I’m so happy to present version number of three of my all-time favourite cake! It’s rich, moist and dense more in its intense chocolatey flavour, than in texture. I feel like every time I bake it, I have more notes to make and more changes that improve it even more. This revision was so that I can take new photos with a larger cake, but along the way, I did some further tinkering. So many of you have made and loved this and I hope you’ll love this updated version too!
Like many of you know, I first made this based on a Nigella Lawson recipe from her book How To Be A Domestic Goddess. The first time I made it, I felt it wasn’t as intensely chocolatey as I wanted it to be, and reduced the sugar further to let it become darker and bittersweet. The second time, I added yoghurt on a whim for extra moisture and kept it optional but I now realise, it adds so much to the texture, that I insist you use it! And for this time, I also added just a tiny bit of cocoa powder which has lifted it up even more. Seriously, this final (I hope) version blew my mind.
It is unbelievably soft (and therefore needs to be cooled completely before you cut it), so moist and has the most perfect chocolate flavour. It’s definitely very very similar to the famous Theobroma dense loaf which is where I first had a cake of this kind and decided it must be made at home.
Because this is a larger batter this time around (you can halve the recipe if you prefer), the super high initial temperature seemed to cause it to dome rather unevenly. So definitely check the recipe notes to see the adjustments I made to the baking temperature, and more about troubleshooting with the final result. I really hope you love this cake as much as I do!
Please read the recipe notes before beginning.
Dense Chocolate Loaf
Ingredients
- 1 and 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (180 gms)
- 2 tbsps cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1/4 tsp salt, if using unsalted butter
- 200 gms dark chocolate, finely chopped (I use 70%)
- 200 gms butter at room temp
- 1 and 1/2 cups brown sugar (320 gms)
- 1/4 cup thick yoghurt or curd at room temperature (55 gms)
- 2 eggs at room temperature (see notes)
- 2 tsps vanilla extract
- 1 cup freshly boiled water (250 ml)
Instructions
- Melt the chocolate in the microwave (10-second increments, stirring in between) or in a heatproof bowl over a pan of simmering water, and set aside to cool a little.
- In the meantime, line a 9x5 loaf tin with non-stick baking paper, leaving a little overhang for easy removal. This cake is moist and fragile and the paper makes it easier to take the cake out without breaking it. Preheat the oven to 175 C
- In a large mixing bowl, beat the butter and sugar with a hand mixer on medium speed for 3 to 4 minutes till pale and creamy. Add the yoghurt and beat gently to combine.
- Add the vanilla and the eggs, one at a time, beating gently after each addition. The batter may appear curdled at this stage, don't worry.
- Now stir in the melted chocolate by hand, taking care not to be too vigorous, and mixing until just incorporated.
- Sift in the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt (if using). Fold it all in very gently till only a few streaks of flour remain. Now add the hot water, a little at a time, to prevent any lumps forming, and continue to fold the batter with a silicone spatula. I prefer doing this step by hand as a mixer could cause the hot water to splash here and there and make a mess.
- If you still see lumps (I often do, despite my best efforts), beat with the hand mixer on low speed for a few seconds until smooth. The batter is slightly runny.
- Pour the batter into the prepared loaf tin (it will be almost full, this is a large cake!) and bake for 1 hour and an extra 10 to 15 minutes as needed, until the cake has risen (it will dome and crack a bit), and a toothpick poked in the center comes out clean or with a few moist crumbs. To prevent the top darkening too much, cover the top loosely with foil around 40 minutes into the bake time.
- Once baked, let the cake cool COMPLETELY at room temperature. Do not attempt to take it out of the tin till then, as it's definitely a fragile cake. To make things easier, you can also chill it for 30 minutes before slicing. You'll get 8 to 10 large slices but I prefer to slice each one in half further for more manageable servings!
- Store the cake at room temperature for 2 to 3 days and in the fridge for 10 days and in the freezer for longer. In humid weather, I usually store the slices in an airtight tin and place it in the fridge on day two itself as the cake is already very soft and moist. When you want to eat, lightly reheat the slices or let them come to room temperature. Happy baking!
Notes
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Turned out to be my best tasting cake BUT it was also the fluffiest, most airy cake that I have ever made. I have a hunch that I over beat the butter and sugar but not sure. Made it in a 8 by 8 inch square pan, filled halfway, that must have also changed things
Hey! Thank you for trying this recipe and I’m glad you enjoyed it 🙂 While it’s not a super airy cake, it’s not meant to be dense in a firm or hard way so it could just be the extra beating. Did you use more baking soda by any chance?
Nope, used a half tsp (it also says 2.5ml on my spoon), because I had halved the entire recipe
Honestly, I had lost hopes of finding the perfect homemade recipe for the theobroma dense loaf. BUT, when I tried your recipe, MY OH MY, I am never going to back to theobroma because exceeding mine and everyone’s expectations at home came your Dense Loaf which took no time to vanish within 20 mins. I substituted ap flour with wheat and oats flour and it tasted SUPREME
I love love love this !!! Thank you so much for trying this recipe and it’s great to hear the substitutions worked too 🙂
I tried this yesterday and it came out perfect. I followed your recipe word to word and all I can say is thank you so much. This is exactly what I was searching for. Definitely resembles Theobroma’s Chocolate Dense loaf.
That is high praise! Thank you so so much, your feedback means the world 🙂
What a recipe, oh my god. I made this last night and by morning I was left with NOTHING. It hit all the right spots. Couldn’t have tried anything better. Thank you so so much.❤️
This made my day! Thank you so much, so glad you enjoyed it 🙂
I’ve tried this before, and turned out amazing even in my LG convection microwave. I now own a stand mixer, and was wondering if that could be used instead of hand mixing the water & chocolate with a spatula? Or will that mess with the texture by overmixing?
Also, could jaggery be used to replace the brown sugar? In some banana bread recipes I’ve just replaced the brown sugar with jaggery but I’m not sure if the jaggery would affect the chcocolate flavor?
I used Christopher Cocoa (I find it to make the tastiest home made hot chocolate, so used it here too) and Morde Dark chocolate for the ingredients.
Thank you so much for trying this recipe 🙂 you could use a stand mixer but I’d recommend doing this on low speed as the batter can form lumps when the flour is added. I find mixing by hand gives me more control at this step. Jaggery here will change the flavour a little and possibly the texture, I haven’t tried it myself so can’t say for sure though. Let me know how it goes 🙂
My favourite Chocolate cake recipe! Turned out great
Thank you Sonalee! I’m so happy to hear this 🙂
Your recipes are my trusted go-to s. Baked this one again yesterday, and had a question…can I add the boiling water to the melted chocolate, and alternate that with the flour mix into the batter? Working with melted chocolate is tough. Or would that affect the texture.
I wouldn’t do that because the water may cause the chocolate to seize. You don’t have to work the chocolate too much once melted, just stir it into the batter and don’t over mix 🙂
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Do you pack the brown sugar, or leave it loose? I love this cake! I’ve been very lightly packing it but am curious what you do. Thanks!
Lightly packing is how I’d describe it too! I don’t pack too firmly for sure, hope that helps 🙂
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Hi! I have used the recipe before and everyone has loved it. However, in the new recipe list, I don’t see the quantity of eggs to be used. Could you please clarify?
Hi, the recipe says 2 eggs 🙂
can i double this recipe please
You probably could but you’ll need to bake them in two loaf pans 🙂
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Hi Gayatri,
Hope u doing well..
Can’t find ur previous Chocolate Dense Loaf Recipe on ur site.
This one has curd etc.. included.
Possible to send me the recipe with 1 egg and 100gms butter which was earlier given.
Previously there were 2 recipes of the cake too.
Ur recipes are simple and yet very tasty.
Happy Baking!
Best regards,
Hi, if you read the blog post you’ll see the modifications I made and why, and basically this is a doubled recipe of that first version, with the addition of curd. If you halve it and omit the curd, I think that’s the one you’re looking for. Hope that helps !
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This cake is amazing! Never fails. Thanks for all the great recipes your posting! I was wondering…is the baking soda absolutely necessary? And since you’re such an expert in this is my next question. I love dense, moist cakes – quite the opposite of the traditional risen fluffy cake. I was looking to replicate a delicious semolina cake I get at a local bakery that is so moist and dense and quite rectangular in section (no rise!) but I can’t nail it. What’s the secret? No leaving agent? More fat? Thanks in advance! Claudia
Hi Claudia, yes the baking soda is definitely needed because the cake will be far too dense without it and both brown sugar and yoghurt are acidic ingredients that need to react with the soda otherwise the cake will have a strange flavour. As far as the semolina cake goes, almonds often add that nice dense texture, you could try this for starters https://thedessertedgirl.com/2021/04/19/orange-semolina-syrup-cake/
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Hey gayatri… Can I replace the eggs with flax egg??
Hi Poorvi, I haven’t tried flax eggs so can’t say for certain. The eggs are needed for structure here because the cake is quite moist and fragile so I’m not sure how it’ll be without it. Working on an eggless version which will hopefully be ready soon 🙂
Hey gayatri… Thank you so much for ur reply.. Will be waiting for the eggless version 😀😀
I really did not know how to make cakes and do baking but then will I started following your post and making cakes it really turned out to be so delicious and tasty that I am in love with baking now. Thank you so much for the post.
Thank you Supriya ! I hope you bake lots more 🙂
I made it for the first time on valentine’s day and it turned out wayyyy better than I expected. Everyone fell in love with the cake and it honestly was extremely delicious and so close to the one we get at theobroma. Absolutely love your blog. Please keep posting!
So happy to hear that ! This is one of my favourites and I love that you enjoyed it too 🙂
Hiii Gayathri!!!
I am super happy to say that the recipe came out sooo good!!! The cake was so moist and chocolatey.. it was pure bliss 😍 Thank you so much for sharing this recipe!! I love your blog!! Keep rocking!!!
Thank you for your sweet message Gayathri ! I’m so glad you enjoyed this ! It’s one of my favourite cakes 🙂
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Can you make cupcakes with this recipe?
Yup, I’ve made them here! https://thedessertedgirl.com/2017/05/29/chocolate-mascarpone-cupcakes/
Great! Thank you for such a quick response. I i I can’t wait to try them!
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Hi Gayatri,
I am planning to buy a kitchenaid stand mixer and am confused between the artisan and the smaller mini. I bake often but in smaller quantities so can u please tell me which model you own and do you use it for 6 inch or a 8 inch cake. or just using a electric hand mixer is better for smaller cakes? sorry for the out of context question. waiting for your reply
Hi Anitha, I have the regular size KitchenAid but I mostly use it for bread doughs. It’s really large so I prefer a regular mixing bowl and hand mixer for cake batters. I think in your case the mini might be more useful. Hope that helps !
Thank you for the quick reply.
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Which chocolate to be used to get exact Theobroma flavour ? I have experienced even the usage of dark chocolate from brand to brand differs in taste.
I can’t really say which exact brand Theobroma must be using. This cake tastes a lot like that but the ingredients may differ. I’ve tried it with morde or cocoacraft (which I would recommend more), plus some imported brands which I don’t really recall right now. Some difference in flavour will also be there but use a high quality one for best results.
is the chocolate 100 gms or 50gms? Everything else seemed halved from the original Nigella recipe except this.
wanted to confirm before i try it today 🙂
Yum!
Big Theobroma fan too.
I use more chocolate than the original recipe, I found lesser chocolate to not be flavourful enough
Hope you are all keeping safe !
This is the second time I have baked the dense chocolate loaf but it’s sinking from the centre . Please help
This cake has a lot of moisture so some sinking could occur. And avoid opening the oven door too many times which can also cause sinking.
Can i use normal curd??
It needs to be thick, so don’t use watery curd that’s all
I just made the cake as per the recipie. Bakes at 170 degree c. Fpr 1 hour. The cake sank in the middle after cooling. Is it uncooked yet. The centre is still gooey
Yes sounds like it’s under baked if the center is still gooey and that’s also why it sank in the middle. Because of the high proportion of liquid in the batter some sinking is possible but in this case I would suggest baking it for a little longer, maybe at a lower temp if the top is already darkened. Ovens vary a bit so sometimes the baking time needs to be adjusted.
Hi! I’ve tried this recipe twice now and both times it’s failed to rise and form a nice crust, it’s just sunk and been more like an upside down cake in texture. I’ve followed it to the letter and not sure what’s causing it?
First time I wondered if I opened the oven too early, so I made sure to avoid that this time but it just isn’t forming the right kinda top/crust.
Any thoughts? Considering trying baking powder next time instead of soda.
Hmmm that’s strange, I haven’t experienced that before. It does sink sometimes in the middle because it is a very wet batter but it should still form a nice crust. Maybe increase the temp a bit to get some browning happening on the top? Swapping baking powder and soda could cause other issues with the rise and texture unfortunately.
Can I replace the butter with margarine?
I haven’t tried so can’t say for sure. In theory it should work, let me know if you try it ?
ya worked with margarine well; have tried all three versions of this cake this one is THE BEST thanks for the recipe Ms Gayatri
Hey!
The cake is absolutely delish! How long can I keep the cake out on the counter for? Or does it need immediate refrigeration.
I’m glad you liked it! I usually store it in the fridge after the first day, but that’s also because I live in a hot, humid area. If you’re in a cooler place, it should keep well in at airtight tin at room temperature for 3 to 4 days 🙂
It came out so well! I had sudden urgent craving for Theo dense loaf, and you’ve gotten it covered so well! I used an egg replacement = 1.5 tbsp oil+1.5 tbsp water+2 tsp baking powder. Used semi sweet chips. And it came out so well! Of course, I had no patience, so the cake did break while removing! But why cares about the looks? Thank you so much!
I’m so happy to hear this! I have no patience around the dense loaf either 🙂 your egg replacer sounds really interesting, thanks for sharing!
Next day and this cake is gorgeous after being refrigerated! Making me weak in the knees. Oh, I do use that egg replacement for cookies and it works perfect. But I usually stick to recipes calling for one egg. Don’t know how it works with 2 or more! Thank you once again!
hi had a doubt, so we need to mix all three together to form a paste, could you please help me with the actual procedure,
Hi Gayatri,
Love ur blog, the recipes look super tempting. I am very new to baking and wish to bake a chocolate cake for my husband’s bday 🙂
I wanted to know if what size mould should I use if I want to make a round cake using same recipe?
Hi Palak, thanks so much for stopping by! For this recipe, a 6″ round pan should be ok, otherwise you can double the recipe and make a larger 8″ cake too, but make sure the pan isn’t very shallow. Let me know how it goes!
Hi , I like ur recipes always . One thing need to ask u that I generally don’t prefer eggs so can u pls tell me the sustitute of eggs??
I generally use milk instead of eggs but the texture isn’t always the same, eggs add a lot of moisture and lightness, especially in this kind of cake.
Darned nice looking recipe! Will try and write back! I have been using cadburys/ hersheys coco powder for my chocolate cakes. The cakes end up having a bad burnt choco odor. This I feel is characterisitic of majority of homemade choco cakes. Does molten cooking chocolate help there, or is it something else? Any easily ablblr brands of cooking chocolate/ coco powder u recommend?
I think the burnt smell has more to do with your oven than the cocoa. If your cakes are browning too quickly, cover the top with foil and continue baking or adjust the temperature since all ovens are different. I use Cadbury or Hershey cocoa depending on what is available and like both. You will need melted cooking chocolate for this recipe , I use Mii Spezial. There are more details in the ‘ingredient search’ at the top of this page. Hope you like this cake!
Hi again Gayatri…honoured to be talking to “The Desserted Girl” ;-P.
I saw your section on ingredients and that solves all my queries on brands to use.
How do you decide on using coco powder Vs. cooking chocolate? I use a convection microwave@180/200 degrees C typically for ~30 minutes. Too much you think? I really like your tip on baking at 190 for 20 followed by covered cooking at 170 for 15 minutes. Will try this technique now
Hi Mudit, I’m honoured to be able to help you 🙂 cocoa and cooking chocolate are really not something you can choose from, it depends on the recipe. Using chocolate gives a richer flavour and moister cake so it’s not like one can be used as a substitute to the other. I have never used a convection microwave but to be on the safe side, check the cake often by opening the oven just a bit to ensure it isn’t burning.
Hey! Planning to give this recipe a shot. Had a doubt did you use mii spezial 55 percent cocoa or 75 percent cocoa cooking chocolate for this recipe?
I prefer 75% and it’s recommended for this recipe. Happy baking!
Hey, can’t wait to try this. I’m relatively new to baking and have been following your blog posts for inspiration 🙂
You think I can bake this in a glass or silicone bake dish? I use a microwave on convection setting for this.
Hi Enakshee, happy to know you read my blog 🙂 yes, glass should be just fine, but remember to cool the cake completely no matter what you use. I haven’t tried silicone but it shouldn’t be a problem. I’m not sure if a microwave on convection will give the same result, I use an OTG and the two work quite differently. But if you’re comfortable with it, go right ahead and let me know how it goes 🙂
was chilling mentioned in the version 1 mine always crumbled thaught i was doing something wrong? still it is the most favorite cake in the house
No it was not mentioned because in that version, I had enough time to let the cake cool completely. I had mentioned that cooling is important. But chilling does help. Glad you enjoyed it 🙂
Can’t wait to try your newer version out (your first is my favourite cake to-date). Thanks to your posts, I visited Theobroma when we were in Bombay last month. I also found an Arifes of crawford mkt, at linking road, just opp shoppers stop. Its really a paradise for those who bake and make choclotes! Thankyou for your posts!
Thank you, that’s really good to hear! This version actually isn’t different from the earlier one, I just included cup measures and better photos but I’m happy you like it so much! Arife’s is a goldmine 🙂