Rich Chocolate Loaf Cake

On Saturday morning Jack was up with the lark and into our bed, fidgeting, tickling and giggling so much that I had to get up and bake a cake with him and Hanna. Nanny was paying us a visit so what better excuse did we need to bake a cake. I opted for the simplest chocolate cake recipe known to man, and one that I use for my chocolate cupcakes. It includes espresso or a strong black coffee but you don't need to add that if you don't want the subtle coffee flavour, just boiling water works well.

Rich Chocolate Loaf Cake

100ml boiling water
2 tbsp Instant coffee granules 
35g Cocoa powder
190g Caster Sugar
115g Plain Flour
3/4 tsp Baking powder
3/4 tsp Bicarbonate of soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 Egg
60ml Hazelnut oil
125ml Milk

150g Full fat Philadelphia cream cheese

150g Nutella

• Mix the boiling water, coffee and cocoa powder together until smooth
• Mix the sugar, flour, baking powder, bicarb of soda and salt together in a large bowl 
• Beat the egg, oil and milk together, add the chocolate mixture & beat well
• Beat the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients and mix well
• Pour the cake batter into a lined & greased loaf tin
• Bake in a 180 C oven for approx 40 minutes, until springy to the touch
• Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes before removing from the tin & cooling fully on a wire rack
• Make the frosting by beating the cream cheese & Nutella together
• Decorate the cake with the frosting 
• I added Chocolate enrobed crystallised orange peel from The East India Company

I was sent some chocolate enrobed crystallised orange peel from The East India Company to use in my baking