Makes 2 mini loaves or 1 standard loaf
Ingredients
Dry
1 cup (125g) all-purpose flour
1 cup (200g) sugar
½ cup (50g) unsweetened cocoa powder
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp salt
Wet
1 large egg (room temp)
½ cup (120ml) milk
½ cup (120ml) hot water or hot coffee (for deeper flavor)
⅓ cup (80ml) vegetable oil
1 tsp vanilla extract
Instructions
- Prepare the pan
Line loaf pan(s) with parchment paper.
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Mix dry ingredients
In a large bowl, whisk together:
flour
sugar
cocoa powder
baking soda
baking powder
salt
- Mix wet ingredients
In another bowl, whisk:
egg
milk
oil
vanilla
Add wet mixture into dry and whisk until just combined.
- Add hot water/coffee
Pour in the hot water slowly while whisking.
The batter will be thin — that’s what makes the cake moist.
- Bake
Pour into prepared loaf pan(s).
Bake for:
Mini loaves: 32–38 minutes
Full-size loaf: 50–60 minutes
Cake is done when a toothpick comes out with a few moist crumbs.
- Cool
Let the loaves cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a rack.
They will settle and get the shiny cracked top like in your photo.
Optional Add-Ins
½ cup chocolate chips
1 tsp espresso powder
Swirl in Nutella or chocolate ganache before baking
If you’d like, I can also give: ✅ A version without eggs
✅ A fudgier brownie-style loaf
✅ A lighter, fluffier version
Just tell me!