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Say hello to every chocolate lover’s dream cake: triple chocolate loaf cake! Rich and fudgy from a triple hit of chocolate, each bite is tender and moist thanks to butter, sour cream, and buttermilk. Top with chocolate chips while the cake cools for even more indulgence!
My favorite chocolate desserts deliver rich chocolate flavor with fudgy texture, and this moist chocolate loaf cake does just that.
Unsweetened cocoa powder (my favorite is Dutch-process cocoa), bittersweet (or dark) chocolate chips, and semisweet chocolate chips ensure that each bite is decadent and filled with chocolate!
I love serving this cake slightly warm so that the chocolate chips are still gooey. We also love this cake topped with scoops of vanilla or espresso ice cream – so yum!
Craving more cake? Try my chocolate ganache loaf cake or chocolate chip loaf cake!
How to Make Chocolate Loaf Cake
Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl.
Beat room temperature butter and granulated sugar in a large mixer bowl at medium speed until light and fluffy.
Add egg and vanilla extract, and beat to combine.
With mixer on low speed, add half of the dry ingredients. Add buttermilk mixture, then finish with remaining flour mixture.
Dissolve espresso powder in boiling water and slowly mix in just to combine. The hot water helps bloom and dissolve the cocoa for a super rich, Devil’s food chocolate flavor.
Fold bittersweet and semisweet chocolate chips into the chocolate batter.
Pour batter into a parchment-lined loaf pan. Smooth the top with an offset spatula and tap pan sharply to prevent air bubbles.
Bake cake until the top springs back to the touch and a cake tester inserted in the center come out with a few crumbs attached, about 50 to 55 minutes.
Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes. While it’s still warm, sprinkle chocolate chips over the top. Lift the parchment to transfer the cake to a wire rack and let it cool completely before slicing.
More chocolate cake recipes you’ll love:
- Dark Chocolate Sheet Cake
- Double Chocolate Bundt Cake
- Chocolate Ganache Loaf Cake
- Classic Chocolate Layer Cake
Rich Fudgy Triple Chocolate Loaf Cake
- Prep Time: 25 minutes
- Cook Time: 55 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 20 minutes
- Yield: 1 cake, 12 slices
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
Triple chocolate loaf cake is a chocolate lover’s dream! Rich and fudgy from a triple hit of chocolate, each bite is tender and moist because this cake is made with butter, sour cream, and buttermilk. Top with chocolate chips while the cake cools for even more indulgence!
Ingredients
Cake
- 1 1/4 cups (175 g) all-purpose flour
- 1/3 cup (32 g) Dutch process unsweetened cocoa
- 3/4 tsp (3 g) baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup (112 g) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg (50 g), at room temperature
- 1 1/2 tsp (6 g) vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup (180 g) buttermilk, at room temperature
- 1/4 cup (60 g) sour cream, at room temperature
- 1/2 tsp instant espresso
- 1/4 cup (60 g) boiling water
- 1/3 cup (57 g) bittersweet chocolate chips
- 1/3 cup (57 g) semisweet chocolate chips
Topping
- 1/4 cup (43 g) semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and spray a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan with nonstick spray. Line pan with parchment paper, letting excess extend over sides of pan.
- Make cake: Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt in a medium bowl. Beat butter and sugar in a large mixer bowl at medium speed until light and fluffy; beat in egg and vanilla. Combine buttermilk and sour cream in a small bowl. Reduce speed to low and add half of flour mixture, beating just to combine. Add buttermilk mixture, then finish with remaining flour mixture. Dissolve espresso powder in boiling water and slowly mix in just to combine. Fold in chocolate chips.
- Pour batter into prepared pan; smooth top with an offset spatula and tap sharply to reduce air bubbles.
- Bake loaf cake for 50 to 55 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean or with a few crumbs attached and cake springs back to the touch. Cool in pan on a wire rack for 15 minutes. While the cake is cooling, top with chocolate chips.
- Carefully lift cake from pan and cool completely on wire rack. Store leftovers tightly covered in an airtight container at room temperature.
Notes
Unsweetened cocoa powder: Use Dutch processed baking cocoa for the richest chocolate flavor. I use and recommend Rodelle Gourmet Baking Cocoa.
Instant espresso: Chocolate and espresso are the perfect pair, and a touch of instant espresso is the secret ingredient to add depth to this chocolate cake. I use and recommend Starbucks VIA Instant Italian Roast.
Freezing Instructions: Use a serrated knife to slice the cake and wrap each slice in plastic wrap. Store the slices in a freezer bag for up to 2 months. When you’re ready to serve, thaw slices at room temperature.
My daughter is in love with with this cake, but wants it as her actual birthday cake. Will this work in traditional round cake pans?
Hi Jennifer, thank you so much! I have not tested this recipe in round cake pans. I recommend my chocolate layer cake as a birthday cake, and that can be baked in either 8-inch or 9-inch round pans. Hope that helps! 🙂
Ok. Do you think we could add the chocolate chips to that?
The chocolate cake has a 4 ounce bar of finely chopped semisweet chocolate added to the batter. If you’d rather use chocolate chips, I recommend mini chips because they melt more easily. But if all you have are regular chocolate chips, that will work too.
My loaf cake deflated What could have wrong?
Hi Anisha, did you make any changes to the recipe? There’s a few reasons that can happen: the batter may have been overmixed, or the oven temperature could be running too hot, or the cake was underbaked when removed from the oven.
Can I use Vegetable oil instead of butter?
This recipe has been developed and tested with unsalted butter, and the cake is very moist and fudgy. I don’t recommend substituting oil without further recipe testing.
I love this recipe, the cake is super rich and easy to make.
I’ve made this cake twice in the last week. Definitely a winner!
Great to hear, thank you Kris!
Just curious if the chocolate chips can be left out or will that affect the moisture in the cake?
The cake will still be plenty moist without the chocolate chips thanks to the buttermilk, sour cream, and boiling water. Leaving them out will make the cake less rich and chocolatey, so that’s totally up to you – you can try reducing the amount to 1/3 cup (57 grams) or 1/2 cup (85 grams) total.
The recipe calls for 1 1/4 cups (175g) flour. By weight, 1 1/4 of my King Arthur flour would only weigh 150g and I would need to add almost 1/4 cup more flour to be at 175g. Any suggestions on whether I should go with 150g or add the extra 1/4 cup?
Hi Sheila, I follow the America’s Test Kitchen weight for all-purpose flour (1 cup = 140 grams). This recipe has been tested by weight with 175 grams of all-purpose flour and that’s what I recommend using.
I make loaf cakes every week and have great luck with this method. Cover the loaf cake with parchment and drape a dish towel over it once it has cooled to room temp. (I leave mine in a parchment lined pan.) Let the cake rest overnight. Remove from pan and slice with a very sharp thin knife. Support the sides as you cut with the other hand. By the way this is a wonderful recipe. I’m a serious baker and have tried other great recipes from this site. If you use Valrhona chocolate for this recipe, you will be amazed how wonderful it turns out. I Loved the fine moist crumb!
Such a great tip, thank you Marcia!
The cake tasted great. However, when I went to cut it, the cake fell a part. I’ve made other loaf-cakes and breads before with no problems. I would like to keep making this recipe. Any ideas how to avoid this in the future?
Hi Tim, I recommend allowing the cake to cool completely (to let the crumb set up) and using a serrated knife to slice. The included recipe video shows a good visual of the best kind of knife to use for moist and tender cakes. Hope that helps for the future!
This cake is SO rich and fudgy, highly recommend! Dutch process cocoa makes all the difference.
Thanks so much for your feedback, Rachel!