Dairy Free Chocolate Loaf Cake is super easy to make. The easy chocolate loaf cake recipe comes together quickly, and is soft and moist. It is topped with a dairy free chocolate frosting. This is the perfect chocolate loaf cake!
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Dairy Free Chocolate Loaf Cake
Hi hi! Just popping in to share the recipe for this dairy free loaf cake! I have been sitting on this one for a while and I am so, so excited to share it with you! This easy chocolate loaf cake recipe is the perfect back pocket recipe. It comes together quickly with little effort, and is dairy free, so a great option to make if you are catering for guests with dietary requirements. This chocolate loaf cake has a super simple dairy free chocolate icing, but can also be finished with a a quick sprinkle of powdered sugar.
The chocolate icing is a nod to my childhood - it is the stir together chocolate icing that I feel like every Nz Mum has a different version of, and it's just the best thing ever. You could add a little peppermint extract for a fun holiday twist, or some holiday sprinkles too if you like.
This chocolate loaf cake is perfect for whipping up when you need something quick and easy, and is great to make ahead. I love it so much and I hope you do too!
How to make Chocolate Loaf Cake
This dairy free chocolate loaf cake recipe is super easy, and comes together in just a couple of steps.
- Whisk together dry ingredients - flour, brown sugar and white sugar (for texture and taste), baking powder, baking soda.
- Whisk together wet ingredients - eggs, Filippo Berio Robusto Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and plant based milk.
- Combine wet and dry ingredients and mix well to combine.
- Bloom the cocoa powder by making a paste with the boiling water, then add to the mixture and whisk to combine. This is the secret trick to a super rich chocolate loaf cake.
- Add the bloomed cocoa powder to the batter and mix to incorporate.
- Transfer the whole thing to the lined loaf pan and bake until the centre springs back and a skewer comes out clean. Leave to cool.
- Finish with the chocolate icing - whisk together all ingredients until smooth then spread over the cake and finish with sprinkles.
The secret to a super rich chocolate loaf cake
Blooming the cocoa in boiling water before adding to the batter is an easy trick which gives you a super rich chocolate cake. I use this technique in my mini chocolate layer cake too. To bloom the cocoa you combine the cocoa and boiling water to form a paste, then stir this into the batter. This helps to release the flavour from the cocoa and gives you a super rich chocolate cake. Lots of cakes will add boiling water to the recipe - I took this one step further by making a separate paste from the cocoa. It really does make a massive difference to the flavour of the cake with very little effort.
The importance of oven temperature in a recipe
You will notice that the bake temperature of this chocolate loaf cake is 325°f / 160°c, which is lower than the 'regular' 350°f / 180°c that most cakes are baked at. I played around with this when I was testing as I found that the loaf cake was doming too much in the middle of the pan and the edges were getting dry before the middle could cook, which gave a differentiation in texture. Dropping the oven temperature slightly meant that the cake didn't dome as much in the oven, which makes it a much nicer shape and much easier to add the dairy free chocolate frosting.
This is another reason why it is super important to make sure that your oven is properly calibrated. I highly recommend having an oven thermometer in there to check the accuracy.
Baking with Olive Oil
Another wee trick to a perfect textured chocolate loaf cake is using a good quality oil in the cake rather than butter. I used Filippo Berio's Robusto Extra Virgin Olive Oil, and it worked perfectly in the cake.
Using oil in cakes provides a different kind of moisture (oil is liquid at room temperature while butter is not), and chocolate cakes made with butter can be on the drier side. An oil based chocolate cake is going to have a better texture, moistness, and overall crumb. This also makes it really easy to keep dairy free.
Filippo Berio's Robusto Extra Virgin Olive Oil is slightly more punchy, so the flavour comes through in this olive oil chocolate cake, which I love. The flavour of robusto is fruity and peppery, which is super delicious with the chocolate. I love an intense olive oil, so it is the one I often also use to make salad dressings with. If you were looking for something lighter, their delicato would be perfect in here, or you could use their extra light olive oil for a super chocolate forward loaf cake.
FAQ for Chocolate Loaf Cake
- What tools and equipment do you use?
You can see a full list of all the tools I use here
- Which pan did you use?
I made this chocolate loaf cake in a 1lb loaf pan which is 8.5"x4.5" (21.5x11.5cm). You could make it in something larger - the loaf will just be a slightly different shape. - Can this cake be made ahead?
This chocolate loaf cake recipe is super delicious and moist, so it is perfect to make ahead (up to a day). I would leave off the frosting until the day you serve, and store it in an airtight container at room temperature. - Can I make this not dairy free?
Yes! Just use regular milk in both the cake and the frosting. - Is it possible to make this cake gluten / egg free?
I haven't tried either sorry! - Can chocolate loaf cake be frozen?
Yes, this will work great. I often double recipes like this (I have two loaf pans), and once cool, wrap one tightly in plastic wrap and freeze. - Can this loaf cake be made into muffins?
That should work just fine if you wanted to make dairy free chocolate cupcakes - divide the mixture evenly between lined muffin pans and bake - check after about 15 minutes for doneness. I am not 100% sure on how many it would make, but usually aim for filling the liners ¾ full.
For more recipes using Filippo Berio, check out:
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Answers to your baking questions
Over the years, many of you have asked me questions about:
- baking in grams
- adjusting oven temperatures
- what kind of salt to use
- and many more!
I've curated and answered them all for your easy reference in this frequently asked questions post!
Recipe For Chocolate Loaf Cake
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Chocolate Loaf Cake
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 1 hour
- Total Time: 2 hours 30 minutes
- Yield: One loaf cake
- Category: Loaf cakes
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
- Diet: Low Lactose
Description
Dairy Free Chocolate Loaf Cake is super easy to make. The easy chocolate loaf cake recipe comes together quickly, and is soft and moist. It is topped with a dairy free chocolate frosting. This is the perfect chocolate loaf cake!
Ingredients
Dairy Free Chocolate Loaf Cake
- 190g all-purpose flour
- 150g light or dark brown sugar
- 80g granulated sugar
- 2g (½ tsp) salt
- 1 ¼ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 145g plant based milk (I used oat milk)
- 80g Filippo Berio Robusto Extra Virgin Olive Oil
- 130g boiling water
- 50g dutch process cocoa
- 1 tsp espresso powder or finely ground instant coffee
Chocolate Icing
- 190g powdered sugar, sifted
- 15g dutch process cocoa
- ½ tsp espresso powder
- Pinch of salt
- 30g boiling water (you could also omit the espresso powder and use 30g hot, strong coffee)
Instructions
LOAF CAKE
- Preheat the oven to 325°f / 160°c. Grease and line an 8.5”x4.5” (21.5cm x11.5cm) 1 lb loaf pan with baking spray and a piece of parchment paper that extends over the edges to form a sling.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the all-purpose flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, baking powder, and baking soda.
- In a separate medium bowl, whisk together the eggs, the plant based milk, and Filippo Berio Robusto Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Add to the dry ingredients and whisk well to combine.
- In a medium bowl (I use the same one I used for the wet ingredients), whisk together the boiling water, cocoa powder and espresso powder to form a smooth paste. Add to the batter and whisk to combine.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan. Bake for 55 minutes to an hour, until the centre springs back when lightly pressed and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 15 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and cool completely.
CHOCOLATE ICING
- Whisk together the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, espresso powder and salt in a small bowl. Add the boiling water and mix until a spreadable consistency forms.
- Transfer the frosting to the top of the cake and smooth with an offset spatula. Finish with sprinkles if desired.
Store leftovers in an airtight container at room temperature.
Keywords: Loaf cake, chocolate loaf cake, dairy free, olive oil chocolate cake
Comments
Looks delicious!!
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This comes together so quickly and is so delicious!
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Made this yesterday and it was delicious, tender, and just the right amount of sweetness! I used Healtheries baking mix to make it gf, them exchanged the eggs for vegan linseed eggs (thanks google), used hot espresso to mix the icing, then sprinkled it with chopped roasted hazelnuts, cacao nibs, and flakey sea salt. My gf self, and my vegan friend LOVED it! Thanks ❤️
★★★★★
Super easy to make and delicious!
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This is exactly the type of recipe I was looking for! I love olive oil cakes
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So delicious and easy to bring together. I used Bob’s Redmill egg replacer and the loaf came out delicious. Chocolate decadence 🙂
★★★★★
This cake is delicious! Thank you for creating such a yum dairy free option 😋
★★★★★
Super easy and quick to make. Highly recommend!
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Made this the other day and absolutely LOVED it!! Super simple to whip up and perfect for afternoon tea. Was really a great crumb and not dried out in any way. Also, loved that you could taste the chocolate and it wasn’t just overly sweet. Will definitely be a go-to from now on!
★★★★★
Can natural non ditched cocoa powder be used?
I haven't tried but it should be ok!
Just made it and it’s soooo delicious!! Thank you so much!
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My grocery doesn’t carry the Robesto variety of olive oil, so I used the extra light. It made a very moist very chocolatey cake.
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Super moist and chocolatey and so easy! Made a double batch with my little helper last night for my team at work today. They are all big fans and I'm glad I've still got one at home to snack on!!
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Made as written, delicious icing but don't underestimate the loaf on its own- amazing! Thank you for another lovely recipe
★★★★★
Loved making this - and loved eating it even more!
★★★★★
Would have enjoyed making your cake. But I use standard not metric measurements
Hi Julia, you are more than welcome to convert the recipe yourself, please see the section above the recipe about why I post in grams. Thanks!
I'm thrilled I tried this recipe. It comes together quickly and it's rich in flavor!
I baked it as muffins because I needed it to be as mess-free as possible. 20-ish minutes did it for me and thank goodness I had an oven thermometer, it really made a difference. The temperature was slightly higher for the first batch whereas it was the right one for the second batch. The shape was much better in the latter! So people, listen to Erin and get an oven thermometer (also a scale) 🙂
★★★★★
This recipe is amazing!! I didn't have all the products available at home, so I made some adjustments and listed them below, I hope that's okay. I also used a bit less brown sugar since my hubby prefers a little less sweetness.
I didn't have a proper olive oil available so I made it with melted butter (same measurements), turned out perfect! I also experimented with the types of sugar and used 100 grams of soft brown sugar and 130 grams of caster sugar and the sweetness turned out perfect for us. Last one: I didn't have espresso powder or instant coffee at home so added an extra 5 grams of cocoa instead - also awesome.
This recipe is amazing, it doesn't happen often that the first try works out this well for me haha :'). Thanks so much!
★★★★★
My sister and I baked this cake a few days ago, and we went a bit rogue and replaced stuff with what we had. We used sunflower oil, no coffee, and all regular white sugar. But still it's one of the best cakes I've had in a while, no exaggeration. We'll make it again soon with all the right ingredients.
Also we had it in a paper bag, out of the fridge, for two days (it's summer here, so at least 30°C during the day) and it maintained its texture and humidity perfecty.
Thanks for the recipe, Erin!
Oh wow! Made this as listed but used regular milk. It was beyond amazing! Served it at a gals wine night and it was a hit! I’m thinking of making this again and adding cocoa nibs to up the cocoa ante lol.
★★★★★
This was so easy to whip together but had such a big impact! The cake is great on its own but the icing brings it to the next level.
★★★★★
This was so delicious!
★★★★★