A quick and easy dessert or snacking cake the whole family will enjoy. This Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake is buttery, moist and loaded with chocolate chips. This is a great cake to serve with a cup of tea or coffee or even for a small gathering.
Welcome to one of the most popular recipes on Julia’s Cuisine for two years and running. And it’s no accident that this recipe is viewed and baked by readers daily, because it’s a keeper.
Honestly, this loaf cake is super easy, uses basic ingredients and even novice bakers can make it. I’ve been making it for close to 20 years now and it always goes down so well. A moist vanilla loaf cake filled with chocolate chips that just melts in your mouth. Much like my Chocolate Chip Cake Squares, this is a family favourite!
And friends, if you’re looking for a healthier version, check out my Chocolate Chip Bran Muffins.
Everything We Need To Make The Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake
- 1 1/2 cups plain flour
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter at room temperature
- 2 eggs large
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 cup chocolate chips
REMEMBER, The full recipe is always found at the end of the post in the recipe card.
How to Make the Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake
- Preheat oven and get baking pan ready – preheat oven to 350 degrees f and grease and line with parchment paper a 9 x 5 inch loaf tin.
- Cream butter and sugar – in the bowl of your electric mixer, mix on high the butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 – 3 minutes.
- Add the eggs – add in the eggs one at a time until well incorporated.
- Combine dry ingredients – in a separate bowl combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Whisk to combine.
- Add half of the flour to the batter – we’re going to add the flour and milk in three additions. Keep reading and you’ll see. First up, add 1/2 of the flour and stir just to combine.
- Whisk vanilla into milk – whisk the vanilla into the milk. Add all the milk to the batter and mix with until until just combined, about 30 seconds.
- Add remaining flour – add remaining flour (*except about 2 tablespoons that we want to keep to toss in the chocolate chips) Stir the flour in with a wooden spoon until just combined.
- Toss chocolate chips in flour – in a small bowl toss the chocolate chips in the remaining flour.
- Add chocolate chips to the batter – Fold the chocolate chips into the batter and stir in just until they are incorporated.
BAKING TIP – Tossing chocolate chips in flour before adding them to the batter prevents them from sinking in the cake. Don’t forget to do this!
Baking Your Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake
- Pour batter into prepared loaf tin – pour the cake batter into your prepared loaf tin. Smooth it out evenly. Add extra chocolate chips on top if you like. This is purely decorative.
- Bake loaf cake – This cake will vary in baking time between 40 – 60 minutes. Yes that’s a huge variation. I have hundreds of bakers make this cake and it seems to be different for everyone. So check on your cake.
- Place foil on cake half way through baking – Check on your cake at about the 25 minute mark, if you notice it browning too quickly, place a sheet of foil over the cake to prevent it browning too much.
BAKING TIP – Remember all ovens bake differently. I bake this cake every single time in about 40 minutes. However, many readers have told me theirs take a big longer. It can take up to 60 minutes. Keep this in mind when baking so yours is just as delicious as the one pictured here.
How To Enjoy The Freshly Baked Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake
- Allow to cool completely – allow the cake to cool in the pan for about 10 minutes. Then remove and allow to cool on a baking rack.
- Slice when cooled – this cake is best after it has cooled, it will be difficult to slice when warm and may even fall apart. So let it to cool properly.
How Long Will This Cake Last and how can I store it
- Best the day it-s baked – this is not a cake that will stay fresh for long. It’s honestly best the day it’s baked but will still be good on the second day
- Store in and airtight container – keep this cake in an airtight container and keep it at room temperature. It will dry out if you store it in the fridge.
Summary of Baking Tips For This Loaf Cake
- Use the correct size pan – pan size is important. If the pan is too small the batter won’t fit properly and will rise and fall and end in a sunken. Alternatively, if the pan is to big, you will end up with a cake that won’t rise as high and baking time could be shorter.
- Add foil half way through baking – check the cake at the half way baking point, if it’s browning too quickly, loosely put foil on top.
- Baking time varies – baking time will be between 40 – 60 minutes. Check the cake at 40 minutes. A toothpick inserted into the center will have a few crumbs. That’s how you know it’s done.
- Toss the chocolate chips in flour – don’t skip this step. It will ensure they don’t sink to the bottom of the cake.
Get the recipe!
Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake
A quick and easy dessert or snacking cake the whole family will enjoy. My teens have been enjoying this Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake their whole lives. Easy to make and tastes great!
Servings: 8 servings
Calories: 401kcal
Ingredients
- 1 1/2 cups plain flour
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup butter at room temperature
- 2 eggs large
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup whole milk
- 1 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9×5 loaf pan. I recommend you line the bottom of the pan with parchment paper and grease that as well.
- In a medium sized bowl sift together the flour, baking powder and salt. Set aside.
- Whisk the vanilla into the milk and set aside.
- In a large mixing bowl cream the butter and sugar. After the mixture is pale and fluffy, add the eggs one at a time mixing until they are incorporated into the batter.
- Next, add half the flour and stir in gently. Then add all the milk and mix in the remaining flour. Once it is all incorporated, add the chocolate chips and stir to combine.
- Pour batter into your prepared dish and bake for approximately 45 – 55 minutes. Insert a toothpick in the center and when just a few crumbs come off, it is done. Remove from oven and place on a wire rack to cool for just a few minutes. Remove from pan after about 5 minutes and let it cool for a further few minutes. This can be served straight away.
*A note on times provided: appliances vary, any prep and/or cook times provided are estimates only.
Notes
- To help prevent chocolate chips from sinking in cakes, you can toss them in about 1 tablespoon of flour before adding them to the cake batter.
- Remember all ovens bake slightly different. Every time I bake this cake, it bakes between 40 – 45 minutes. I use a fan assisted electric oven that’s calibrated correctly. Depending on the type of loaf pan you use, the size of the pan and your oven, your cake may take a little longer.
- If you notice the cake is browning too quickly, loosely place a sheet of tin foil over the top to prevent over browning.
- It’s best the day it’s made. As in, it does dry pretty quickly. So, if you are planning to make it, make it fresh!
Nutrition Facts
Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake
Amount Per Serving (1 serving)
Calories 401
Calories from Fat 171
% Daily Value*
Fat 19g29%
Saturated Fat 11g69%
Cholesterol 76mg25%
Sodium 265mg12%
Potassium 60mg2%
Carbohydrates 53g18%
Fiber 1g4%
Sugar 34g38%
Protein 5g10%
Vitamin A 489IU10%
Vitamin C 1mg1%
Calcium 86mg9%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.
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just made this and it is by far the best chocolate chip cake recipe ever! my kids will love this when they get home from school 🙂
So happy you enjoyed it, we love this one and have been making it for years and years. Thanks for the feedback, much appreciated!
Not sure what I did wrong, my loaf came out like a heavy dense brick, and lacked flavor other than chocolate. Was it because I only had all puppies flour?
Hi Pam, I wish I knew why your loaf didn’t turn out. This is a loaf I’ve been making for the best part of 20 years with success every time. I’ve have so many reviews (mostly positive), for this loaf. When something turns out really dense, it can be many things. Maybe too much liquid was added, over mixing the flour, too much sugar. All purpose flour is the correct type of flour so it wasn’t that. Not sure if this is helpful to your or not. As for the taste, assuming you used all the ingredients in the recipe and the whole 2 teaspoons of vanilla, it should taste really good. Well, to my taste buds anyway…lol Hope this helps.
Can I use a glass loaf pan? Or will it affect the cake?
Hi Yoshundra, yes you can use a glass loaf pan no problem. Just keep in mind that glass conducts heat differently (it takes longer to heat up than metal) and it will probably take a little longer to bake. Hope this helps.
Easy to make AND very tasty. My husband took a second slice. I used milk chocolate chips. I am going to freeze a couple of slices to see if that is doable otherwise we will eat the entire cake in a few days.
I need this in my life. What are the changes for high altitude?
Hi Brenda, I live at sea level and have never baked at high altitude. I know adjustments will need to be made for it to be accurate. I’ve read this great article that you might find of interest. It goes over what you should need to do for all kinds of baking. Hope it helps. https://www.wheatmontana.com/content/high-altitude-baking-how-make-your-recipes-work-mountains
Hi Brenda, I live at 7200 ft the ratio for me for baked goods (works every time)
1. Add 1 Tbls. Flour
2. Remove 1 Tbls. Sugar
3. Add 1 Tbls. Liquid ( I usually use milk or 1/2 & 1/2)
Great for homemade cakes, quick breads and muffins.
This was SO delicious. I doubled the recipe and it worked out perfectly, just took a little longer to bake. I added a little almond extract as well. The loaf is outstanding warmed up with a little butter spread on.
That’s great to hear Megan. Thanks for the kind feedback. Ps….I love butter on it too!
Can I replace the butter in the recipe for vegetable oil?
Hey Tabby, yes you an use vegetable oil for this recipe. However, the consistency will be denser and the flavour a little different as well. Since butter and oil carry different flavours. Hope this helps.
I’m looking forward to trying this out tomorrow! Just to clarify – you used unsalted butter, correct?
Hi Ashley, yes unsalted butter for the loaf. Hope you enjoy it!
One of our favorites! The last time I made it, I added fresh orange zest and used orange extract instead of vanilla.
I love the sound of the orange zest and orange extract. I’m going to have to try that Janet. Thanks for the tip!
I’m excited to make this! I was wondering when you measure your flour do you scoop it right from the bag, or do the spoon and level technique, or use a kitchen scale? I like to use a scale myself but know that not all recipes do this so I sometimes use less flour than the recipe author intended!
Hi Jordan, the cups are leveled. However, in the recipe card, there is a toggle button to change the measurements to metric. I always weigh my ingredients as well to be 100% accurate. I hope this helps!
is there a glaze that you could put on this cake jw
Hey Doris, yes you can make a glaze for this loaf. Just make sure it’s 100% cooled off before adding it. You could try this one for a chocolate glaze:
1½ cups (150 grams) confectioners’ sugar
4 tablespoons (27 grams) cocoa powder
2 tablespoons milk or water
2 teaspoons vanilla
Sift together the sugar and cocoa powder in a medium bowl. Slowly stir in the milk and vanilla, a little at a time, to make a smooth, pourable glaze.
thanks a bunch and will try this
thanks a bunch and will try this glaze
One of my twin daughters asked to make Chocolate Chip Muffins and I came across this recipe and knew we had to try it! So happy to find this loaf recipe as a change to muffins. We made it tonight and OH My! It’s delicious! We all loved it and will definitely be making it often! Yummy! Thank you!
I’m really happy you enjoyed the loaf cake as much as we do. Thanks for the kind feedback Nicole!
Just made this cake absolutely scrummy.
Going to use as a base for all my cakes now as so fluffy and moist, thanks for this recipe x
Thanks Paula! Really happy you enjoyed the recipe.
I followed the recipe strictly and have a lot of experience baking. This loaf turned out as hard as a rock and was very unpleasant. It also was too chocolatey and the flavour was overpowering and I couldn’t taste any vanilla at all. It tasted stale even when freshly baked. Very disappointed. We threw it out. A waste of time and ingredients.
Hi Jaz,
I’ve been making this loaf cake for about 20 years and it has hundreds of reviews on Pinterest with an overall four star rating. Sorry, it didn’t turn out for you. The overall feedback for this recipe since it was first published in 2015 is extremely positive.
Does this bread freeze well?
Yes, you can freeze it. Just make sure to wrap it tightly and allow it to defrost either in the fridge or on the counter top. Hope this helps.
Hello, what’s the size of the tin you used for this chocolate chip loaf cake? Thanks!
Hi Natalie, it’s 9 x 5 inches. I’ll update it in the recipe card. Thanks!
Can you make these into mini loaves for gifts?
Hi Liz, I would say yes but the baking time would be less. This cake doesn’t stay moist for long so I would bake them as close to gifting as possible. Hope this helps.😊
Made this recipe being that it doesn’t ask for a lot of ingredients, and it looked fairly quick and easy to make. Which is the type of recipes I like to make. The cake in itself was really good, but a tad too sweet for my liking. But I know next time I will scale back on the amount.
Yes, it is a bit sweet for sure. Happy you tried out the recipe and enjoyed it.
I don’t use whole milk, would 2% work for this recipe? Also I’ve read your replies about this being a dry loaf, can sour cream be added to make it moist and if so how much?
Hi Tara, This loaf is great the day it’s baked. Many readers have said it stayed moist for them up to a few days. Yes, you can use 2% milk no problem. If you want to use sour cream, omit the milk all together and do a straight subsitute with 1/2 cup of sour cream. Hope this helps.
What kind of chocolate chips should I use?
Hi Emily, Any kind of chocolate chips will work for this recipe. I’ve been making this loaf for about 20 years and have used just about every kind. I hope this helps.
Made this for the family last night & this was the 1st time making anything like this. It was a hit!! They devoured it in 1 night & I am currently making another. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Thank you Riah, really happy you all enjoyed the recipe. That’s great to hear!
Fabulous. I’m at high altitude, and usually add a bit more sugar and liquid to recipes. For this one, I added 1/8 cup more sugar and a tablespoon more milk. Beautiful result. I also used an 8 inch square cake pan for 45 minutes at 350, and draped tinfoil over it for the last 10 minutes – loosely draped, not crimped. Super moist, golden on top, just outstanding. And easy! I used my Kitchenaid stand mixer until the second addition of flour, then I hand folded. The mixer is doable, just be careful not to overmix the flour and milk.
Sounds like some great changes. Thanks for the kind and useful feedback Lili!
I am planning on making today for a Christmas gathering. I got salted butter. Can I leave the salt out and use salted butter?
Hi Jenna, often salted butter can be too salty. It just depends on the brand. Sorry this is a late reply. Unfortunately, some of my messages have been going into the spam folder. I’m working on getting it fixed asap! Merry Christmas!
super yummy! i made it for my family and everyone loved it! will definitely make again. i saw some comments about the chocolate chips sinking so i read the tips and coating them in flour worked perfectly! 🙂
Really happy you enjoyed the loaf. Yes, that trick helps a lot. Thank you!
Can you use buttermilk instead of whole milk in this? Thanks!!!
Yes you can Vicky, no problem at all!
I tried this recipe and it tasted amazing! I also made a gluten free and vegan version of it and that turned out great as well!
I do have a few questions however. Do you know how many muffins a batch of this will make? And how will making the recipe as a muffin affect the cook time?
That’s really great to hear! Thanks so much for sharing your feedback, I really appreciate it!
Delicious! The simple ingredients attracted me to this recipe. I made the following changes: I replaced 1/4 cup of flour with hazelnut flour and reduced the sugar by 1 tbsp. I used 1 tsp vanilla extract & 1 tsp vanilla bean powder. I baked the cake in a 9 x 3 silicone loaf tray & it was done at 40 minutes.
Thank you for your feedback Tara and happy the cake turned out great with your changes.