Chocolate chip loaf cake is delicious and chock-full of chocolate chips in every bite. Because it's smaller and faster than a standard layer or sheet cake, this easy butter cake is manageable and convenient. There's no need for elaborate decorating, as each slice is topped with a fudge-like chocolate peanut butter topping. It's perfect for a tiny special event like Mother's Day, Father's Day, Valentine's Day, or whenever you want a treat with your coffee, tea, or tall glass of milk!

Have you ever tried a treat from Entenmann's or TastyKake? Breakfast pastries, donuts, donut holes, dessert cakes, and other store-bought confections come to mind. So, we fashioned our own version of those store-bought sweets. The idea was to construct a basic and scaled-down chocolate chip cake, but tasting this took us back to our youth nibbling on chocolate frosted donuts, which was completely unintentional.

Details on the Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake

Texture: This is a really moist butter cake that has been scaled down to fit into a loaf pan. I tweaked the recipe from our raspberry swirl pound cake, but made it considerably lighter for today's version. You'll notice that there are fewer eggs and butter in the batter, as well as the addition of milk to lighten it up. This is a pound cake with a VERY light crumb. It's best to slice it when it's still warm, so the chocolate chips are particularly melty.

This chocolate chip loaf cake is delicious if you like butter and chocolate. We recommend using micro chocolate chips so that each bite has dozens of chips. You can leave the loaf cake simple, but we didn't think it was a bad idea to top it with a glossy chocolate peanut butter glaze. Yes, this loaf cake is almost flawless.

Ease: We've got a simple butter cake on our hands, and the good news is that it doesn't require any crazy assembling or intricate embellishment. All of the ingredients and equipment (mixer, loaf pan) are very conventional for a baking recipe. We always love a simple dessert that packs a punch.

Time: This recipe will take a few hours to prepare, including batter preparation, baking, and cooling.

Directions

01.Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and generously grease a 9×5 inch loaf pan.

02.Make the cake: Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.

03.Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle or whisk attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the eggs and beat on high speed for 1 minute, then beat in the sour cream and vanilla extract.

04.Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. The mixture will be very lumpy and appear curdled– that’s ok. Pour the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients. Turn the mixer to low speed and as the mixer runs, slowly pour in the milk. Beat on low speed just until all of the ingredients are combined. Do not over-mix. You may need to whisk it all by hand to make sure there are no large lumps at the bottom of the bowl. The batter will be slightly thick. Gently fold in the chocolate chips.

05.Pour and spread batter evenly into prepared loaf pan. Bake for about 60-75 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. That time is a guideline— all ovens differ, so keep a close eye on the cake after 55 minutes. If the cake is browning too quickly on top, loosely tent with aluminum foil as it bakes.

06.Cool cake in the pan set on a wire rack for at least 1 hour before removing from the pan. Feel free to continue cooling it directly on a wire rack or slice and enjoy then. (It will still be slightly warm.) You can drizzle the topping on the cake when the cake is still slightly warm after that 1 hour of cooling or wait until the cake has cooled completely to top it.

07.Optional Topping: Stir and melt chocolate chips and peanut butter together in a small saucepan over medium heat on the stove or in a heatproof bowl using the microwave. We usually use the microwave and melt in 30 second increments, stirring after each until smooth. Drizzle over cake. Topping sets into a fudge-like consistency after several hours.

08.Cover leftovers tightly and store cake (with or without topping) at room temperature for 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.