Chocolate chip loaf cake

Chocolate chip loaf cake is a delicious light buttery cake filled with bursts of chocolate chips. A super easy recipe, it’s perfect for kids and beginner bakers alike.

Chocolate chip loaf cake is a deliciously simple bake which goes perfectly with a cup of tea. It’s a moist and butter loaf filled with chocolate chips and best of all, is really easy to make.

I love this loaf cake partly because it’s such a simple bake, but also because it’s made with mostly store cupboard ingredients so it’s perfect when you want to rustle up something sweet to go with your afternoon tea or as an after school treat.

Loaf cakes are a great simple alternative to more complicated, decorative layer cakes. There’s no fancy decoration or piping which makes them great for kids to try. But that doesn’t mean it’s not delicious. The pops of chocolate chips added to the fluffy vanilla cake makes it really moreish.

How can kids help make a chocolate chip loaf cake?

This chocolate chip loaf cake is a great bake for kids. It’s really simple and with no decoration easy enough for kids and beginner bakers to make.

There are lots of things kids can get involved in with this recipe. From measuring and mixing everything together to cracking and adding in the eggs (am important skill for any young baker).

As a really simple, classic bake, there’s no fancy decorating involved, which means there’s no tricky piping to get to grips with.

How do you stop the chocolate chips from sinking?

Before adding the chocolate chips to your mixing bowl, mix them with a spoon of flour or batter mixture. This should stop them sinking to the bottom of your loaf. You can also add a few to the top of the loaf before you bake it.

Larger chocolate chips will also be heavier making it more likely that they will sink to the bottom of your loaf. If you’re using large chocolate chips, swap them to smaller ones and see if that helps the batter hold their weight up.

How long does a chocolate chip loaf cake keep?

A chocolate chip loaf cake will keep in an air tight container for a few days.

If you want to keep it for longer, you can freeze it for up to three months. To freeze it, wrap it well in cling film and pop it in a freezer bag. Make sure you defrost it fully before you serve it.

What can I use if I don’t have any self raising flour?

If you don’t have any self raising flour you can swap it for an equal amount of plain or all purpose flour and add 1 ½ tea spoons of baking powder.

What is baking spread/baking margarine?

Baking spread or margarine, (Stork being a well known brand), is just a non dairy margarine that’s perfect for baking. It can make cakes and cupcakes lighter and fluffier than if you use butter, which means it’s a great, cheaper alternative.

What size is a 2lb loaf tin?

Dimensions of a 2lb or 900g loaf tin will vary slightly, but are generally about 24cm x 14cm x 6.5cm (9.5 x 5.5 2.5 inches). If you want to check the size of your tin, but don’t have a ruler you can fill it with water then pour the water into a measuring jug. A 2lb tin should hold at least 1.2 litres.

If you only have smaller tins, for this recipe, you’re best to fill each tin with half the mixture and adjust the baking time down.

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Can I make this in a cake tin rather than a loaf tin?

Yes, if you want to make a 8 inch round cake, double the recipe and shorten the baking time to approximately 25-30 minutes.

Similar recipes

If you liked this chocolate chip loaf cake you might also want to try one of these delicious classic bakes:

Ginger loaf cake
Treacle sponge
Lemon and blueberry loaf
Fruit loaf
Caramel and apple loaf
Lemon drizzle cake
Madeira cake
Raspberry and white chocolate loaf cake
Apple and blackberry cake
Orange drizzle cake
Carrot loaf cake

Useful equipment

You might need the following baking tools/gadgets to make this chocolate chip loaf cake:

Digital scales
Freestanding mixer
Mixing bowl
Measuring cups
Measuring spoons
2 lb loaf tin
Wire rack

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Ingredients

175g (¾ cup) butter or baking spread
150g (2/3 cup) caster sugar
2 eggs
115ml (½ cup) whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
210g (1 2/3 cups) self raising flour *
175g (1 cup) chocolate chips

* If you don’t have self raising flour, swap it for an equal amount of plain/all-purpose flour and add 1 ½ teaspoons of baking powder.

How to make a chocolate chip loaf cake

Preheat your oven to 170C / 160C Fan / 340F and grease and line a 2 lb loaf tin with baking or parchment paper.

We find the easiest way to line the tin (unless you have purpose made loaf tin liners) is to cut a strip of baking paper and add that to the tin in one direction. Once you’ve done that, add another one in the other direction. If you leave some baking paper overhanging the edge it will make it easier to remove the loaf once its baked.

Cream the butter and sugar together

Get your kids to measure out the butter, or margarine if you’re using it, and the sugar and add them both to a large mixing bowl or a free-standing mixer. The butter needs to be soft so that it can mix in. If yours isn’t soft cut it into a few pieces and pop it in the microwave for a few seconds to soften it, but not long enough for it to melt. If you’re using baking spread you can add it straight into your mixing bowl.

Using the k-paddle of your mixer, a hand held mixer or even wooden spoons, beat the butter and sugar together for a few minutes until they are light and fluffy.

Add the eggs

Get your kids to crack the eggs into a separate small bowl. We generally never add our eggs straight in, just in case any shell goes in. If/when it does you can then easily fish it out with a larger piece of shell or a teaspoon. It will stick to that better than it will your finger.

Add the eggs, one at a time, to your mixing bowl, mixing a little in between each addition.

Add the milk and vanilla

Get your kids to add the vanilla extract. You might need to hold the teaspoon level while they pour in the vanilla or vice versa.

Measure the milk into a measuring jug, or to be more accurate use the ml setting of your digital scales if you have them. Pour it into your mixing bowl.

Mix the milk and vanilla in. Your mixture will be quite sloppy at this point.

Add the flour

Measure out the flour and add it to your mixing bowl. Gently mix it in with a spatula until it is well combined.

Add the chocolate chips

Finally, get your kids to add about 150g of the chocolate chips to a small bowl and a table spoon of flour or a little bit of your cake batter. Stir that through, then add it to your mixing bowl. Stir them in with a spatula or wooden spoon so that they are well dispersed through the batter.

Bake the chocolate chip loaf cake

Spoon or pour the batter into your prepared loaf tin and spread it into each corner with a spatula, the back of a spoon or a small palette knife.

Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top.

Bake the chocolate loaf cake for 50-55 minutes. It’s ready when it has turned a lovely golden brown colour and a skewer or sharp knife inserted into the middle should come out clean.

If you find the top of the loaf is browning too much before it is ready, loosely cover it in foil for the last 10 minutes or so while it finishes baking.

Remove the chocolate chip oaf from the oven and leave it to cool in the tin for 10-15 minutes, then turn it out and leave it on a wire rack to cool completely .

Serve and enjoy.