Nigella Lawson’s recipe for dense chocolate loaf cake, is moist, rich, and chocolatey. It is perfect for a snack or to serve for dessert.

Nigella Lawson Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake with berries — Kate Spade Dachshund Plates

Nigella Lawson’s Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake

Nigella Lawson’s dense chocolate loaf cake is my all time favourite cake. I know I said before that it was the Hershey’s Perfectly Chocolate cake but that is my favorite layer cake. This is my favorite loaf cake.

This moist chocolate cake is almost like a pound cake but it is richer, and fudgier. The only problem is that every time I walk by the kitchen I cut a piece off and eat it, I could eat this whole loaf by myself. The cake is perfect for dessert, but you can enjoy it as a snack or with a cup of coffee or tea, it is also a great homemade gift for friends and family.

If you want you can add some fresh berries and a dollop of whipping cream or some homemade no churn ice cream, and a drizzle of hot fudge. As they say, “in for a penny in for a pound.” Personally, I like it plain and I like to eat it as a treat for breakfast.

More Chocolate Recipes

Need more chocolate recipes?

Check out my no-churn chocolate ice cream, double chocolate banana quick bread, intense chocolate hot fudge.

Ingredients Nigella’s dense chocolate loaf cake

1 cup soft unsalted butter
1 2/3 cups dark brown sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 ounces bittersweet dark chocolate, melted and cooled
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 cup PLUS 2 tablespoons boiling water

Directions

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, grease and line a 9 x 5” loaf pan with parchment paper, then place the loaf pan on a baking/cookie sheet pan.This will catch any drips or over flow.
In a small bowl combine the flour and the baking soda, mix well.
Cream the butter and sugar, with an electric hand-held mixer, or with your stand mixer, then add the eggs and vanilla extract, and beat well.
Next, fold in the slightly cooled melted chocolate. DO NOT OVERBEAT the batter, you want the ingredients combined but not a light fluffy batter.
If using bourbon add it now. Then gently add the flour mixture, alternately with the hot coffee or boiling water a little of each at a time until you have a smooth and fairly liquid batter.
Pour the batter into the lined loaf pan, leave at least 1 INCH of space from the rim to the batter or this loaf will flow over the pan, pour any excess batter into a small loaf pan(test the little loaf at 20 minutes), and bake for 30 minutes at 375.
THEN, Turn the oven down to 325 degrees and continue to cook for another 15 minutes. The cake will still be a fudgy inside, so an inserted cake tester or skewer won’t come out completely clean.
Place the pan on a wire rack and let the cake cool in the pan until completely cold. I like to leave it overnight. The loaf will sink in the middle because this is a very dense loaf cake.
Remove the cake from pan, slice and enjoy.

Variations

Substitute freshly brewed coffee for the boiling water in the original recipe. By the way, you cannot taste the coffee, it simply enhances the flavor of the chocolate.

Add 2 tablespoons of bourbon for a kicked up loaf cake(make sure to use 2 tablespoons less water if you add the bourbon)

Tips

This recipe makes a lot of batter, in fact too much for a 9 x 5″ loaf pan. Do NOT OVER FILL your pan. Leave 1″ of space at the top of the pan and place the pan on a baking sheet in the oven just in case it over flows.

Pour the remaining batter into a muffin pan or make a smaller cake using a mini lined loaf tin. The baking time for the little loaf and cake in the muffin tin will vary so be sure to watch them so they do not burn.

NOTE: you cannot taste the coffee, it simple enhances the flavor of the chocolate. If you do not want to use the coffee use 1 cup of boing water.

If you do not was to add the bourbon, add 2 tablespoons of boiling water.

How to store dense chocolate loaf cake.

Wrap the cake in plastic wrap or store in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Freeze for up to 3 months.

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That’s It for Now

I hope you enjoyed this recipe for nigella lawson’s dense chocolate loaf cake, if you have made it before let me know how you like it and how you make it. What do you serve it with?

If you have never made it and this post prompts you to try it, come back and tell us what you think. Have you made any of Nigellas’, aka the Domestic Goddess” recipes?

Have a great day friends, thanks for stopping by!

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Plate Information: The plates are from Kate Spade, I have had them for several years but you can find them on Poshmark, Amazon and Etsy.