What would happen if a brownie and a loaf cake married? This perfectly fudgy, dark, dense chocolate loaf cake would happen.
This loaf is no-nonsense and perfect for Valentine’s Day with a significant other, with friends, or by your onsie (no judgment zone here). Valentine’s Day is so much more controversial than I think it should be. I love the little tokens of love my parents gave me growing up, the Valentine’s sugar cookie and tea parties we attended, the care packages my mom sent in college, the cards my friends and I send, and the flowers and chocolate desserts that come with the day, but I could care less about a fancy restaurant or gifts.
Last year Will and I had an indoor lunch picnic, a coffee date and cooked a nice dinner together, which was perfect. We didn’t have to deal with making reservations anywhere or stressing over gifts for each other, but we still had a great time. No matter your feelings on Valentine’s Day, can we all agree that it is a great excuse to eat chocolate? Or maybe bake this chocolate loaf cake? I think so.
This dense chocolate loaf cake is filled with flavor and depth from the chocolate, coffee and dark brown sugar. The brown sugar balances out the bittersweet chocolate, giving it the perfect sweetness without being cloyingly sweet. The center of the cake sinks – and it should. The sinking center creates a gooey, fudgy topping reminiscent of slightly cooked brownie batter. The cake that surrounds the center is soft and dense but delicate at the same time.
This cake is easy, delicious, comforting and looks fancy when paired with whipped cream and raspberries; it is the perfect dessert for Valentine’s Day. Bake your feelings in chocolate loaf cake form and serve a slice of love!
Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake
1 cup butter, softened
1 2/3 cup dark brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
5 ounces bittersweet or dark chocolate
1 1/3 cup flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
½ cup plus 2 tablespoons freshly brewed hot coffee
½ cup boiling water
Heat the oven to 375°F. Line a 9 x 5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on both sides.
In a double boiler over medium-high heat, melt the bittersweet chocolate, and then set aside until slightly cooled.
Combine the flour, baking soda and salt together in a small bowl, and set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter and sugar together until combined, 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla, beating them in well. Add the slightly cooled chocolate, mixing well, but being careful not to overmix.
Add the flour, alternately spoon by spoon, with the boiling water and coffee until you have a smooth and liquidy batter. I added the water first, then the coffee to make sure it had the right amount of coffee flavor. If you want less of a coffee flavor, just replace coffee with the same amount of boiling water.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan, place a sheet pan in the oven under the loaf pan (in case the bread overflows – mine didn’t, but it’s always good to be safe) and bake the bread for 30 minutes. Lower the oven to 325 degrees and continue to bake for another 12-15 minutes. The cake will still be very moist inside, so an inserted cake tester won’t come out clean.
Move the loaf pan to a wire rack, and let cool before taking it out of the pan and the parchment. The cake will sink in the middle – that is just the way of the cake. You can serve it once the loaf has cooled, or wait a day and let the flavor develop a bit, and then serve.
Adapted from Nigella Lawson.
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