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    Home » Breads

    Chocolate Bread

    By Elizabeth Waterson // Mar 19, 2024 // Leave a Comment

    Jump to Recipe·Leave a Review
    This post may contain affiliate links, which may pay me a small commission for my referral at no extra cost to you! Thank you for supporting Confessions of a Baking Queen!

    25 shares

    This easy chocolate bread recipe is soft, sweet, and quick to prepare. A perfect dessert or snack to prepare for family and friends! Step by Step Photos teach you how to bake this chocolate bread!

    slice of chocolate bread on a white plate on top of a orange and white linen

    Sometimes you want chocolate and when you do this chocolate bread will be a winner! This easy quick-bread style chocolate loaf, think like banana bread, satisfies any craving and is perfect for an afternoon snack or warmed up with a scoop of ice cream for a delicious dessert. Because it is a quick bread there is no need for yeast.

    hand holding a slice of chocolate bread up to the camera

    Let's get to the recipe

    Jump to:
    • Ingredients
    • Instructions
    • More chocolate recipes
    • Recipe Card
    • Recipe Ratings & Comments

    Ingredients

    For this delicious chocolate bread you will need:

    • Salted Butter. One of the reasons I love this recipe is it calls for melted and slightly cooled butter. So no need to wait on it to warm up to room temperature.
    • Espresso Powder. Don't worry about the coffee flavor it won't taste like espresso or coffee. This will just enhance the chocolate flavor.
    • Sugar. I like to use a combination of both white granulated sugar and light brown sugar.
    • Large Eggs. The eggs need to be at room temperature so they evenly incorporate into the rest of the ingredients.
    • Buttermilk. Make sure this ingredient is also at room temperature. Buttermilk helps create a soft tender crumb.
    • Vanilla Extract. The vanilla warms the flavor up every so slightly and pairs beautifully with chocolate.
    • Sour Cream. Sour cream is a moisture bomb that keeps this chocolate bread nice and moist! Make sure it is at room temperature.
    • Dutch-Process Cocoa Powder. I much prefer the results when using Dutch process cocoa powder versus natural cocoa powder. Since Dutch-process has had the acidity removed you can't just swap the two out. This recipe was developed for Dutch-process cocoa powder only.
    • All-Purpose Flour. Make sure you measure your flour properly, I much prefer weighing versus measuring with cups.
    • Salt. This little ingredient helps all of the other ingredient's flavor profiles shine through.
    • Baking Soda and Baking Powder. These chemical leavening agents help the bread rise while baking.
    • Chocolate Chips. I love adding some to the batter and then topping the bread with some before baking. I like to use Callebaut chocolate callets.

    You could totally add some nuts to the batter, chopped walnuts or pecans would be great!

    Baking is a science and to really achieve the best results I highly recommend investing in a kitchen scale. This OXO Kitchen Scale is the one I use and is also the number one recommended kitchen scale by Cook's Illustrated. Think about it -what one person scoops into a "cup" is completely different from what someone else scoops!

    ingredients for chocolate bread on a light surface

    For ingredient quantities please reference the recipe card below. On the recipe card there is a button for US or M (Metric) measurements.

    Instructions

    Preheat the oven to 350F/180C and grease a 1-pound loaf pan with non-stick cooking spray or butter and dust it with cocoa powder and set aside.

    wet ingredients in a glass bowl on a light surface

    In a large mixing bowl whisk together the melted butter, espresso powder, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, buttermilk, vanilla extract, and sour cream make sure everything is fully combined and there are no traces of egg yolk left behind.

    dry ingredients sifted into wet ingredients in a glass bowl on an light surface

    Place a fine mesh sieve on top of the large bowl and sift in the Dutch process cocoa powder, all-purpose, flour salt, baking soda, and baking powder, use a spatula to gently fold the dry ingredients in until just combined then take a half a cup of the chocolate chips and gently fold into the batter.

    chocolate chips added to chocolate batter in a glass bowl with a white spatula

    Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top.

    chocolate bread batter in a glass bowl on alight surface

    Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted comes out with no wet batter. Let the cake cool completely and slice it up.

    chocolate bread in a loaf pan before baking

    Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

    The chocolate bread will store well if covered at room temperature. I suggest an airtight container. You can also freeze this bread, you can freeze it whole or in slices, just make sure you cover it in plastic wrap tightly, twice, this helps prevent freezer burn.

    More chocolate recipes

    • Boozy Chocolate Tart
    • Chocolate Sheet Cake Recipe
    • Mascarpone Chocolate Toffee Bars
    • Chocolate Pudding Pie
    • Chocolate Hot Cross Buns
    slices of chocolate bread on a black wire rack

    ★★★★★ Please let me know if you make this recipe by leaving a star rating and comment below!

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    Print

    Recipe Card

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    slice of chocolate bread on a white plate on top of a orange and white linen

    Chocolate Bread

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    • Total Time: 1 hour 5 minutes
    • Yield: 8-10 Slices 1x

    Ingredients

    Units Scale
    • 4oz (½ Cup) Salted Butter, melted and slightly cooled
    • 1 Teaspoon Espresso Powder
    • 100 grams (½ Cup) Granulated Sugar
    • 100 grams (½ Cup) Light Brown Sugar
    • 2 Large Eggs, at room temperature
    • 4oz (½ Cup) Buttermilk, at room temperature
    • 2 Teaspoons Vanilla Extract
    • 4oz (½ Cup) Sour Cream, at room temperature
    • 50 grams (½ Cup) Dutch-Process Cocoa Powder
    • 156 grams (1 ¼ Cups) All-Purpose Flour
    • ½ Teaspoon Salt
    • ½ Teaspoon Baking soda
    • 2 Teaspoons Baking Powder
    • 120 grams (¾ Cup) Chocolate Chips, divided

    Instructions

    1. Preheat the oven to 350F/180C and grease a 1-pound loaf pan or 9" X 5" loaf pan and set aside.
    2. In a large bowl whisk together the melted butter, espresso powder, granulated sugar, brown sugar, eggs, buttermilk, vanilla extract, and sour cream make sure everything is fully combined and there are no traces of egg yolk left behind. Place a fine mesh sieve on top of the large bowl and sift in the Dutch process cocoa powder, all-purpose, flour salt, baking soda, and baking powder, use a spatula to gently fold the dry ingredients in until just combined then take a half a cup of the chocolate chips and gently fold into the batter.
    3. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top. Bake for 45 to 55 minutes or until a cake tester inserted comes out with no wet batter. Let the cake cool completely and slice it up. Store leftovers in an airtight container for up to 4 days.

    Equipment

    loaf pan

    1lb Loaf Pan

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    kitchen aid cordless hand mixer

    Cordless Hand Mixer

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    oxo food scale

    OXO Kitchen Scale

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    • Author: Elizabeth Waterson I Confessions of a Baking Queen
    • Prep Time: 10
    • Cook Time: 55
    • Category: Dessert
    • Method: Bake
    • Cuisine: American

    Did you make this recipe?

    Tag @confessionsofabakingqueen on Instagram and hashtag it #cbqbakes

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    Hiya! I am Elizabeth Waterson, welcome to my treat-filled site. After spending 15 years in the restaurant industry and growing up baking, I wanted to share my love of baking with you all. My step-by-step tutorials will help you learn how to bake at home. Confessions of a Baking Queen (CBQ) has been featured in CBS LA, HuffPost Taste, BuzzFeed, Taste of Home, and more! Here you will find loads of sweet recipes with a few savory ones for good measure. Feel free to message me with any questions! Happy Baking! 

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