Chocolate Ganache Loaf Cake is the easiest cake to make, frost, and eat. Light, fluffy, but moist as ever chocolate cake is baked into a loaf pan and topped with the thickest, richest chocolate ganache! This treat is simply irresistible and an easy and reliable bake if you don't have a ton of time or energy!
Ingredient Notes
- All Purpose Flour: Measuring your flour correctly is SO important! Scoop spoonfuls of flour into your measuring cups and take a knife or spoon to level off the tops. DO NOT pack your flour into your measuring cups, as you will end up with dry cake!
- Unsweetened Cocoa Powder: I use Hershey brand! I have not used anything other than natural cocoa powder in this recipe, and I do not recommend baking with dutch processed, as it will likely interact with the leavening agents differently to create a less-than-ideal result!
- Baking Soda + Baking Powder: Do not substitute one for the other. They are not interchangeable! Both baking soda and baking powder work together to help this loaf rise and to create its gorgeous texture.
- Buttermilk: Buttermilk helps create a light, airy texture! It reacts with the baking soda to create the most gorgeous moisture! Using regular milk will impact this cake's texture.
- Boiling Water: Boiling water is my new best friend in chocolate cake. It deepens the chocolate flavor and truly makes the cake so rich!
Chocolate Ganache
Chocolate ganache is the PERFECT addition to this cake. If you've never had chocolate ganache, it's the richest chocolate topping and perfect for so many different treats. Depending on the ratio of heavy whipping cream to chocolate chips, type of chocolate, and stage, ganache can be different textures! It can be a thin glaze, a whipped frosting, a thick truffle.... the possibilities are truly endless!
This chocolate ganache starts thicker than a ganache that is used as a drizzle, but it's not as thick as a ganache that can be rolled into a truffle. Immediately after making the ganache, pour it on top of your cooled loaf. I recommend putting the loaf in the fridge before serving, though you are welcome to serve it with the fresh, unset ganache!
Cake Tips
- Heavily spray and line your pan: You'll want to both grease and line your pan with parchment paper. Breaking a loaf is truly the most disappointing thing, but it CAN be prevented even with lower-quality pans!
- Follow the recipe: This recipe is a result of tests, experience, and science! Do not make any substitutions, as you will not end up with the same cake!
- Let the cake cool: Listen... I understand you might be in a rush or you may simply be eager to dive into this loaf cake, but I'm telling you that letting this cake cool before topping it with ganache and slicing will be so worth it. Even though this cake should be put in the fridge to stiffen the ganache, putting a warm cake in the fridge is NOT a good idea. It will change the texture of the cake!
Recipe FAQ
To my knowledge, the only difference between loaf cake and regular cake is the fact that loaf cake is baked in a loaf pan. Traditional loaf pans are 9x5 inches. There is, however, a huge difference between loaf cake and pound cake, as pound cake is much denser and has a very specific ratio of ingredients!
This cake's moisture comes from a few special ingredients: vegetable oil, buttermilk, and sour cream. Using vegetable oil in cake helps cakes to be and stay moist while buttermilk and sour cream react with baking soda to create a lighter, moister crumb! To make sure you have an ultra-moist cake, do not overmix when combining the dry ingredients with the wet, and only bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with a few moist crumbs!
Chocolate ganache is a mixture of heavy whipping cream and chocolate chips. At different ratios of the ingredients and different stages in sitting, it can be completely different textures! In this recipe, we use a thicker ganache that sets in the fridge to be soft but stable.
Storing and Serving Ganache Loaf Cake
Though the recipe instructs you to put the loaf cake with the fresh ganache in the fridge to set, you can serve it without popping it in the fridge. It will definitely be messier since the ganache won't be as thick, but it will be just as delicious!
Store this cake in the fridge. Ganache can not be left out at room temperature for longer than a day, and luckily, this loaf does not lose any moisture in the fridge.
You can freeze this loaf. After refrigerating the loaf for at least an hour, wrap the entire cake in two layers of cling wrap and store safely in the freezer. You can also freeze the loaf in individual slices. Simply slice the cake after it has firmed up in the fridge and wrap each slice in at least two layers of cling wrap. Place the wrapped slices in a zippable bag and store for up to 2 months!
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Chocolate Ganache Loaf Cake
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Chill Time: 30 minutes:
- Cook Time: 40 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Yield: 9x5 loaf 1x
- Category: Chocolate, Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Ganache
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
Chocolate Ganache Loaf Cake is the easiest cake to make, frost, and eat. Light, fluffy, moist chocolate cake is baked into a loaf pan and topped with the thickest, richest chocolate ganache!
Ingredients
For the Cake
- 1 ¼ cup (175g) all purpose flour
- ½ cup (48g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon (7g) baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon (1g) baking powder
- ½ teaspoon (4g) salt
- ¾ cup (160g) granulated sugar
- ⅓ cup (80g) light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs (100g), room temperature
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- ⅓ cup (78g) buttermilk, room temperature
- ¼ cup (60g) sour cream, room temperature
- ⅓ cup (67g) vegetable oil
- ½ cup (110g) boiling water
For the Ganache
- 2 cups (350g) dark chocolate chips (about 12oz)
- 1 cup (215g) heavy whipping cream
Instructions
For the Cake
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Line a 9×5 inch loaf pan with parchment paper and heavily spray with cooking spray to prevent the loaf from sticking and breaking when removing it from the pan!
- In a medium bowl, whisk all purpose flour, unsweetened cocoa powder, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together.
- In a large bowl, whisk granulated sugar, light brown sugar, room temperature eggs, pure vanilla extract, buttermilk, sour cream, and vegetable oil together until fully combined and smooth.
- Alternate adding the dry ingredients and boiling water to the large bowl of wet ingredients. Start and end with the dry ingredients. Whisk only until the dry ingredients disappear, as overmixing will lead to drier cake!
- Bake loaf for 38-45 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center of the loaf will come out with moist crumbs and the top will spring back when poked!
- Let loaf cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes before transferring to a wire cooling rack to finish cooling.
For the Ganache
- Once the loaf has cooled, begin preparing ganache!
- In a medium/large heat proof bowl, add dark chocolate chips.
- In a medium saucepan, heat heavy cream over medium heat on the stove until the cream starts to simmer. Do not let the cream reach a boil.
- Remove the cream from the stove and immediately pour it over the chocolate chips. Push the chocolate under the heavy cream. Let the mixture sit for 3 minutes uncovered. uncovered
- Using a rubber spatula or wire whisk, start by making small circles in the center of the bowl. Continue making a swirl motion and slowly begin working outside the center of the bowl as the mixture combines.
For Assembly
- Once the cake has fully cooled, pour the ganache on top of the loaf. It will be thick but will likely spread over the sides… this is fine!
- Spread the ganache with a knife
- Put the loaf in the fridge, uncovered, for 30 minutes before slicing and serving. If you are not serving the loaf until later, cover it in an airtight container or with plastic wrap.
Keywords: Chocolate Ganache, Ganache Cake, Loaf Cake, Chocolate Cake, Chocolate Dessert
Mary Fraher says
Very easy and quick to make without any fuss or mess. Turned out perfect and was eaten in no time. Not too rich or sweet.
★★★★★
Elise says
Thank you so much for leaving a review, Mary! I am so glad you enjoyed it!
Sally says
This is the most moist chocolate loaf o ever made! Got loads of compliments from guests and it was finished to the last crumb! Thanks for the lovely and easy recipe. P.s we don’t have buttermilk in sweden so I replaced it with diluted yoghurt 🙂 worked well
★★★★★
Elise says
Yay! Thank you so much, Sally! It makes me so happy to hear that the loaf was enjoyed! I so appreciate you leaving such a kind review!
Swaleeha says
Hi could we use greek yoghurt instead of sourcream?
Elise says
Hi Swaleeha! Yes, you can use greek yogurt! Just make sure it's at room temperature 🙂
Lindsey says
Made this today and it was SO delicious!! Very easy to make and just perfect in every way. My entire family loved it so much that the entire loaf is almost gone haha! Thanks for such a yummy recipe Elise 🙂
★★★★★
Elise says
Yay! This makes me so happy, Lindsey! Thank you for leaving such a sweet review!
Lynne says
I've made this loaf cake twice now, and everyone who tasted it love it! It's so rich, tender, & moist, and I love that it's a medium size kind of in between a 1 and 2 layer cake. Being a loaf cake also makes it easy to transport, and I feel less pressure to have to do any fancy decorations!
I used the ganache the first time I made this, and I really liked how it tasted & how it made the cake look so shiny & pretty. This was the first time I'd made ganache, and I don't know why I haven't before because it was so easy! The second time though I used a simple chocolate buttercream since I didn't have ingredients for the ganache, and that worked very well too. It was plenty chocolatey, plus it didn't have to be refrigerated!
★★★★★
Logan says
The prep time took a little longer for me, but it turned out great! Is the ganache suppose to harden?
★★★★★
Elise says
Hi, Logan! I'm so glad the cake turned out well for you! Yes, the ganache should firm up as it sets and will become a fudgy texture!