Anna Louise A chocolate loaf cake occupies a specific and wonderful niche in the baking repertoire. Not as elaborate as a layered celebration cake, not as light as a chocolate sponge sandwich — it is something denser, more compact, deeply moist, and completely satisfying in the way that a proper loaf cake always is.
Mary Berry’s chocolate loaf cake uses oil rather than butter for extra moistness — the same principle as the carrot cake and best apple cake on this site.
Oil stays liquid at room temperature and keeps the crumb moist for days. The bloomed cocoa gives extraordinary depth of chocolate flavour.
And a simple chocolate ganache poured over the cooled loaf sets to a glossy, slightly fudgy topping that makes this simple bake look and taste considerably more special than its ingredients suggest.
This is the chocolate cake for a weekday afternoon — for a cup of tea, for a packed lunch treat, for cutting into generous slices and sharing without ceremony.
Why This Chocolate Loaf Is Different
Oil instead of butter. This loaf is moist on day one and equally moist on day three. The oil is the reason. Butter gives flavour but oil gives lasting moisture — and in a loaf cake that will be eaten over several days, lasting moisture matters.
Soured cream in the batter. A generous amount of soured cream adds both moisture and a subtle tang that makes the chocolate flavour taste more complex and more interesting. It is the detail that makes people eat a slice and wonder what makes it taste so good without being able to identify it.
Ganache not buttercream. The ganache topping — dark chocolate and double cream — sets to a glossy, slightly firm coating that looks professional and tastes intensely chocolatey. It is far faster to make than buttercream and gives a far more elegant finish.
Ingredients for Mary Berry Chocolate Loaf Cake
For the Chocolate Loaf
- 75g good quality cocoa powder, sifted
- 6 tbsp boiling water
- 250ml sunflower oil
- 3 large eggs, beaten
- 250g caster sugar
- 200ml soured cream
- 225g plain flour, sifted
- 1½ tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- ½ tsp fine salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the Chocolate Ganache
- 150g dark chocolate (70% cocoa solids), finely chopped
- 150ml double cream
- 1 tbsp golden syrup
How to Make Mary Berry Chocolate Loaf Cake — Step by Step
Step 1 — Bloom the Cocoa
Mix the cocoa powder with the boiling water in a large bowl until a thick, smooth paste forms. Leave to cool for five minutes. This step is not optional — it releases the full aromatic compounds in the cocoa and gives a depth of chocolate flavour that adding dry cocoa directly to the batter cannot achieve.
Step 2 — Preheat and Prepare
Preheat your oven to 170°C / 150°C fan / Gas 3. Grease a 2lb (900g) loaf tin generously and line with baking parchment, leaving an overhang on both long sides for easy lifting.
Step 3 — Make the Batter
Add the sunflower oil, beaten eggs, caster sugar, soured cream, and vanilla extract to the cooled cocoa paste. Whisk together until completely combined — the mixture should be smooth and uniformly dark.
Sift the plain flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, and salt directly into the bowl. Fold gently with a large spatula until just combined — stop the moment no dry streaks of flour remain. The batter will be quite liquid. This is correct.
Step 4 — Bake
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin. It will fill it quite deeply — this is a generous, tall loaf.
Bake on the middle shelf for 55 to 65 minutes until the loaf is risen, set across the top, and a skewer inserted into the very centre comes out clean. At the 45-minute mark, check the top — if browning too quickly, cover loosely with baking parchment and continue baking until the centre is done.
Leave to cool in the tin for fifteen minutes. Lift out using the parchment sling and cool completely on a wire rack — at least one hour — before adding the ganache.
Step 5 — Make the Ganache
Place the finely chopped dark chocolate in a heatproof bowl. Heat the double cream and golden syrup together in a small saucepan until just simmering. Pour over the chopped chocolate. Leave for two minutes, then stir from the centre outwards until completely smooth and glossy.
Leave to cool for fifteen to twenty minutes until the ganache has thickened slightly — it should be pourable but not liquid.
Step 6 — Top with Ganache
Place the cooled loaf on a wire rack set over a baking tray — this catches the drips. Pour the cooled ganache slowly and evenly over the top of the loaf. Let it flow naturally down the sides. Leave to set at room temperature for at least thirty minutes before slicing.
My Top Tips For Mary Berry Chocolate Loaf Cake
Bloom the cocoa — always. The most important step in this recipe. Without it the loaf tastes of flour with a hint of chocolate. With it, the loaf tastes deeply, unmistakably of real chocolate.
Use soured cream at room temperature. Cold soured cream can make the batter lumpy when it meets the other wet ingredients. Take it out of the fridge thirty minutes before using.
Do not overbake. A chocolate loaf cake dries out quickly if left in the oven too long. Check at 55 minutes and remove as soon as the skewer comes out clean.
Cool completely before adding ganache. Even a slightly warm loaf melts the ganache immediately and it runs off rather than setting in place. One full hour on a wire rack minimum.
Pour the ganache from the centre of the loaf outwards. Starting at the centre and pouring in a steady stream gives the most even coverage. The natural flow of the ganache down the sides provides the coating without any spreading required.
The ganache sets at room temperature. Do not refrigerate to speed up setting — it can cause the ganache to set unevenly with a dull rather than glossy finish. Room temperature for at least thirty minutes.
Serving Suggestions
Sliced at room temperature with a cup of strong coffee — the most natural combination. As an afternoon tea cake that travels and keeps perfectly. As a simple pudding with a spoonful of crème fraîche alongside. Given as a gift wrapped in baking parchment — it looks beautiful and keeps for days.
How to Store Mary Berry Chocolate Loaf Cake
At room temperature: Store in an airtight container for up to 4 days. The oil in the batter keeps it moist throughout.
In the freezer: Freeze unglazed slices individually wrapped in cling film for up to 3 months. Defrost at room temperature and add fresh ganache if desired.
Mary Berry Chocolate Loaf Cake Recipe
Ingredients
Method
- Mix cocoa with boiling water to a smooth paste. Cool 5 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 170°C / 150°C fan / Gas 3. Grease and line a 2lb loaf tin with a parchment sling.
- Add oil, eggs, sugar, soured cream, and vanilla to cooled cocoa paste. Whisk until smooth and uniformly dark. Sift in flour, baking powder, bicarbonate of soda, and salt. Fold gently until just combined.
- Pour into tin. Bake 55–65 minutes until risen and skewer comes out clean. Cover top loosely if browning too quickly. Cool in tin 15 minutes. Lift out. Cool completely — at least 1 hour.
- Pour hot cream and golden syrup over chopped chocolate. Stand 2 minutes. Stir from centre until smooth. Cool 15–20 minutes until slightly thickened but still pourable.
- Set cooled loaf on a wire rack over a tray. Pour ganache over the centre and let it flow down the sides. Leave to set at room temperature 30 minutes before slicing.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I use butter instead of oil?
You can — replace the sunflower oil with 200g of melted unsalted butter. The loaf will be slightly less moist and will dry out slightly faster. Oil gives the best result for a loaf cake intended to be eaten over several days.
Can I use milk chocolate in the ganache?
Yes — milk chocolate gives a sweeter, creamier ganache. Use the same quantities. Reduce the golden syrup to half a tablespoon as milk chocolate is already sweeter.
Can I add coffee to intensify the chocolate flavour?
Yes — dissolve two teaspoons of instant espresso powder in the boiling water with the cocoa. Coffee does not make the loaf taste of coffee — it deepens and intensifies the chocolate flavour significantly.
Why has my loaf sunk in the middle?
The most common causes are underbaking, opening the oven door too early, or too much liquid. Do not open the door before 45 minutes and always do the skewer test before removing from the oven.
Can I use Greek yoghurt instead of soured cream?
Yes — full-fat Greek yoghurt gives a very similar result. Low-fat yoghurt gives a slightly less moist result.
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