Would you like chocolate cake for breakfast? If you answer yes, my chocolate bread recipe is exactly what you need. This soft and tender chocolate loaf is loaded with melty chocolate chips for double the amount of chocolate packed into each slice.
I’m not ashamed to admit I’m no stranger to sneaking leftover cake for breakfast. And since this easy and quick chocolate bread contains yogurt and eggs, it fits the breakfast bill! On top of that, its soft crumbs and melty chocolate chips are comforting like a warm fluffy pillow you’ll want to snuggle up with in the morning, just like my chocolate banana bread, but without any bananas.
Between you and me, this yummy double chocolate loaf is not only super quick and easy to make – just 15 minutes in the kitchen, no special tools needed – it’s also perfect for anytime: as an on-the-go quick breakfast, or a delicious afternoon snack with a cup of tea, as well as a sweet night cap with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or fluffy homemade whipped cream and fresh berries.
Table of Contents
Helpful tools
Beside the usual measuring cups and spoons, mixing bowls and whisk/spatula, no special tools are necessary for this recipe as you can easily make the chocolate bread batter by hand. You do need a standard loaf pan to bake the bread in.
Ingredients and substitutions
As always, you’ll find the complete list of ingredients and quantities in the recipe card at the end of this post. Below are some notes and substitution tips:
- Yogurt – Plain yogurt is used as the main liquid ingredient in this recipe. Sour cream or buttermilk would be a good substitute here.
- Fat – I use both butter and oil in this chocolate bread, unsalted butter provides that delicious buttery taste while oil keeps the crumb moist.
- Egg – I use 2 eggs in this recipe.
- Vanilla – pure vanilla extract is used to enhance the flavor of chocolate and add complexity.
- Brown sugar – brown sugar adds depth, richness and moisture to the chocolate loaf, dark or light brown sugar will both work. But if you don’t have brown sugar, you can substitute granulated sugar; however, I think the flavor will lack some complexity.
- Flour – all purpose flour is all you need. If you want to make this gluten free, I recommend Bob’s Red Mill or King Arthur gluten free flour; however, note that I have not tried making this recipe gluten free personally.
- Cocoa powder – dutch processed cocoa powder is my go-to for its deep chocolate flavor. Natural cocoa powder would also work.
- Leavening agents – I use both baking soda and baking powder. The baking soda will be activated by the acidity in the brown sugar as well as the yogurt.
- Salt – I always use kosher salt in all my recipes. For table salt, use about half to two thirds as much. If you decide to substitute salted butter, you’ll need to adjust the salt added to ensure you don’t end up with overly salty chocolate bread. Assume 1 stick of salted butter contains ¼ teaspoon of salt and reduce accordingly.
- Chocolate chips – I use standard semisweet chocolate chips here. They add more chocolate flavor and a gooey melty factor when the chocolate bread is served warmed, my favorite way to eat this!
How to make chocolate bread or chocolate loaf cake
The following instructions, step-by-step photos, and tips are here to help you visualize how to make the recipe. You can always skip straight to the printable recipe card at the end of this post.
Beat together yogurt, cooled melted butter, eggs, and vanilla until smooth.
Add brown sugar and beat again until thoroughly combined.
Sift together the dry ingredients and stir in the salt. Add dry ingredient mixture to the wet ingredients and fold until just combined.
Tip: I usually stir in the kosher salt in this step instead of sifting it in the mixture because the larger granules won’t pass through a fine mesh sieve.
Fold in about ⅔ of the chocolate chips.
Tip: You don’t have to divide the chocolate chips in this step. If you want to fold in the whole cup of chocolate chips, feel free to do so and skip adding some on top.
Transfer the batter to a buttered and lined loaf pan, sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top.
Bake for approximately 50 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean with just a few crumbs attached.
Note: When the chocolate bread cools, it will sink slightly in the middle, this is normal.
More baker’s tips
- Exact measurements matter – cocoa powder has a drying effect on baked goods, so it is crucial to measure correctly so you don’t add too much and risk drying out your chocolate bread. The same can be said about flour. Invest in a kitchen scale if you can.
- Don’t overmix – mixing encourages gluten development, and overmixing can create a tough cake due to too much gluten. When mixing this chocolate loaf cake batter, use a folding motion and stop as soon as the batter is combined.
- Avoid overbaking – overbaking will yield a dry loaf, so use the bake time as a suggestion and take in consideration whether your oven tends to run hotter or colder and adjust your bake time as needed.
Storage
Room temperature: Store chocolate bread in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic at room temperature for up to 2 days.
Refrigerator: Beyond 2 days, you can transfer the leftovers to the refrigerator for another 3-4 days. You can also store it in the refrigerator directly after it has cooled and it will last up to a week.
Freezer: This chocolate loaf cake also freezes well and can last up to 3 months. I recommend freezing individual slices, wrapped tightly in plastic, and stored in a freezer bag. Thaw completely before serving. If you like warm bread, heat defrosted slices in the microwave for about 15-30 seconds each.
FAQs
A couple things could have happened here: you may have added too much flour or cocoa powder, or you may have over baked it. Make sure you measure the ingredients correctly and remove your chocolate loaf from the oven as soon as it is done. Check with a toothpick before the end of the baking time in case your oven runs a bit hotter.
I like to use both butter and oil for certain cake recipes since each serves a different purpose: butter for the delicious buttery taste and oil for keeping the crumbs extra moist. You can choose to use all butter or all oil if you wish. For this chocolate loaf cake recipe, if using all butter, you can use 1 stick of butter total. And if using all oil, use a total of 7 tablespoons.
This chocolate bread is delicious when slightly warm and the chocolate chips are melty throughout. From room temperature, warm a slice for 15-20 seconds in the microwave. From refrigeration, warm it for 20-25 seconds.
More loaf cake recipes
- Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread
- Orange Cranberry Bread
- Zucchini Bread
- Blueberry Loaf Cake
- Sour Cream Banana Bread
Hungry for more?
Chocolate Bread
Equipment
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup plain yogurt, or sour cream, 300 g
- 2 oz unsalted butter, 57 g, melted and cooled
- ¼ cup oil, vegetable or canola, 50 g
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup light brown sugar, lightly packed, 150 g
- 1 ¼ cup all-purpose flour, 158 g
- ½ cup cocoa powder, 48 g
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 cup semisweet chocolate chips, 175 g, divided
Instructions
- Add yogurt, melted butter, vanilla and eggs, whisk together to combine. Add brown sugar and beat until smooth.
- Sift flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and baking powder into a small mixing bowl. Stir in the kosher salt. Add the flour mixture to the liquid mixture and fold until just combined.
- Fold in ⅔ of the chocolate chips.
- Preheat the oven to 350°F while the batter rests.
- Brush a loaf pan generously with melted butter, line it with a longer piece of parchment paper leaving the excess hanging over the sides. Brush the parchment paper with melted butter as well.
- Transfer the batter into the prepared pan, and sprinkle the rest of the chocolate chips over the top.
- Bake for approximately 50 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center of the loaf comes out clean with just a few crumbs attached.
- Remove from the oven and place it on a wire rack to cool. To remove the chocolate loaf from the pan, simply lift it out using the excess parchment paper as handles.
Notes
- Cocoa powder has a drying effect on baked goods, so it is crucial to measure correctly so you don’t add too much and risk drying out your chocolate bread. The same can be said about flour. Invest in a kitchen scale if you can.
- Mixing encourages gluten development, and overmixing can create a tough cake due to too much gluten. When mixing this chocolate loaf cake batter, use a folding motion and stop as soon as the batter is combined.
- Overbaking will yield a dry loaf, so use the bake time as a suggestion and take in consideration whether your oven tends to run hotter or colder and adjust your bake time as needed.
- Try adding nuts to the batter along with the chocolate chips. Pecans, walnuts, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts are all great in chocolate bread.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
Like this recipe? Rate & comment below!This post may contain affiliate links. For more details on how we utilize affiliates, ads, and sponsored content, see our full disclosure policy. Thank you for your continued support, which enables us to keep bringing you delicious recipes, at no extra cost to you.
