Chocolate chips anything is a timeless classic that can do no wrong. Think of chocolate chip cookies, chocolate chip muffins, and why not a chocolate chip loaf cake too! This easy chocolate chip loaf cake is soft, buttery and moist, with plenty of chocolate chips running through every slice. Made with simple baking staples and no complicated decorating, it’s an easy everyday cake that’s perfect with coffee or tea.
In a nutshell, it’s a vanilla butter loaf, with light, tender crumbs and pockets of melty chocolate throughout. It’s a straightforward enough recipe if you are a beginner baker, and makes a lovely afternoon treat, dessert or simple bake for sharing.
Why You’ll Love This Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake
- Soft and moist: The buttery vanilla sponge stays tender while the chocolate chips add little pockets of melted chocolate.
- Simple ingredients: Everything you need is made up of everyday baking staples, so there are no unusual ingredients to hunt down.
- Beginner-friendly: The batter is straightforward to prepare and doesn’t require complicated cake-decorating skills.
- Perfect for sharing: Slice it up for afternoon tea, coffee breaks, gatherings or an easy homemade dessert.
- Easy to customise: Use milk, dark or semi-sweet chocolate chips, or add nuts and other flavourings to make it your own.
How to make Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake
Ingredients You Need
- Unsalted Butter – make sure it’s softened to room temperature. Soft butter creams more easily with the sugar, helping create a lighter cake texture.
- White Sugar – sweetens the loaf while helping create that lovely golden exterior.
- Eggs – give the cake structure and richness. Ideally, bring them to room temperature before baking.
- Self-raising Flour – if you don’t have self-raising flour, you can substitute plain flour with baking powder.
- Milk – loosens the batter and helps create a softer crumb. Whole milk is my preference, although semi-skimmed works too.
- Vanilla Extract – gives the vanilla cake base its warm, classic flavour.
- Sea Salt – a little pinch of salt helps to bring out the flavours and sweetness
- Chocolate Chips – milk, dark or semi-sweet chocolate all work, so choose according to how sweet you want the finished cake to be. I personally prefer using milk chocolate chips/chunks
Making Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake Step-by-Step
1. Cream the butter & sugar
Start by beating the softened butter and sugar together until pale, light and fluffy. Don’t rush this stage – creaming incorporates air into the mixture and helps give the loaf a lighter texture.
2. Add the eggs
Beat in the eggs until incorporated. Don’t worry if the mixture looks slightly curdled or lumpy at this stage.
3. Fold in flour
Sift in the self-raising flour and gently fold until mostly incorporated. Avoid aggressively beating the batter once you’ve added the flour.
If you don’t have self-raising flour, for this recipe, you can substitute it with the equivalent amount of plain flour + 1 teaspoon of baking powder.
4. Add the milk and flavourings
Gradually mix in the milk, followed by the vanilla and salt, until you have a thick but smooth cake batter.
5. Fold in the chocolate chips
Gently fold the chocolate chips through the batter until evenly distributed. Stop mixing once everything is combined.
6. Bake
Transfer the batter to your prepared loaf tin and smooth out the top. Sprinkle a few extra chocolate chips over the surface if you want that chocolate-studded bakery-style finish.
Bake in a preheated oven at 180°C / 356°F until beautifully golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. Allow the cake to rest in the tin for around 15 minutes before transferring it to a wire rack.
Tips for the Best Moist Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake
- Use properly softened butter. Your butter should be soft enough that your finger leaves a slight indent when pressed, but it shouldn’t look greasy or melted. Properly softened butter creams with sugar much more effectively, helping give the cake a lighter texture. I usually leave mine at room temperature for around an hour before baking.
- Don’t overmix the batter. Once you’ve added the flour, mix only until everything is combined. Overmixing encourages gluten development and can leave the loaf denser and tougher instead of soft and tender.
- Keep ingredients at room temperature. Ideally, your butter, eggs and milk should all be at room temperature. This helps the ingredients combine more smoothly and creates a more even cake batter.
- Don’t overbake. Loaf cakes can dry out when they’re baked for too long. Start checking the centre towards the end of the baking time. A skewer should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs rather than wet cake batter.
- Let the cake cool before slicing. Leave the loaf in its tin for around 15 minutes after baking before transferring it to a wire rack. Allowing it to set makes the cake easier to remove and slice without falling apart.
How to Store Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake
Once completely cool, store the loaf in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 to 5 days. You can keep it whole or slice it beforehand for easy serving.
Can You Freeze Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake?
Yes, you can absolutely freeze the chocolate chip loaf cake! Allow the cake to cool completely, then wrap the whole loaf securely or freeze individual slices. Individual portions are particularly handy because you can defrost only as much cake as you need. Allow frozen cake to thaw at room temperature before serving.
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Equipment
- 1 Mixing Bowl
- 1 Spatula
- 1 Loaf Cake Tin
- 1 Flour Sieve
Ingredients
- 175 g Unsalted Butter softened at room temperature
- 150 g White Sugar
- 2 Eggs
- 225 g Self-raising Flour (sieved) or use the equivalent amount of Plain Flour (All-purpose Flour) + 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 160 ml (â…” cup) Milk
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract
- ¼ tsp Sea Salt
- 130 g Chocolate Chips / Chunks
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 180°C / 356°F.
- In a large mixing bowl, cream together butter and sugar until light and fluffy.150 g White Sugar, 175 g Unsalted Butter
- Whisk in eggs. Don't worry if the mixture appears to be slightly lumpy.2 Eggs
- Sift in self-raising flour and mix to combine.225 g Self-raising Flour (sieved)
- Slowly mix in milk until combined.160 ml (â…” cup) Milk
- Add vanilla extract and sea salt, and fold in chocolate chips.1 tsp Vanilla Extract, ¼ tsp Sea Salt, 130 g Chocolate Chips / Chunks
- Bake for 45–50 minutes, or until the loaf is golden and a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs.
- Allow the cake to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before carefully transferring to a wire rack.
Notes
- Make sure your butter has been left to soften at room temperature for an hour before starting the recipe. This would have a huge impact on the texture of the cake. The butter should be soft to touch, e.g. creating a slight indent when poking against it but not sinking into it.
- If you don’t have self-raising flour, substitute with the equivalent amount of plain flour + 1 tsp baking powder.
- Do not overmix the batter.
- Allow the cake to rest and set before removing it from the loaf tin.
- For any leftovers, you can store the loaf cake slices in an airtight container for up to five days at room temperature.
- Alternatively, you can freeze individual slices after the cake has sufficiently cooled down.Â
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