Chocolate Loaf Cake {Fudge Brownie Cake}

This chocolate loaf cake is somewhere between really good chocolate cake and tender fudge brownies.

It's like Devil's Food Cake and Dark Chocolate Brownies got together and this was the result. Talk about a deliciously guilty pleasure. 😉

This chocolate loaf cake really is a cross between chocolate cake and brownies. It's lighter than fudge brownies, but every bit as fudgy.

The cake's crumb is impossibly soft and tender, cuts into easy to serve slices that you can eat with a plate and fork, or with your fingers, on the go.

Just like this simple one layer chocolate almond cake, a chocolate loaf cake is the kind of thing that can be casual enough for an afternoon snack or dressed up for a dinner party with ice cream and hot fudge or salted caramel sauce.

Ingredients Needed to Prepare this Recipe

• Bittersweet Chocolate. To keep this fudgy, brownie cake from being overly sweet, it's important to use chocolate that is at least 60% cacao and up to 85%. Alternatively, you can use a combination of milk chocolate and unsweetened chocolate. Aim for about half and half - 1.5 ounces of milk chocolate and 1.5 ounces of unsweetened chocolate.
• Cake Flour. Using cake flour in this chocolate loaf cake creates an incredibly soft and tender texture. Cake flour is made from soft wheat that's ground super fine and contains has less protein (6-8%) than all-purpose flour (10-12%). All of these qualities contribute to this cake's fudgy brownie-like texture.
• Baking Soda. Baking powder and baking soda are chemical leaveners that help create carbon dioxide gas. The gas is trapped in the batter or dough, creating bubbles that cause things like chocolate cake to rise. Because baking soda requires acid to become active, it's often used in recipes that contain acidic ingredients - like this one. To get a brownie-like consistency, there's less baking soda in this recipe than you would typically find in a chocolate cake.
• Salt! Salt is probably my favorite ingredient because it makes everything taste better. Salt not only amplifies the flavor of this chocolate cake, it also works to enhance and balance the cake's sweetness.
• Butter AND vegetable oil. Using both butter and vegetable oil in this chocolate loaf cake capitalizes on each of their best qualities. Butter adds flavor and oil helps keep the cake exceptionally tender, moist, and delicious for days.
• Brown Sugar. Why use brown sugar instead of granulated sugar in this cake? One word: FLAVOR. In addition, brown sugar is naturally moist, contributing to the softer, moist texture of this brownie loaf cake.
• One whole egg plus an extra yolk. The fat content of that extra egg yolk increases the soft, fudgy brownie-like texture of this chocolate cake.
• Vanilla. Vanilla enhances the flavor of chocolate in the most incredible way. For the full effect without any off-putting aftertaste, it's important to use real vanilla extract in this recipe, not imitation vanilla.
• Strong, HOT coffee. Like vanilla, coffee enhances the flavor of chocolate in this brownie cake without making the cake taste like coffee. In addition, the temperature of hot coffee reacts with the chocolate in the cake batter creating an even deeper chocolate flavor and ultra tender crumb.
• Mini Chocolate Chips. The chocolate chips in this recipe are optional. They add a little bit of texture to the cake's super fine texture. If you decide to use them, it's important to use mini chocolate chips in this recipe because regular size chocolate chips have a tendency to sink to the bottom.

How to Make This Rich and Fudgy Chocolate Brownie Loaf Cake

#1. Prepare your pan so the cake won't stick.

This is a super moist and fudgy cake, so it's very important to prepare your loaf pan so the cake will not stick. Smear the inside of the pan with a generous layer of vegetable shortening, then shake some all-purpose flour around inside the pan until it's completely coated.

Here's more about preventing cakes from sticking to the pan.

#2. Melt some bittersweet chocolate.

Melt 3 ½ ounces of bittersweet chocolate in the microwave or over a double boiler.

It's important to melt chocolate gently to prevent it from burning or seizing up. Chop it into small pieces and place it in a microwave safe bowl.

Heat it in the microwave at 50% power for 3-4 minutes. Stop to stir the chocolate after every 60 seconds. When the chocolate is about 90% melted, remove it from the microwave and stir until it's completely melted.

Alternatively, place the chocolate in a small saucepan that's set over a slightly larger saucepan that has been filled with about an inch of water. Bring the water to a boil, and stir the chocolate until it's melted and smooth.

#3. Mix the cake batter.

Add the cake flour, baking soda, and salt to a bowl and stir with a wire whisk to combine.

In a separate bowl, add the melted butter, vegetable oil, brown sugar, eggs, egg yolk, and vanilla. Beat with an electric mixer for about 20 seconds, just until combined. Or, beat by hand with a wire whisk.

Beat in the melted chocolate, then add the hot coffee and flour mixture in alternating additions:

• ⅓ of the flour
• ½ of the coffee
• ⅓ of the flour
• ½ of the coffee
• ⅓ of the flour.

With each addition, stir gently or beat on low speed, just until barely combined. To create a soft, fudgy texture, it's important to NOT over beat the batter.

4. Add mini chocolate chips and bake the cake.

Adding a half cup of mini chocolate chips to this chocolate brownie loaf cake is 100% optional. They simply add a little bit of texture to the cake's super fine crumb.

If you'd prefer that your chocolate loaf cake remain perfectly soft and smooth, just leave the chocolate chips out.

If you do decide to use chocolate chips, it's important to use mini chips, not regular size ones. The regular size chocolate chips are too heavy for this batter and will just sink to the bottom.

Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and bake it at 350 degrees F (176 degrees C) for 55-65 minutes.

How to Know When this Cake is Done Baking

This is an incredibly moist, fudgy cake with the consistency of a brownie, so it can be a little bit tricky knowing when it's done baking. Here are some tips:

• When the cake is done baking, the edges will be starting to pull away from the sides of the pan and the surface of the top of the cake will appear set.
• Give the pan a VERY gentle shake. If the center is jiggly, the cake is not done. If it moves ever so slightly but does not appear to be liquid, proceed to check the cake with a toothpick.
• Insert a toothpick in the center of the loaf and remove it. If you see raw batter on the toothpick, the cake is not done. If the toothpick is covered in chocolate and cake crumbs but does not appear to have any raw batter on it, the cake is done and can be removed from the oven.

How to Serve Chocolate Loaf Cake

This cake is so rich and chocolatey it needs no adornment. However, I would never turn down a slice that's been topped with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and a drizzle of hot fudge.

PURE HEAVEN. That's what this is.

Other Topping Ideas:

• Whisky sauce
• Cherry Sauce
• Salted Caramel Sauce
• Butterscotch Sauce
• Chocolate Ganache

Chocolate Loaf Cake FAQs

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