Chocolate Loaf Cake

Perfect for tea parties, suppertime, and even brunch, Chocolate Loaf is a versatile recipe that every baking goddess should have in her repertoire. Serve one of our recipes to your lucky family, and you’ll be receiving requests for it over and over again!

Chocolate Loaf or Chocolate Bread?

Chocolate Loaf usually refers to a chocolate cake that’s been baked in a Loaf Tin – often with morsels of walnuts or chocolate chips in the batter. Chocolate bread, on the other hand, is versatile enough to be toasted at breakfast (ideally spread with cherry jam!).

Chocolate Loaf is perfect for Afternoon Tea, served in sticky slices with tea or latte. But whether you feel like a subtle cocoa snack or a full-on chocolate hit, both types are worth baking at home. Where should we start?

Breadmaker Chocolate Bread

Using a Breadmaker is an economical, quick way to bake chocolate bread. You simply tip in the ingredients in the order listed, push a button and wait for the enticing cocoa scent to waft your way!

You need:

• 1 ½ tsp instant dried yeast
• 450g (1lb)strong white bread flour
• 2tbsp golden caster sugar
• 2tbsp good quality cocoa powder (not drinking chocolate)
• 1tsp salt
• 1 egg, beaten
• 100ml (3 ½fl oz) milk
• 1tbsp unsalted butter
• 3tbsp chocolate chips (optional)

Before putting the ingredients into the breadmaker, put the kettle on to boil. Once boiled, pour 100ml of hot water into a jug and add the 1tbsp butter. When the butter has melted into the water, stir in the 100ml of cold milk. The liquid should be at blood temperature now.

Put the yeast, flour, sugar, cocoa and salt into the bread machine. Beat the egg and tip it on top, followed by the warm liquid.

Set the machine to the basic cycle, and put the chocolate chips into the compartment for add-ins (or add when the machine beeps). Your bread will take 3-5 hours, depending on your machine’s cycle.

Mocha Chocolate Loaf

The coffee glaze at the end of baking gives a damp, sticky chocolate loaf that’s perfect for mid-morning grazing.

You need:

• 110g (4oz) self-raising flour
• 2tbsp good quality cocoa powder
• 1tsp baking powder
• 110g (4oz) softened, unsalted butter
• 110g (4oz) caster sugar
• 2 eggs, beaten
• 125ml (4fl oz) milk
• Pinch of salt
• 100ml (3½fl oz) strong, freshly-made coffee
• 4-6tbsp icing sugar

Cream the butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, then beat in the eggs. Sift in the flour, cocoa and baking powder and add the milk. Beat vigorously until the batter is light and smooth. Pour into a lined 8” loaf tin and bake at 160 degrees C for 30-45 minutes, or until a skewer comes out cleanly.

Whisk the coffee with the icing sugar to make a thin glaze. While the loaf is still warm, and in its tin, use the skewer to poke holes all over the cake. Slowly pour over the coffee glaze, poking holes to encourage it to seep into the cake. Cool in the tin – the glaze will sink in and penetrate the cake to give a sticky texture. Serve at room temperature, sliced.