This moist chocolate chip loaf cake only needs 9 ingredients and is so simple to make. This easy loaf cake is buttery and soft and loaded up with mini chocolate chips. I topped the cake with a delicious chocolate ganache!
Save This Recipe! 💌
I'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
This recipe was originally published in April 2021, it has since been updated with an improved recipe and new images.
This easy chocolate chip cake is based off of my marble loaf cake recipe. It's a very simple pound cake made with creamed butter and sugar. It's perfect for when you want an easy dessert for the whole family!
Jump to:
Tell me about this recipe!
- This is like a traditional pound cake but loaded up with chocolate chips!
- This homemade chocolate chip loaf cake is super soft and moist because of the sour cream in the batter.
- You only need 9 ingredients for this recipe. It is made with simple and basic ingredients that you probably already have in your pantry!
- I used mini chocolate chips. Because of their size, they are less likely to sink to the bottom during baking.
- Once the loaf cake is cool, top it with a homemade chocolate ganache.
Ingredient Notes
- Sour Cream: sour cream makes this cake extra moist and soft. If you don't have sour cream you could substitute it for full fat yogurt.
- Butter: I am using unsalted butter in this recipe. I also use European style butter which has a higher butterfat content.
- Flour: this recipe has only been tested with all purpose flour.
- Mini Chocolate Chips: be sure to use mini chocolate chips for this cake! I tested it with regular chocolate chips but found that most of them sank while baking. I also tested this with dark chocolate chips but I think it would taste delicious with milk chocolate chips too.
How to make this recipe
Step 1: In a bowl, whisk together your flour, baking powder and salt. Set the flour mixture aside.
Step 2: In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, or using a hand mixer and a large mixing bowl, beat your butter until it soft and creamy on medium-high speed. Add your sugar and beat on high speed for 4 minutes, you want it to be light and fluffy. Add your vanilla extract.
Step 3: Add your eggs one at a time, beating well after each addition on medium speed. Make sure that you scrape the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula so all of the batter is getting mixed.
Step 4: Add in your dry ingredients and beat until just combined on low speed. Then add in your sour cream and beat once more. Fold in your chocolate chips by hand.
Step 5: Pour the batter into a prepared loaf pan that is greased and lined with parchment paper. Tap the cake a few times on your counter to remove any bubbles and sprinkle extra chocolate chips on top of the loaf. Bake at 325 degrees for 75-85 minutes. A toothpick inserted should come out with just a few crumbs. Let it cool for 15 minutes or so in the pan, then remove it from the pan and let it cool completely on a wire rack.
Step 6: In a medium bowl, microwave your heavy cream until it is steaming. Take it out of the microwave and add in your chopped chocolate. Let it sit for a few minutes, then whisk until smooth. Let it sit until it is a spreadable consistency, it took about 15 minutes for me but may take longer for you.
Recipe Tips & Tricks
- I highly recommend using a weighing scale and measuring out your ingredients the metric way. It makes a huge difference to your baking and is the most accurate way to bake!
- If you aren't weighing your ingredients and are using a measuring cup, then use the fluff and sprinkle method to measure your flour. Go to this link here to find out how to do that. If you use too much flour, then you won't have those delicious moist crumbs!
- Make sure all of your ingredients, including the sour cream, are at room temperature before you start baking.
- It is especially important that your butter is at room temperature. If the butter is too cold, it can't be creamed properly with the sugar and the sugar won't dissolve. Your loaf won't be as soft and the batter won't be thick enough to keep the chocolate chips from sinking.
- If your loaf cake is browning too much in the oven, cover it with aluminum foil.
Frequently Asked Questions
This is always tricky with loaf cakes that have mix ins! This is a pretty thick batter, but some of the chocolate chips will fall to the bottom of the loaf. I toss my chocolate chips in a bit of flour before mixing them into the batter.
You can substitute the sour cream for full fat yogurt. I don't recommend using whole milk though as the batter won't be thick enough for the chocolate chips.
Keep the loaf in an airtight container or wrapped in plastic wrap for up to 4 days.
Try these recipes next!
Have you made this recipe? Make sure to tag me on Instagram @alpineella and leave a review below if you have! If you want more baking ideas, you can follow me on Pinterest.
Recipe
Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake
Equipment
- 8.5"x4.5" loaf pan
Ingredients
- 1 ¼ cup (160 grams) all-purpose flour
- ½ (½ teaspoon) kosher salt
- ¼ (¼ teaspoon) baking powder
- 2 sticks (226 grams) unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 ½ cup (300 grams) granulated sugar
- 3 (3) eggs room temperature
- ½ cup (120 grams) sour cream room temperature
- 2 (2 teaspoon) vanilla extract
- 1 cup (170 grams) mini chocolate chips
Chocolate Ganache
- 4 oz (113 grams) semisweet chocolate chopped
- ½ cup (120 ml) heavy cream
- pinch (pinch) salt
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 325°F/167°C. Generously butter your loaf pan and line it with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- In a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter for 1 minute on high speed. It should be smooth and creamy.
- Add your sugar and beat on high speed for 4 minutes. You want it to be very light and airy. Add the vanilla extract.
- Add your eggs one at a time, beating for 1 minute after each new addition and scraping down the bowl well before each addition.
- Add the dry ingredients and beat slowly. As soon as there are just a few streaks of flour, stop the mixer. Pour in your sour cream and beat until just combined. Turn off the mixer and fold it by hand until there are no more pockets of flour or sour cream left
- Fold in your chocolate chips gently, but keep a small handful to the side.
- Pour the batter into your prepared loaf pan. Tap the loaf pan on your countertop a few times to get rid of any air bubbles. Sprinkle over your remaining chocolate chips.
- Bake for 75-85 minutes, a tester should come out clean. After 20 minutes, take out of the pan and let cool completely.
- In a small saucepan, bring your heavy cream to a simmer (not a boil!). Place your chopped chocolate in a medium bowl, and pour the heavy cream on top. Leave for 3 minutes. With a rubber spatula, swirl the two together until it is completely smooth. Note, you can also do this in a microwave! Sprinkle over your salt. Let it sit until it is a harder consistency, about 15 minutes. Spread on top of your loaf
Save This Recipe! 💌
I'll email this recipe to you, so you can come back to it later!
Andrea says
can I add cacao powder to make it extra chocolately ?
Ella says
If you want a more chocolatey loaf cake I recommend making my marble loaf cake instead!
Nansy says
Very easy and it taste so good!! I didn't have sour cream and I used greek yogurt (since I am from Greece 😉 It was really good!! I am going to make it again. Thank you so much for the recipe!!
Ella says
Thank you so much for your review! 🙂
Sarah says
Absolutely love making this cake. Made it twice now and my chocolate chips fall to the bottom of the batter while baking each time. How do I stop this? Thanks xx
Ella says
I'm so sorry to hear that! There might be a few reasons: are you using regular sized chips or mini chips? Sometimes using regular sized ones they go down to the bottom! You can also toss the chips in a bit of flour to help them not sink. Are you using metric measurements or cup measurements? We want to make sure the batter is super thick to stop them from falling, so using metric measurements is always best to make it accurate! Finally, one trick I do for chip or fruit loaves where I notice they sink to the bottom, I pour some of the batter at the bottom of the pan, then I fold in the chips to the rest of the batter and then pour that on top. It gives a bit of a 'cushion'! You can also sprinkle more of them on top of the loaf just before baking, so those chips are more likely to stay towards the top.
Nicole says
Made this with my granddaughter. So easy to make. Only problem was she couldn’t wait for it to cool down.
Then she demolished it! She gives you 10/10.
Will says
Beautiful loaf cake. The chocolate chips make an already great cake taste even better.
Fifi says
This was really good! It was very chocolatey and the texture came out perfectly. The taste of the cake itself is kind of lost and you can't really taste it, but overall it was a really easy recipe and turned out well.
Gabriela says
This was sooo good and couldn't be easier to make! 10/10 going to make this again, thank you for the recipe!
Ella says
Thank you so much Gabby!!