Chocolate Loaf Cake (like a pound cake)


Original recipe is here.

Take butter out the night before.
If necessary, soften the dark brown sugar.
Makes 8-10 slices


INGREDIENTS:

1 cup soft unsalted butter (2 sticks)
1-2/3 cups dark brown sugar
2 large eggs, beaten
1 tsp vanilla extract
4 ounces best bittersweet chocolate
1-1/3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 cup + 2 Tbl boiling water


PREPARATION:

Heat the oven to 375°F, put in a baking sheet in case of sticky drips later.
Grease and line a 9x5-inch loaf pan. The lining is important as this is a very damp cake: use parchment or one of those loaf-pan-shaped paper liners.

1. In a small bowl, combine the flour and baking soda. Set aside. 

2. Melt the chocolate gently either in a double boiler or in the microwave. Set aside to cool a bit.

3. Set a bit of water to boil. 

4. In a large bowl, cream the butter and sugar, either with a wooden spoon or with an electric hand-held mixer.

5. In a medium bowl, beat the eggs and the vanilla.

6. Add the egg mixture into the creamed butter and sugar, beating in well. 

7. Next, fold in the melted, slightly cooled chocolate, taking care to blend well but being careful not to overbeat. 

8.  Alternating between the flour mixture and the boiling water, gently start adding the flour mixture, alternating spoon by spoon with the boiling water until you have a smooth and fairly liquid batter. 

9. Pour into the lined loaf pan, but don't fill past 1 inch below the top of the pan, or else you risk having the batter overflow as it cooks.  Pour any excess batter into a smaller cake or muffin pan.

10. Bake at 375 for 30 minutes, then turn the oven down to 325.

11. Bake another 15 min at 325.  The cake should still be a bit squidgy inside, so an inserted cake tester or skewer won't come out completely clean.

12.  Place the loaf pan on a rack, and leave it in order to get completely cold before turning it out. Leave it for a day or so: "Like gingerbread, it improves." Don't worry if it sinks in the middle: indeed, it will do so because it's such a dense and damp cake.

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