Tuesday, March 20, 2012

Chocolate Loaf Cake

Nothing can pep me up more than a decadent piece of chocolate cake.I've said this before,I'll say it now,I am a big time Chocoholic but there is a catch,it is only limited to baked goodies-cakes,brownies etc.I can give a chocolate bar a pass if I am in no mood.I might eat a piece or two of cadbury's,but that's it.I don't eat Nutella straight from the jar but I eat spoonfuls of ganache from the fridge.Strange,isn't it?
On our last visit to Homecenter,I decided to get myself some new silicone baking pans and the first one was the loaf pan.Since we carry around our measuring tape everywhere,I quietly measured the size and to my surprise,it was the perfect sized loaf pan 9" x 5" .I've been thinking what to bake in it for sometime and a loaf cake was the best bet.


Thanks to my addiction with yeast,I am constantly scouring through bread baking sites.Came across this recipe on King Arthur Flour site and I immediately gave it a try.The cake takes a bit longer to bake but the end result was so worth it.Perfect crumb,chocolaty and moist and drizzled with ganache it makes for a perfect dessert.
Chocolate Loaf Cake
Recipe source - King Arthur Flour

Ingredients


Butter - 100gms
Sugar - 1 1/2 cups
Salt - 3/4 tsp
Vanilla extract - 2 tsp
Baking powder - 1/2 tsp
Instant coffee powder - 1 tsp
Cocoa powder - 2/3 cup
Eggs - 3 large
All purpose flour - 1 1/4 cups
Milk - 3/4 cup


Method


Preheat oven to 160C.Grease and line a 9" x 5"  loaf pan.
In a medium-sized mixing bowl, beat together the butter, sugar, salt, vanilla, baking powder, espresso powder, and cocoa to make a sandy, somewhat clumpy mixture. 
Don't worry; the eggs will smooth things out. 
Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl midway through this process. 
Add half the flour to the bowl, beating at low speed to combine. 
Add all of the milk, beating at low speed to combine. 
Add the remaining flour, beating gently just until the batter is smooth. 
Pour the batter into the prepared pan. 
Bake the cake for 75 to 80 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. The top may look a tiny bit damp; that's OK. 
Remove the cake from the oven, loosen the edges, wait 10 minutes, and turn it out of the pan onto a rack to cool. 
Store completely cooled cake well wrapped, at room temperature. 
Yield: 12 to 18 servings. 
To make enough ganache for pouring on top of the cake - Heat up 100ml of cream(I use Amul)in a microwave safe bowl for 1 minute or until bubbles start appearing on the sides.Add 100gms chopped dark chocolate and mix.You could add a tbsp of rum or coffee to pep it up.If the chocolate doesn't melt completely keep the bowl in the MW for a further 30 seconds.Refrigerate until it thickens enough to pour.


Notes 
  • Though the recipe says the batter yields enough for a 9x5 loaf pan,I had some batter extra-enough to make six small cupcakes.
  • The cake tastes great on its own,but a little drizzle of ganache can always pep it up.The original recipe suggests peanut butter frosting-YUM
  • Cake remains moist even after refrigerating.Perfect for a trifle pudding or even cake pops!

28 comments:

  1. Great recipe..and the pictures are superb... thanks for sharing..

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  2. My heart is bleeding for this bleeding rich chocolate. Gorgeous doesn't even begin to say how this cake looks. So pretty!

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  3. wow!tempting cake!!looks delicious...frosting looks yummy!

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  4. I have also become a chochlate lover thouh in my case I luv it in all forms, and I eat nutella out of can :-) there I said it ;)..... Living this cake, mmmm ganache indeed peps it up ! Look at me typing a comment at 4 am morning here, and I want to hv that cake !

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  5. wow very much tempting and looks gorgeous

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  6. wow such a delicious chocolate cake. I love that ganache is dripping in the middle crack.

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  7. Wow..looks stunning. Yummy chocolate cake!Luv those measuring cups :)

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  8. Oh the cake looks yum!! I am partial to ganache too!! Its my favourite topping for chocolate cakes.

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  9. super !!! love your blog .. your recipes are just perfect .:)
    http://nayana-homesweethome.blogspot.com/

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  10. mmmmm..... for a chocoholic like me this is a feast to my eyes... The cake looks perfectly moist and soft. Bookmarked this.

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  11. Awesome…
    bangalorewithlove.com

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  12. chocolate feast here.. me first time at your space... lovely recipes.. do check my baby stage blog in your spare time
    Noel collections

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  13. yum! looks decadent with all that gorgeous ganache on top

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  14. Stunning cake. Moist and so perfect. Love chocolate cakes. Never miss an opportunity to bake them. Thanks for sharing this yummy recipe Divya..

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  15. Aahhh..sad it has eggs..but those pictures surely make me drool..so tempting girl..pls make it eggless and bring the next time we meet..:)

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  16. Hi
    First time on your blog..
    I already love it..
    I am adding you to my side bar, will go through the whole blog and will get back to you when I try something..

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  17. Hey
    I hardly ever post comments abt anything but after I made your cake I realized it was very different from other recipies I have used from internet. The pictures and stories make your recipies better. I cant wait to try your marie biscuit pudding either. Just want to congratulate you on your awesome blog :)

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    Replies
    1. Thank you so much Sugandh!Marie Biscuit pudding is one of the most popular recipes in the blog,I'd be glad if you tried it!

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  18. hi...cake looks lovely and tempting...small question...have you baked this in convection or microwave as 75-80 mins seems to be too long right?

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    1. I baked this in the convection mode.Yes,this cake takes a bit longer to bake!

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  19. i made this in a tray and sliced - looked a bit like brownies and I did 1/2 cup of muscavo sugar and 1 cup normal sugar which worked well too.

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  20. hi divya, i am a regular visitor to ur blog especially for ur baking section. i have tried couple of eggless cakes n i must say they came out better as the days passed on. the other day i tried pound cake. u had asked to grease it n sprinkle some maida on the inner end of the container. i did the same but to my disappointment it did not come out. how do i proceed to get exact and proper shaped pound cakes.

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  21. hi divya, i am a regular visitor to ur blog. i have tried some of ur eggless bakes. must say they came out better as i proceeded. some days back i tried pound cake. must say it tasted well but inspite of greasing the bakeware, the cake stuck to the container. how do i get perfect shaped pound cake....HELP

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A blog is not complete without the readers feedback.Please let me know how you liked my post.Thank you so much for visiting my blog.

Love,
Divya.