocolate flavor
• 2/3 cup (57g) unsweetened cocoa, Dutch-process or natural
• 3 large eggs, preferably at room temperature
• 1 1/4 cups (150g) unbleached all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup (170g) milk, (dairy or plant-based), preferably at room temperature

Instructions

1

Preheat the oven to 350 F. Lightly grease a 8 1/2-inch by 4 1/2-inch loaf pan using baking spray. (You can use a 9 X 5-inch loaf pan but your cake will not be as high.) Line the pan with a sheet of parchment paper. The parchment paper should extend slightly beyond the sides of the pan so you can use the parchment paper as handles when removing the cake from the pan.

2

Using the flat beater on your stand mixer, on low speed, beat together the sugar, butter (dairy or plant-based), salt, vanilla, baking powder, espresso powder (if using), and cocoa. The mixture will look like wet sand. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to incorporate all the ingredients.

3

Add half the flour to the bowl, beating at low speed to combine. Add all of the milk (dairy or plant-based) and add the rest of the flour, beating just until the mixture is smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake the cake on the middle rack of the oven for 60 to 70 minutes until a tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to cool completely before cutting a slice.

Notes

This cake freezes beautifully. Using Dutch-process cocoa will enhance the deep, dark color of this cake.