With
all the cold and snow outside, I’ve been longing for some warmth and coziness
in the house. And there’s nothing better
than some good ol’ baking and a dense, fudgy effortless Chocolate Loaf Cake to sooth you on icy, winter days. Even if you’re not particularly keen on
chocolate you’ll easily and unequivocally appreciate this dreamy
concoction. You won’t be able to resist
it, I guarantee it. One bite and you’ll
be craving more, not to mention all the points you’ll score with everyone in
the family. And, yes, you’ll be adding
another solid brick to the chocolate repertoire!
This
cake is the epitome of all things chocolate.
It’s so plain and easy to whip up yet intensely elaborate tastewise
conveying a heady, damp (as Nigella might say), chocolatey aroma. It’s almost like gingerbread: slightly
sticky, borderline soggy and very, very tasty.
Nigella’s recipe doesn’t call for toasted walnuts but I tossed them in
the mix for that subtle and distinct crunch kick that elevates the flavor and
chocolate intensity of this wonderful dessert.
This
is not your elegant, sensual and seductive chocolate cake, and it probably
wouldn’t excel in a beauty pageant. I
mean, the thing is more than likely to collapse in the middle while it bakes. But if you’re willing to overlook the less
than appealing appearance, you’ll be in for a mouthwatering ride; this cake
with rock your world.
The Chocolate Loaf Cake is absolutely
lovely with coffee or tea or whipped cream or ice cream or simply by
itself. And it will make for a great
sweet treat during the highly anticipated Super Bowl Sunday. Enjoy!
Dense Chocolate Loaf Cake
Adapted
from How to Be a Domestic Goddess by
Nigella Lawson
Makes:
8-10 slices
Ingredients:
·
1 cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
·
1 2/3 cups dark or light brown sugar
·
2 large eggs, at room temperature
·
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
·
4 ounces best bittersweet chocolate, melted
·
1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
·
1 teaspoon baking soda
·
1 cup plus 2 Tablespoons boiling water
·
½ cup walnuts, toasted and chopped
Instructions:
Preheat
the oven to 375ºF. Grease and line a 9 x
5-inch loaf pan. The lining is important
as this is a very damp cake: use parchment paper, heavy duty aluminum foil or
one of those loaf-pan-shaped paper liners.
In a
large bowl, cream the butter and sugar, with an electric hand-held mixer, then
add the eggs and vanilla, beating well. Next, fold in the melted and now slightly
cooled chocolate, taking care to blend well but being careful not to
overbeat. You want the ingredients
combined: you don’t want a lightly airy mass.
Then gently add the flour, to which you’ve added the baking soda,
alternately spoon by spoon, with the boiling water until you have a smooth and
fairly liquid batter.
Pour
the batter into the lined loaf pan.
Sprinkle the walnut pieces on top.
Bake for 30 minutes. Turn the
oven down to 325ºF and continue to cook for another 15 minutes. The cake will still be a bit squidgy inside,
so an inserted cake tester or skewer won’t come out completely clean.
Place
the loaf pan on a rack, and leave to get completely cold before turning it
out. (If you leave it for a day or so:
like gingerbread, it improves.) Don’t
worry if it sinks in the middle: indeed, it will do so because it’s such a
dense and damp cake.
Poftă
Bună! (Bon Appétit!)
