Chocolate Loaf Cake With Dark Chocolate Ganache
This chocolate loaf cake is super moist & incredibly chocolatey! Topped with a luxurious dark chocolate ganache, this cake's hard to beat.
Servings: 8 Slices
Equipment
- 2 lb Loaf Tin
- Mixing Bowls
- Sieve
- Cooling Rack
- Small Saucepan
Ingredients
Chocolate Loaf Cake
- 60 g Dutch Processed Cocoa Powder (See Notes)
- 1 tsp Instant Coffee Granules
- 140 g Boiling Water
- 170 g Plain Flour
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- ¾ tsp Bicarbonate Of Soda
- ½ tsp Table Salt
- 140 g Caster Sugar
- 100 g Dark Brown Sugar
- 150 g Sour Cream (At Room Temperature)
- 85 g Vegetable Oil
- 2 Large Eggs (See Notes)
Dark Chocolate Ganache
- 140 g Double Cream
- 20 g Caster Sugar
- 110 g Dark Chocolate
- 15 g Unsalted Butter
- A Pinch Of Sea Salt
Instructions
Chocolate Loaf Cake
- Preheat an oven to 175°c/155°c fan (350°f/310°f).
- Grease a 2 lb loaf tin with butter then line the bottom & two longer sides with a piece of baking parchment, leaving a couple of centimetres overhanging the tin's edges (this makes it easier to take the cake out of the tin once it is cooked!).
- Place the coffee granules & cocoa powder into a small mixing bowl then pour over the boiling water. Whisk until smooth then leave to bloom & cool slightly.
- Next, sift the flour, baking powder & bicarbonate of soda into a large mixing bowl then add in the salt & both sugars. Whisk to combine.
- To the dry ingredients, add the sour cream, veg oil, eggs & the cocoa & water mix. Whisk until combined & smooth then immediately pour into the lined baking tin.The bicarb will start to react as soon as the batter is mixed, so it's important to get it into the oven as soon as possible!
- Bake the cake for 40-45 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Let the cake cool in the tin for 20 minutes then lift out of the tin & transfer to a cooling rack. Leave to cool completely before topping with ganache.
Dark Chocolate Ganache
- Place the double cream & sugar into a small saucepan then set over a low heat. Warm gently, until steaming hot but not boiling.Make sure to stir the cream, to dissolve the sugar as it heats up.
- Whilst your cream is heating up, place the chocolate, butter & salt into a mixing bowl. If you're using a bar of chocolate, chop it into small pieces. If you're using chocolate chips, leave them whole.
- Once your cream is hot, pour it over the chocolate then leave to stand for 1 minute (without stirring!).
- Next, gently whisk the cream, chocolate & butter together until melted & smooth then leave to cool, stirring occasionally until thick enough to spread on top of the cake. You can pop the ganache in the fridge for 20 minutes or so to speed this up.Make sure to whisk the ganache gently, we don't want to add too much air in to it! When whisking, start from the centre of the bowl & work outwards as the chocolate begins to melt.
- Once the ganache is ready, spoon it on top of the loaf cake then use a palette knife to spread out into a thick, even layer.
- Refrigerate the cake for 30 minutes then cut into slices & serve. Alternatively, refrigerate for up to 3 days & bring back to room temperature before serving (or microwave each slice for 20-30 seconds).
Notes
1. Cooking In An Aga - Bake the chocolate loaf on a grid shelf placed onto the floor of the baking oven. Slide a cold plain shelf onto the top set of runners just before baking the cake, leaving it in for the duration of the cook. Use the simmering plate to warm the cream up for the ganache.
2. Loaf Tin – You’ll need a 2 lb loaf tin for this lemon drizzle cake recipe. The tin should roughly measure 9″ x 5″ x 2.5″. To prevent the cake from sticking, I’d recommend lining the base & two longer sides with a piece of baking parchment, leaving a couple of centimetres overhanging. This acts like a sling, making it easier to remove the cake once it is baked. Make sure to grease each end with butter, as well.
3. Cocoa Powder -For the best flavour & colour, make sure to use Dutch processed cocoa powder in both the cake & frosting. This is available to buy in most supermarkets. If you’re in the UK, I’d recommend Green & Black’s.
4. Eggs - We're using large eggs for this cake. Each egg should weigh roughly 60 grams out of the shell. I'd recommend weighing the eggs then adding an extra one if the weight is short.
5. Dark Chocolate (For Ganache) - I'd recommend using a dark chocolate with a cocoa percentage between 50-80%. I like to use a 75% dark chocolate or a 55% for a less intense flavour.
6. Room Temperature Ingredients – For a properly mixed cake batter, it’s important that the eggs & sour cream are all at room temperature.
7. Storage - This cake is best stored in the fridge then sliced & brought back to room temperature before serving (or microwave each slice for 20-30 seconds). Kept in the fridge, this cake will keep for up to 3 days.