Chocolate Loaf Cake

Now that we’ve made it through January, a sweet treat was at the top of the list for February. And since Valentines Day is just around the corner, something chocolaty and decadent seemed the only reasonable choice.

I’m the first to admit; I’ve got a strong sweet tooth, something my children have inherited from me. We all look forward to dessert after dinner and if you’ve poked around on my recipe website, thesaltandstone.com or followed along in the newspaper over the years, you’ll find dozens of recipes for every kind of cookie, cake and muffin you can think of.

I’ve made lots of chocolate cakes over the years and I’ve got a couple favorite recipes for two layer classic chocolate birthday cakes and a simple everyday single-layer sheet pan chocolate cake but sometime you want a slice of homemade cake but it has to be as easy as possible. This is that recipe. I love a loaf cake for its ease and almost always its a one-bowl recipe which I’m a fan of.

Somewhere between cake and a brownie, this chocolate loaf cake is perfect all on its own. Slice is into thick pieces and enjoy. Of course you can doctor it up a little bit with a few berries, a dollop of whip cream or a scoop of ice cream, but it doesn’t need anything extra. Dotted with chocolate chips, every bite is chocolaty and rich with a dense texture like a brownie but soft edges like cake.

Valentines Day tends to be family-centric around here with dinner at home and maybe a movie night if I can convince the teens to stick around for the entire evening. I will definitely make this chocolate loaf cake for dessert and I can guarantee there won’t be a crumb left by the end of the night.

Chocolate Loaf Cake

• 1/2 cup salted butter, softened

• 1 cup firmly packed brown sugar

• 1/2 cup granulated sugar

• 1 large egg

• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract

• 1 cup buttermilk

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

• 3/4 cup cocoa powder

• 1 teaspoon instant coffee

• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda

• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder

• 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt

• 3/4 cup dark chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Line a standard loaf pan in parchment paper or spray with cooking spray and set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, whip the butter until light and fluffy. Add the sugars and mix again until fluffy. Add the egg and vanilla extract, mixing an additional minute or two until the mixture is well-combined. Pour in the buttermilk and mix on low, making sure to scrape down the sides of the bowl. The batter should be well-combined, but don’t worry if it looks a little uneven.

Add the all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, salt, instant coffee, baking soda and baking powder directly to the bowl. Mix very slowly until a batter just barely forms. Add one half cup of chocolate chips to the batter and stir gently with a spatula to incorporate.

Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips over the top of the batter. Bake the cake on the center rack of the oven for about 70 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.

Allow the cake to cool in the pan for at least 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling. To serve, slice generous pieces and top with a dollop of whipped cream or sift a bit of powdered sugar over the top. Sliced strawberries or raspberries on the side are always a nice touch.

*If you love the flavors of orange and chocolate together, zest an orange into the cake batter before baking for a lovely bright flavor combo.