Chocolate Loaf Cake

It’s almost Valentine’s Day so it’s time for a little chocolate. I don’t need flowers or anything. . just chocolate. (And occasionally some jewelry.)

This is my favorite chocolate cake recipe. It’s not fancy or fussy. It doesn’t even have icing. But it’s rich and dense and SUPER moist. I can’t believe I’ve never shared it before.

It’s not a pretty cake. It’s such a wet, heavy batter that it falls in on itself almost as soon as you remove it from the oven. And I’m ok with that. I love it.

I suggest making this a few days before you want to serve it. It gets better with age. The flavors get deeper and the cake get almost pudding-ish. It is sooooo good. I can’t find enough words to tell you how yummy it is. It’s like winning the lotto of chocolate cakes.

This is modified from a Nigella Lawson recipe. I have made her recipe many time. Adore it. But I eventually increased the flour a little and decreased the liquid a little in an attempt to make it not fall in on itself. Alas, this is just a very heavy cake. I like my adaptations though. Especially the coffee. The original is fabulous, too. It’s in one of my all time favorite cookbooks, How to be a Domestic Goddess, Baking and the Art of  Comfort Cooking. Check it out.

Something about coffee and chocolate. They just work together. Like peanut butter & jelly, macaroni & cheese, Tim & Sarah. Just one of those classic couples that were meant to be together.

I have a love of coffee so it seemed like a no brainer to switch out the water that the original recipe called for and swap in coffee. If you would rather you can just use boiling water but aside from making the chocolate taste deeper and richer, you can’t taste the coffee.

A lot of people don’t like coffee. It seems like I don’t know a lot of coffee lovers these days. Sad. I love coffee and I love the ritual of coffee. I love to make coffee, go out for coffee, wake up to coffee. One of my favorite mini date nights is to just go have coffee with Tim. He loves it as much as I do. We go through phases with our coffee making at home. We have a very nice coffee pot and, of course, grind our own beans, but sometimes we get in a pattern of using the coffee press or making stove top espresso. Lately, I have been using dark brown sugar to sweeten my coffee and it’s wonderful! Who knew?! By the way, this cake is best served with a cup of coffee. Or at least it is in my world.

On an unrelated note. . .this past weekend I got run over by sled dogs. No, I do not live in Alaska. The Midwest actually.

While snow shoeing with Tim, we came upon a guy on a sled with 8 sled dogs. They passed us on the trail and it was interesting to see but uneventful. Fifteen minutes later they came up behind us (snuck up, I think) and before I knew what was happening the dogs were passing on my right side. . .until a rogue dog broke from the pack and went left! He effectively clothes lined the backs of my knees. It’s hard to remain composed when 8 sled dogs sneak up on you and start to take you down. I am not going to lie, I screamed like a 10 year old girl. It’s also hard to quickly get out of the line of fire when you are strapped in to snow shoes. So the dog and I fumbled over each other and I sort of bounced up off the dog and actually managed to stay on my feet. Funny after it happened, terrifying while it was happening. I had visions of being mauled to death by angry sled dogs. I swear they tip toed up on me. I did not hear a thing until they were taking me down.

Their passenger was apologetic. And I wasn’t hurt or mauled so no harm done. Interesting day in the park, for sure!

Have a wonderful Valentine’s Day! Tim and I are planning to make dinner at home. Crab legs, asparagus, wine (for me). This cake would make a great addition to your V-Day. You still have time to make it and let it mellow a couple of days before serving it on V-Day!

Chocolate Loaf Cake

1 cup butter, room temperature

1 3/4 cups brown sugar

1/4 tsp salt

2 eggs

3/4 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

2 cups flour

1 tsp baking soda

3/4 cup very hot coffee

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.

Grease a 9″x5″ loaf pan AND line it with parchment paper. This cake is dense and moist and heavy. You will need the parchment paper to hang over the ends of the pan. This will help you lift the cake out after it is completely cooled.

In a large mixing bowl beat the room temperature butter with the brown sugar and salt. Add the eggs and mix to combine. Add the melted and now slightly cooled chocolate. Mix to combine. Add 1 cup of the flour and the baking soda and mix. Pour in half of the hot coffee and mix to combine. Add the last cup of flour and mix well. Add the rest of the coffee and mix until everything comes together. Don’t beat the mixture too long. You don’t want it frothy you just want it combined.

Pour the batter in to your prepared loaf pan. I like to place the loaf pan on a baking sheet before putting it in the oven just in case it cooks over. Bake at 375 degrees for 30 minutes. Reduce oven heat to 325 degrees and bake an additional 20 minutes. Remove from oven and cool completely. The cake will fall in on itself as it cools.

Remove from pan and wrap in plastic. This cake is even better if it sits a day or two before you eat it!