This Quick Chocolate Bread recipe takes just 15 minutes to throw together and will fill your home with the most chocolatey aroma. Also known as chocolate loaf cake, it makes an easy and wonderful sweet treat for breakfast or anytime.
The only thing truly bread-like about this quick chocolate bread is it’s shape but I’m totally ok with that because chocolate bread is basically cake that you can eat for breakfast.
Also known as chocolate loaf cake, this is one of those recipes you make for a delicious, sweet breakfast or morning tea – a little like a muffin – but since it’s in the shape of a loaf of bread and is cut into slices, you can absolutely feel good about it.
Wouldn’t this be amazing served up for Easter brunch because clearly we need more chocolate at Easter, right? You might also love this ginger loaf cake.
What is chocolate bread?
While this is known in some places as chocolate bread, you might also know it as chocolate loaf cake. It is basically a chocolate cake in bread form. While some recipes contain yeast, making them a genuine bread recipe, this style is a quick bread meaning it just uses baking powder and soda for the rise.
Chocolate quick bread also contains sugar, flour eggs – which makes it much closer to a cake and is made similar to muffins. This particular recipe is very similar to my Pistachio Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins. It’s rich in chocolate flavour, is fluffy and moist and has a good dose of chocolate chips.
The best part of this recipe is definitely how simple it is to make. Oh and of course it tastes amazing. Just 15 minutes and two bowls with simple everyday ingredients and you have yourself a decadent chocolate treat.
How to make chocolate bread
In one bowl, mix together dry ingredients then in another bowl mix together the wet. Now combine them all in one and tip the batter into a loaf tin, then bake. That’s it. It’s incredibly easy to make and even easier to eat.
Storage instructions
Keep chocolate loaf cake / chocolate bread in an airtight container in a cool spot, like the pantry.
This bread freezes well too. It’s best to slice it up and wrap each slice individually in plastic wrap, then store them all in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 2 months.
It’s delicious at room temperature or warmed up and is lovely topped with a slather of salted butter or topped with ice cream for a decadent dessert. If you want to toast it, add just a little butter to a frying pan and cook for a minute or two on each side, then serve with ice cream.
Quick Chocolate Bread is super simple and great as a sweet breakfast or brunch – think Mothers Day or Easter – and works just as well as a dessert. I know you and your family will love this one.
More recipes you’ll love
- Pistachio Chocolate Chocolate Chip Muffins
- Coffee Cake Muffins
- Strawberry Chocolate Cinnamon Rolls
- Chocolate Scones
- Waffle Brownies
- S’mores Gooey Chocolate Mug Cake
- Chocolate Mud Cake
Quick Chocolate Bread (Chocolate Loaf Cake)
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup (55g / 2oz) dutch processed cocoa
- 2 cups (260g / 9oz) plain (AP) flour
- 1/2 cup (100g / 3.5oz) dark brown sugar
- 1/4 cup (50g / 1.8oz) white granulated sugar
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking (bicarb) soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (200g / 7oz) dark chocolate chips
- 2 large eggs
- 3/4 cup (180ml) whole milk
- 115 g (1/2 cup / 4oz) unsalted butter, melted
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180C / 350F / 160C fan forced. Grease and line a 6 cup capacity loaf tin (roughly 8x4 inch)
- In a large bowl sift the cocoa if it has lumps, then whisk in the flour, both sugars, baking powder, baking soda and salt.
- Reserve 1/4 cup of chocolate chips and add the rest to the batter. Mix well then set aside.
- In a separate bowl whisk together the eggs, milk, melted butter and vanilla until well mixed.
- Make a well in the centre of the dry ingredients and add the wet ingredients. Fold with a spatula until just combined.
- Tip the batter into the prepared tin, level out the top and scatter over the remaining chocolate chips.
- Bake for 50-55 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the centre comes out with just a crumb or two (you'll have to try to miss the choc chips though).
Video
Notes
- All ovens vary – always test for doneness 3-5 minutes before the recipe suggests
- For best results, you should always weigh ingredients like flour and sugar. Kitchen scales are relatively cheap but if you can’t weigh the ingredients, use the spoon and level method (don’t scoop).
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…and I’m the recipe developer, cook, photographer, and author behind Sugar Salt Magic. I’m also mum to 3 amazing fur babies and wife to the most amazing man in the world. Life is good. I love food and creating easy (mainly sweet) recipes that I can share with you. I’d love you to join along in my journey so sit back, relax and have a look around for some yum that you can feed your friends and family with. 
I love to eat these warm, soft and melty. It’s like a super decadent breakfast bread that you can’t resist. I love dessert for breakfast…
Yes to dessert for breakfast 🙂
I made a vegan version of this using whole wheat flour, flax eggs, nut milk, apple sauce instead of all purpose, eggs, whole milk and butter and also cut back about a 1/4 cup of sugar (and let the choco chip be the star). Came out amazing, and also so easy to make! Everyone seems to like them ( of course since it’s chocolate-y), surely a crowd pleaser.
That’s fantastic. Thanks so much for sharing this info
Hi, how much in grams is the unsalted butter please? 🙂
Sorry Em, it’s 115g. I’ve updated the recipe card.
Can i make this with Semi Sweet Chocolate baking bars? I have those on hand right now
Hello Dee, you can but choc chips will give a better flavour. Chop the bars up into chip size pieces. Let me know how it goes.
I really want to make this but I don’t have Dutch processed cocoa just unsweetened cocoa? Can I just replace it with no other changes?
Hello Jenine, yes this will work fine with regular cocoa.
Love this recipe! I followed it exactly but didn’t have whole milk. I mixed a little heavy whipping cream into 1 %. The milk was cold so the butter chunked up a bit. Could this be why it turned out a little dry? Going to try it again!
Great recipe!
Sincerely,
Pamela Kersey
Hi Pamela, the butter likely isn’t the cause. More likely it’s the fat content in the milk combo you used and / or overbaking. Using 1% milk mixed with a little cream may have resulted in a lower fat content but I wouldn’t have thought it would be too noticeable. All ovens are different so maybe just test this 2-3 minutes before the recipe suggests and it should be perfect.
Hi, Marie,
I made this for the first time just now and love it!
I am wondering, what would you suggest to make the cake even more (dark) chocolatey and moist? I followed the recipe and used semi-sweet chocolate chips and 100% cocoa powder (unsweetened). I am wondering if substituting oil for butter might help with making it more moist and perhaps investigating different chocolate brands might intensify the flavor (my chocolate was from Trader Joe’s).
Thanks!
Hi Maggie, so glad you love it. Dutched cocoa powder gives a darker colour. As for moisture, just try baking it for a slightly shorter time.
Around a tablespoon of instant coffee dissolved in the milk/wet ingredients will make the chocolate taste stronger.
I am watching my loaf baking right now and it looks amaizing already☺️Can’t wait to indulge
I’m sure you’ll love it 🙂
Hi. May I know for how many servings this will be for a 7×3 loaf pan? Thanks.
Hello, It’s a very similar size so the same serving quantity as in the recipe
If I use a 9 by 5 tin how long should I bake it for?
Hi Ella, I haven’t made this one in a larger tin. I would check it from 35 minutes onwards until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs attached but not wet batter.
I made this cake a week ago for me and my mum to eat. It lasted a whole week! It came out delicious, chocolatey goodness. Over time, of course it dried up a bit, but still had that good chocolatey goodness. Looked great, wasn’t difficult at all! Tastes great heated, with or without ice cream 😋
So happy to hear that Charlotte, This is definitely my favourite quick cake recipe 🙂
Can i use oil instead of unsalted butter?
Yes you can but the flavour won’t be quite as rich.
I found this recipe to be very dry. Maybe less flour? I baked for 50 minutes at 350 degrees and followed the recipe to the word.
What did I do wrong?
Hi Jim, it’s likely just overbaked. Every oven is different, so just check the cake 5-7 minutes before with a toothpick. It should come out with some crumbs sticking to it, but not wet batter. Once you remove it from the oven, it will continue to cook as the shape and size will retain heat.
Can we use self rising flour? What would we need to modify in order to use it?
Hello Sara, I haven’t made this with SR flour so this is a just an estimate but try using the same amount as the plain flour but remove the baking powder altogether and just use 1/4 teaspoon of baking soda. Let me know how you go.
Can I use bread flour instead of APF
Hello, I wouldn’t recommend it as it may turn out a little more dry. You could try adding a little extra milk or a touch of oil to combat that.