My Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake is one of the easiest cakes you will ever make and is certain to become a family favourite. The cake is filled with chocolate chips, accompanied by the warm flavour and fragrance of ground cinnamon. We finish the cake with a simple cinnamon glaze. Serve it any time of day, from an easy breakfast, for morning tea, an afternoon snack, through to an evening dessert.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
- This is a tender, moist cake, full of flavour and with lots of chocolate chips in each slice.
- There is a gluten-free option; just use a gluten-free flour blend that contains xanthan gum and check that the chocolate chips are gluten-free.
- Nothing quite beats the aroma of a cake as it is baking. There is a feeling of comfort and warmth and pleasurable anticipation of a just baked homemade cake.
- As well, when you make a cake yourself, you control the quality of the ingredients. There are no unnecessary preservatives or additives that may be in commercially prepared cakes.
- This Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake is a great addition to your baking repertoire. It is perfect for those times when you want a cake that you can prepare with a minimum of effort, and yet will provide maximum satisfaction. And we all have those times!
Recipe Inspiration: This is one of my favourite loaf cakes that I have developed. The combination of warming cinnamon and chocolate chips is one of my favourites!
Ingredients and Substitutions:
Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.
- Plain/all-purpose flour – this is a versatile flour, suitable for general use. It does not contain a raising agent.
- Caster/superfine sugar – a fine granulated sugar. It incorporates more easily into the batter, giving the cake a finer texture.
- Baking powder – this is the raising agent; it is not the same as baking soda.
- Sea salt – just a small amount enhances the flavours of the cake.
- Ground cinnamon – this warm spice is a great accompaniment to the chocolate chips; it adds gentle spice and aroma.
- Milk chocolate chips – add great flavour and texture. Check that they are gluten-free if necessary.
- Unsalted butter – we use unsalted butter so that we can control the amount of salt. The amount of salt in salted butter varies enormously.
- Vanilla extract – for the best flavour use vanilla naturally extracted from the vanilla bean, not artificially flavoured.
- Eggs – we use large free-range eggs.
- Sour cream – for the best result, we use full-fat sour cream. It adds moisture and gives the loaf cake a smooth, tender texture.
- Icing/powdered sugar – is combined with ground cinnamon and mixed with water to form a glaze for the top of the loaf cake.
Variations:
Plain/all-purpose flour – use gluten-free if preferred but ensure the gluten-free flour blend you use contains xanthan gum.
Chocolate chips – we have used milk chocolate chips, but you can use dark if you prefer.
Orange zest – would be a good addition, it goes well with cinnamon and chocolate.
How To Make a Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake:
Please see the recipe card further along in the post for exact quantities of ingredients and the full method.
1 – Combine your dry ingredients:
In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, sea salt, ground cinnamon and chocolate chips and toss until combined.
2 – Combine your wet ingredients:
In a smaller bowl, combine the melted butter, vanilla, eggs and sour cream and whisk until the mixture is smooth.
3 – Combine the two mixtures:
Add your wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just combined. The mixture will be very thick.
4 – Put your batter in the prepared tin:
Add the batter to your prepared tin and smooth the top using a knife or off-set spatula. Tap the tin a few times gently on the kitchen bench to remove any air bubbles.
Bake in the preheated oven. Allow the cake to cool before preparing the glaze.
Make the glaze by combining the icing sugar/powdered sugar, cinnamon, and a little water to make a mixture with a consistency that will allow you to drizzle over the cake.
Tips for Success, Storage and FAQs:
Yes, you certainly can. The addition of sour cream in the cake will ensure it stays moist.
Store the cake in an airtight container in a cool, dry location for up to 3 days. If the weather is humid, or you want to keep the loaf longer, store in an airtight container in the fridge for 5 days. Return to room temperature to serve.
Yes, it freezes well. For convenience, I recommend that you cut the Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Bread into thick slices and wrap it individually in cling wrap. Store in an airtight container for up to 3 months. This way you can remove a slice whenever it suits you. If you can’t wait for it to defrost, you can give it a short time in the microwave and serve it warm. Some cream would be a great addition to serve alongside!
To begin, use a piece of kitchen paper to thoroughly grease the base and sides of the tin. Butter is more effective than oil for this purpose as it adheres better to the baking paper, helping keep it in place. Then, cut a strip of baking paper to fit the base and go up the longer sides of the tin, with enough to have a small overhang, just enough for you to grip to lift the loaf from the tin. Leave an overhang of about 2 ½ cm (1 inch) on each side and trim the paper if necessary. Make sure the two small ends of the tin are greased with butter, so there is no risk of the loaf sticking. If you are unsure of your tin, cut two smaller pieces of baking paper to fit the ends and press them firmly to fit against the base paper.
Top Tip:
For the best result, have all your ingredients prepared before you start, and have them all at cool room temperature. This will help the ingredients to amalgamate smoothly.
After you add the wet ingredients to the dry, mix just until all the ingredients are smoothly combined. It is important to not over-mix the batter.
Serving Suggestions:
We like to serve the Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake with a simple cinnamon glaze as in the recipe, but you can give it a dusting of icing/powdered sugar if you prefer.
This simple quick bread is extremely versatile:
- Serve it for morning or afternoon tea, for brunch, take to potlucks, pack into a lunchbox, or enjoy as an after-school snack.
- Enjoy it as an easy dessert, served warm with our No-Churn Vanilla Ice Cream.
- It is also an ideal and very welcome edible gift for someone you care about.
This Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake will be a great addition to your repertoire. It is one of the easiest cakes that you will ever make. Full of chocolate chips, complemented by the warmth of cinnamon, this is a moist, tender cake that will be loved by family and friends.
Alex xx
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Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake
Please note:
For accuracy, when weights are provided, we recommend weighing your ingredients. This will produce the best results. All oven temperatures listed are for fan forced.
Ingredients
For the Cinnamon Loaf:
- 250 g (1 & ⅔ cups) plain/all-purpose flour See Note 1
- 200 g (1 cup) caster/superfine sugar
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 200 g (1 & ¼ cups) milk chocolate chips See Note 2
- 120 g (½ cup) unsalted butter – melted and allowed to cool
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs – at room temperature
- 180 g (¾ cup) full-fat sour cream – at room temperature
For the Glaze:
- 90 g (⅔ cup) icing/powdered sugar – sifted if necessary
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4-5 teaspoon water – until desired consistency is reached
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 180 degrees C (355 degrees F).
- Grease and line a 8.5 x 4.5 inch (21.5 x 11.5 cm) loaf tin – leave a little overhang of baking paper for easy removal.My tin has a depth of 2.5 inches (6.35 cm).
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, sugar, baking powder, sea salt and ground cinnamon and stir to combine. Add the chocolate chips to the dry ingredients and toss to coat.
- In a smaller bowl, combine the cooled melted butter, vanilla, eggs and sour cream and whisk until the mixture is smooth.
- Add your wet ingredients to the dry and stir until just combined. The mixture will be very thick.
- Add the cake batter to your prepared tin, and smooth out using an off-set spatula. Tap the tin a few times gently on the kitchen bench to get any air bubbles out.
- Bake in your preheated oven for 45-55 minutes – my cake took 48 minutes -until a skewer comes out cleanly.
- Cool for 15 minutes in the tin before gently removing to a cooling rack. I find it easier to slightly tilt the tin to the left over the rack and pull the paper as I gently ease the cake out.
- Allow the Cinnamon Loaf to cool completely before adding the glaze.Make the glaze by combining the powdered/icing sugar and ground cinnamon with water, until the desired consistency is achieved.Once the glaze has set, slice the cake into 8 pieces.
Notes
- Measurements: for the most accurate measurements when baking, we suggest you weigh your ingredients.
- Chocolate chips: you can use dark chocolate chips if you prefer, or a combination.
- Storage: should there happen to be any leftovers, store them at cool room temperature in an airtight container for up to 3 days. But if the climate is hot, store the container in the fridge.
- Freezing: wrap in cling wrap and then in foil or place in an airtight container for up to 3 months. You may find it more convenient to freeze and wrap individual slices. Make sure they are well wrapped to prevent freezer burn and bring to room temperature for serving.
Nutrition Estimate:
Nutritional Disclaimer:
The nutritional information is an estimate only, and is derived from online calculators. For accurate results, we recommend calculating the nutritional information based on the ingredients and brands you use.
Monique Crusius
I made Cake step by step and found that very easy. BUT it was NOT a thick dough like it was mentioned although we used all the correct measurements. All the Chocolate buds went to the bottom of the Cake and gave it a “Toffee like” bottom.
It’s edible but I won’t make it again as I couldn’t serve it up to Visitors
Alexandra Cook
Hi Monique,
I am sorry you had this issue – I can understand this is frustrating.
I make this recipe most weeks, and it is definitely a thick cake batter. If you have a look at the process shots in the blog post – specifically photo number 3, you can see how it should look.
If yours wasn’t thick, then it does sound like something was measured differently. Did you weigh your ingredients for the best accuracy, and were any changes to the recipe made?
Did you toss the chocolate chips in the dry ingredients first? This will help prevent them from going to the bottom of the cake.
I am sorry I can’t be of more help – I have not encountered this issue before with this recipe.
Kind regards, Alex
Laura
Cake was incredible! Batter was thick enough to hold the spoon upright. Guests loved it and ran away with the leftovers so will have to bake another!
Alexandra Cook
So happy to hear you enjoyed this recipe, Laura 🙂
I appreciate you taking the time to leave a comment!
Alex xo
Cassie
This is so yummy! It’s also very dangerous as I could not stop at one slither 😂 highly recommend
Alexandra Cook
Thank you, Cassie!! 🙂 xo