Mellow Chocolate Loaf Cake

Mellow Chocolate Loaf Cake

The chocoholic’s ultimate fantasy! Just invest in the best quality chocolate 

bar you can get (such as Valhrona!) and try muscovado sugar which adds 

a beautiful caramel note creating layers of fudgy flavour. 

Ingredients:

110 g chocolate, best quality bittersweet

 1⅓ cups all purpose flour

 1 teaspoon baking soda

1 cup butter, unsalted, in room temperature

1⅔ cups dark brown muscovado sugar

 2 eggs, large, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 cup plus 2 tablespoons hot water

icing sugar for sprinkling

Method:

1. Preheat the oven to 190°C (375°F). Grease and line a 22 x 12 cm loaf pan, with butter and dust with flour.

2. Melt the chocolate in a double boiler, set aside and let cool.

3. Flour mixture: In a medium bowl sift together the flour and baking soda.

4. For batter: Beat the butter in a stand mixer, fitted with the paddle attachment, on a medium-high speed, until smooth, about 1 minute. Add the sugar and the vanilla. Beat until creamy and fluffy, about 4 to 6 minutes.

5. Gradually beat in the eggs. Reduce the mixer speed to low. Beat in the cooled chocolate.

6. Add the flour mixture in three portions alternating with the hot water, scraping down the bowl and beating until smooth, after each addition. Spoon the batter into the pan and smooth the top with a spatula.

7. Bake for 30 minutes. Reduce the oven temperature to 170°C (340°F) and continue to bake for another 15 minutes. Remove from the oven and cool for 10 minutes. Turn out cake onto a serving platter. Sift a light coating of icing sugar on top.

Don’t worry if the cake “sinks” in the middle, it will do so because it’s such a dense and moist cake. But delicious, too!