Coffee Loaf Cake with Dark Chocolate Drizzle
This moist loaf cake recipe is so easy to make yet yields really impressive flavors! It's perfect for coffee fans, and you can easily adjust the amount of both the instant coffee in the cake and the sweetener in the drizzle to suit your tastes. Store any leftovers lightly wrapped in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
Ingredients
FOR THE CAKE
- ½ cup (120mL) nonfat milk
- 2 tbsp (12g) instant coffee granules
- 2 cups (240g) whole wheat pastry flour or gluten-free* flour (measured like this)
- ¾ tsp baking powder
- ¾ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 tbsp (14g) coconut oil or unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 large egg, room temperature
- 1 tbsp (15mL) vanilla extract
- ½ cup (120mL) pure maple syrup
- ½ cup (120g) plain nonfat Greek yogurt
FOR THE DRIZZLE
- 3 tbsp (15g) unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 ½ tsp agave
- 6 ½ tsp nonfat milk
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F, and coat a 9x5” loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.
- To prepare the cake, add the milk and instant coffee to a small bowl. Set aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut oil or unsalted butter, egg, and vanilla. Stir in the maple syrup and yogurt, thoroughly mixing until no large lumps remain. Alternate between adding the flour mixture and milk mixture, stirring just until incorporated, beginning and ending with the flour. (For best results, add the flour mixture in 3 equal parts and the milk mixture in 2 equal parts.)
- Spread the batter into the prepared pan, and bake at 350°F for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with some crumbs attached. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes before turning out onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- To prepare the drizzle, stir together the cocoa powder, agave, and milk in a small bowl. Drizzle on top of the cooled cake.
Notes
IMPORTANT MEASURING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: It's extremely important to measure the flour correctly, using this method or a kitchen scale. (← That’s the one I own!) Too much flour will dry out the cake.
IMPORTANT MIXING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: Do not use a stand mixer or hand-held mixer to make the batter. This will result in rubbery, gummy, dense, or tough cake. Use a whisk where instructed, and use a fork for everything else.
IMPORTANT BAKING NOTE – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: If the top of the cake begins to brown too quickly in the oven, lightly cover the top of the pan with foil. (Check on the cake after about 30 minutes to make sure!)
DRIZZLE TIP – READ BEFORE BEGINNING: To drizzle, I usually transfer the glaze to a small zip-topped bag, snip off a tiny corner, and gently squeeze it out over the cake.
MILK ALTERNATIVES: Almost any milk will work in place of the nonfat milk.
FLOUR ALTERNATIVES: White whole wheat flour and all-purpose flour may be substituted for the whole wheat pastry flour. Regular whole wheat flour will also work, but the cake may turn out slightly denser.
SWEETENER ALTERNATIVES: Honey or agave may be substituted in place of the pure maple syrup. Pure maple syrup or honey may be substituted in place of the agave.
GLUTEN-FREE OPTION: For the gluten-free flour, use as follows: ¾ cup (90g) millet flour, ¾ cup (90g) brown rice flour, ¼ cup (30g) tapioca flour, ¼ cup (28g) almond flour, and 2 teaspoons xanthan gum. Many store-bought gluten-free flour blends (I like this one from Bob's Red Mill) will work as well, if measured like this.
HOW TO STORE: Store any leftovers lightly wrapped in plastic wrap in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
{gluten-free, clean eating, low fat}
DID YOU MAKE THIS RECIPE?I'd love to hear what you think of it in a comment below! If you take a picture, tag @amys.healthy.baking on Instagram or use the hashtag #amyshealthybaking.