prep time: 15 min | bake time: 45 min | total time: 1 hr
If you’re looking for a chocolate cake that’s easy, eggless, and guaranteed to please everyone, this chocolate loaf with cream cheese icing is it. It’s decadent without being heavy, incredibly moist and tender, and comes together with simple pantry ingredients.
This loaf is perfect for everything from casual weeknight desserts to celebrations and gifting. The chocolate flavor is rich and deep, while the cream cheese icing adds just the right amount of tangy sweetness. Best of all, the recipe is eggless and can easily be made dairy-free without sacrificing texture or flavor.
Butter: Forms the rich, creamy foundation of the frosting and helps create a smooth, spreadable consistency. Using softened butter ensures the frosting blends evenly without lumps.
Powdered Sugar (Icing Sugar): Sweetens the frosting while keeping it light and silky. Its fine texture dissolves easily, giving the frosting a smooth, melt-in-the-mouth finish.
Cocoa Powder: Adds a deep, chocolatey flavor and gives the frosting its rich color. Using good-quality cocoa powder enhances the overall taste and depth.
Cream Cheese: Provides a subtle tang that balances the sweetness and adds a luxurious creaminess. It also helps give the frosting structure while keeping it soft and luscious.
Vanilla Extract: Rounds out and enhances all the flavors, adding warmth and depth to the chocolate without overpowering it.
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease an 8-inch (20cm) loaf pan with oil and line it with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on the sides for easy removal. In a medium bowl, combine milk and white vinegar. Let it sit for 15 minutes until it curdles. Add light brown sugar, cane or castor sugar, oil, and vanilla extract to the curdled milk, whisking until the sugar is fully dissolved.
Whisk in sifted cocoa powder until well incorporated. Add the sifted dry ingredients; flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt to the wet mixture and whisk until smooth and free of lumps.
Pour the batter into the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake for 40-45 minutes. Test doneness by inserting a toothpick in the center, it should come out clean or with a few moist crumbs. Let the cake cool before removing it from the pan.
While the loaf is cooling, prepare the chocolate cream cheese frosting. In a bowl, beat the butter until smooth and creamy. Add the cocoa powder and mix until fully incorporated. Gradually add the powdered sugar, mixing on low speed at first and then increasing the speed until the frosting is light, fluffy, and smooth.
Finally, beat in the cream cheese and vanilla extract until the frosting is silky and well combined. Spread or pipe over the cooled cake and enjoy!
This cake is incredibly versatile and can be enjoyed in countless ways, making it just as suitable for everyday indulgence as it is for special occasions. For a simple presentation, serve the loaf plain and let the deep chocolate flavor take center stage.
To elevate the look with minimal effort, a light dusting of powdered sugar adds an elegant finish. For celebrations like birthdays, holidays, or anniversaries, you can enhance it further by serving slices with whipped cream, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or a topping of fresh berries for extra color and flavor.
Eggless but still light and fluffy
Moist and tender crumb that stays soft for days
Decadent chocolate flavor without being dense
Easy, no-fuss recipe – no mixer required
Customizable: make it dairy-free or keep it classic
A guaranteed crowd-pleaser
Store your chocolate loaf cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days. For longer storage, keep it in the refrigerator for up to a week. You can also freeze it for up to 3 months. This cake has a very soft texture and stays moist for days without drying out when stored in an airtight container at room temperature.
A loaf cake tends to be denser and more compact than a regular cake. It’s baked in a loaf pan, making it easier to prepare. Loaf cakes are often served in slices, while regular cakes are served in wedges from round or square pans.
For the best flavor, use Natural unsweetened cocoa powder or Dutch processed cocoa. Dutch processed cocoa gives a darker, richer flavor, while natural cocoa provides a slightly more intense chocolate taste.
Use vegetable oil or sunflower oil for a moist and tender crumb. Olive oil can also be used for extra richness without being overpowering, but vegetable oil is a more neutral tasting option.
While both are baked in loaf pans, pound cake is denser and traditionally made with a pound each of butter, sugar, eggs, and flour. Loaf cake has a lighter texture and more flexibility with ingredients.
Yes! Use dairy-free milk and dairy-free chocolate to make this loaf cake completely vegan.
You can substitute the all-purpose flour with a gluten-free baking blend in 1:1 ratio to make this chocolate loaf cake gluten-free.
You can use either natural or Dutch-processed cocoa powder. Dutch-processed will give a deeper color and smoother chocolate flavor, while natural cocoa adds a slightly more intense chocolate taste.
Make sure your oven is fully preheated, avoid overmixing the batter, and draw a gentle line down the center of the batter before baking to help it rise evenly.
Vinegar curdles the milk to create a buttermilk substitute. This reacts with the baking soda to help the cake rise and gives it a soft, moist crumb. You won’t taste the vinegar in the final cake.
Check out these other recipes:
3 Responses
would this work as cupcakes ?
Hello
I have chocolate cupcake recipe in the cupcake section. I will recommend to try that one!
This eggless chocolate loaf cake recipe looks easy and delicious. I appreciate that it’s moist without eggs, perfect for those with dietary restrictions!