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Vegan Chocolate Loaf Cake

This vegan chocolate loaf cake is a version of a classic vegan chocolate cake but packed with whole-grain flour and baked in a loaf pan. Rich and chocolatey, with the option to add chopped bittersweet chocolate.

I was on solo baby-minding duty for some days (and nights; oh, we mustn’t forget the nights) last week so to reward myself I grabbed what miles I could on the treadmill (welcome to my new life, which does not currently include trail running) and stayed up too late reading with cups of rooibos tea (worth it). I also decided that I must have, that I absolutely needed, a sweet for my late mornings after the stamina of the 8a bowl of oats faded but it wasn’t yet time for lunch. A friend very kindly brought me some pastries on Friday but while they were lovely and hit the spot the weather had been funny. Lots of fog. A bit cool. Almost San Francisco-like if you squinted hard enough. The kind of weather that called for a dark, fudgy, rich bit of chocolate.

I have a standard vegan chocolate cake that I’ve been making for years, probably since the first one I ate in my brother’s second-floor Philadelphia apartment kitchen over 10 years ago. For whatever reason I remember the Saturday afternoon he made it: It was a chilly fall day and we’d driven up from DC for the weekend (or maybe just the day) and were just hanging around like we all used to do back when we weren’t madly busy with all the stuff we do nowadays. He whipped up this cake in a flash, the oven turning the kitchen warm and cozy. I was so amazed that one could leave out the eggs, the butter, and the milk and still end up with a great chocolate cake. Not news, I know, but to 22-year-old me it was a revelation.

Since then I’ve been making that vegan chocolate cake for vegans and non-vegans and also just because I like the recipe so much. And, it is solid. Sometimes I don’t feel like dealing with dairy nor do I feel like taking out the mixer and this one more than fits that particular bill. I’ve topped my versions with a peanut butter glaze, a vegan buttercream, a butter buttercream … I rely upon it for a quick dessert that always satisfies.

Still, one can often do with an update, non?

It was with my standby vegan chocolate cake recipe in my mind that I created this chocolate loaf cake. I had a few small requests: I didn’t want anything fussy and I didn’t want to make a frosting. I also wanted something more geared toward morning consumption — hence the loaf rather than a true cake (of course I’ve also eaten slices topped with nutella (!) after dinner but the original impetus remains). I packed it with whole grain flours, used olive oil for the fat, slipped in a few bits of chopped chocolate. It was perfect: hearty, sturdy, oh so chocolatey, and just right for those foggy mornings of April’s waning days.

Vegan Chocolate Loaf Cake

Nicole Spiridakis
A version of a classic vegan chocolate cake but packed with whole grain flour and baked in a loaf pan.
5 from 1 vote
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 35 minutes
Total Time 45 minutes
Course Dessert
Cuisine American
Servings 8 servings
Calories 384 kcal

Ingredients
 
 

  • 1 cup whole wheat pastry flour
  • ¾ cup spelt flour
  • ½ cup all purpose flour
  • ½ cup dutch processed cocoa powder
  • ¾ cup packed light or dark brown sugar
  • ½ cup granulated sugar
  • 1 teaspoon baking soda
  • ¼ teaspoon baking powder
  • ½ teaspoon fine sea salt
  • 1 cup coffee
  • ½ cup extra virgin olive oil
  • 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
  • 1 cup chopped bittersweet chocolate or bittersweet chocolate chips , optional

Instructions
 

  • Heat oven to 350℉. Grease a standard-sized loaf pan with olive oil.
  • In a large bowl, whisk together flours, cocoa powder, sugars, baking soda, baking powder, and salt. In a medium bowl, whisk together coffee, olive oil, and vanilla.
  • Dump the wet ingredients all at once into the dry and whisk until just combined.
  • Pour the batter into the prepared pan. Bake for 30-35 minutes, or until a cake tester inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean.
  • Remove from the oven and allow to cool in the pan for 10 minutes before inverting onto a wire rack to cool completely before serving.

Nutrition

Calories: 384kcalCarbohydrates: 61gProtein: 5gFat: 15gSaturated Fat: 2gPolyunsaturated Fat: 2gMonounsaturated Fat: 10gSodium: 304mgPotassium: 188mgFiber: 5gSugar: 33gVitamin A: 1IUCalcium: 39mgIron: 2mg
Did you make this recipe?Let me know in the comments how it went!

6 Comments

  1. I cannot even begin to tell you how I’ve been daydreaming of this cake ALL DAY. I thought for sure I’d make it with A while C napped – but she wouldn’t nap. Then I thought I’d make it after they were both asleep. But she is STILL attached to my boob. Long day. I need chocolate.

  2. Looks great! I might try it out sometime, just not with extra virgin olive oil! That stuff is far too good to put in cake! :)

  3. Nice post…like the historic reference! This cake sounds lovely.

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