If you haven’t figured it out till now, then you must know that if you hand me cinnamon, I’ll sprinkle it on just about anything, especially chocolate. The chocolate cinnamon bundt cake that I posted a few months back is one of my all time favorite treats. Since I didn’t want to bake an entire bundt cake, I chose a loaf instead, one that is humble but divine. You could eat this all by yourself in a single go (just to clarify: I didn’t) and not feel guilty. A perfect recipe for when that chocolate craving strikes.
The recipe hails from Starbucks and I recommend you make no changes. You can imagine the kind of research they might’ve put into engineering this and evidence of this work is in how beautifully the batter comes together. It’s light and fluffy like frosting while the cocoa and cinnamon pair nicely to produce a moist and rich loaf. I chose to make only half the recipe of the batter but a double helping of the cocoa spice mix. I didn’t use it all on this loaf. I kept aside half of it to sprinkle on top of my doughnut muffins. And you know, anything else that might come my way…
Over to the recipe: try this rich chocolate loaf spiced with cinnamon, and a dash of ginger that pairs perfectly with a hot cup of coffee or a tall glass of chilled milk.
- 1 plus ½ cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 3 cups granulated sugar
- 5 large eggs at room temperature
- 2 cups flour
- 1 plus ¼ cup dutch processed cocoa
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon salt
- ½ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup buttermilk
- ¼ cup water
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- ¼ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ tsp cinnamon
- ½ tsp dutch processed cocoa
- Pinch of ground ginger
- Pinch of ground cloves
- ¼ cup sparkle sugar (optional, for decorating)
- Preheat oven to 350 F. Grease and flour or line two 9 x 5 x 3 loaf pans with parchment paper.
- To make the cocoa mixture: combine all the ingredients except the decorating sugar in a small bowl and gently mix until combined.
- In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, cinnamon, salt, baking powder and baking soda, set aside.
- In a separate bowl, whisk together the buttermilk, water and vanilla and set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat the sugar and butter till light and fluffy, about 4-5 minutes.
- Then add the eggs, one at a time, mixing until each is fully incorporated. You may need to scrape down the sides of the bowl a few times to get them fully mixed in.
- With your mixer on a low speed, begin adding the contents of flour mixture and buttermilk mixture, alternating between the two until your mixture is fully blended, but not overly whipped.
- Then split your batter between the two pans. If your batter is slightly uneven, you can lightly shake the pan to even out the tops.
- Evenly layer the decorating sugar over your batter, followed by the spice mixture.
- Bake in a preheated oven for 45-50 minutes.
Oh this looks good. When you mentioned the milk I just visualized the whole experience. Totally making this.
I think cinnamon, like coffee, really brings out the chocolate flavor in baked goods. No wonder you like cinnamon on everything; it brings out the flavors!
This looks so amazing, I am a cinnamon addict too and I love adding it to anything chocolate!
Cinnamon is my most favorite spice! I am with you, I could put cinnamon in EVERYTHING:-) This bread looks delicious:-) Hugs, Terra
I hope you don’t hate me but chocolate and cinnamon is one combination that just doesn’t gel with me! But this bread could possibly change my mind, I think it’s more in actual straight chocolate bars that I don’t like cinnamon :)
With that amount of sugar and butter, I bet this bread taste HEAVENLY!
I love cinnamon too sound great :)
Looks so perfectly divine and I wish I can dig into a slice of the cinnamon bread.
One of my favorite flavor combos is cinnamon and chocolate. I have to make this bread. Awesome.
Love this! I think chocolate anything is better with cinnamon and almost always add it. This cake looks so perfect and I have it bookmarked to try!
I just adore spices with chocolate. Wonderful bread, love the spiced sugar on top!
what a grand looking loaf. Never made chocolate bread before.. sounds so interesting
Oh I’m in the same boat as you when it comes to cinnamon :)Love it on anything and I can imagine the delicious taste in this bread!So soft and moist :)
This bread looks amazing! I’d want it for breakfast, and then later for dessert :D
oh i can imagine this being perfect for when you have a couple of friends over in the evning for coffee.. and between all the gossip.. this loaf disappears!!! i like the cocoa spice topping.. spices just add that touch of exotic and warmth to the cake!!
Another wonderful bread! Cinnamon and Chocolate, what a wonderful combination! I just love this recipe!
Chocolate and cinnamon… another great combo. :) Have a great weekend. :)
That looks so delicious! i too love the smell of cinnamon and wouldnt mind it in all my bakes!:D
This sounds more like a chocolate cake than bread, look how moist and fluffy it is. I like that hint of ginger in there too. Delish.
My husband tells me that the only thing I have not put cinnamon on is cinnamon itself lol
the cake looks and sounds amazing
Mmm. I bet that smells heavenly! It looks pretty delicious too :)
Chocolate and cinnamon are made for each other my friend :D
This looks incredible!
Cheers
Choc Chip Uru
I LOVE anything with cinnamon in it and that spice is so good for us. Perfect bread!
I never thought I’d like cinnamon and chocolate and found out I really do! It’s so wonderful together. Your loaf looks delightful…moist and tempting:)
You are such a temptress! Not only am having my own slice of cake bread of mine but now craving yours too. Soon enough I won’t be able to fit through the door.
Looks amazing :-)
Those photos make me so hungry and I haven’t stopped for dinner yet! Wonderful post!
Yum! This give me hope of cooler temps and delicious food. On the ‘to make’ list!
I can almost taste the pleasant little zing from the ginger.
What a perfect bread to go with my afternoon tea! Delicious!
Hi Anuradha,
Cinnamon and chocolate go so well together. I use a lot of cinnamon in my cooking as well as for baking. Love it!
The bread looks fab!
Looks awesome! I would so love to try some. I am sure it tastes great.
This reminds me of how I love a bit of cinnamon in my hot chocolate. Looks so delicious.
A chocolate loaf would never go unpraised at our house! This looks divine!
Chocolate and cinnamon is such a tasty combo! I want this with a cold glass of milk.
What a wonderful combination of flavors! Looks delicious! :)
This looks perfect for fall. I just wanted to know which are the ingredients required for step 2 i.e. the cocoa mixture.
Thanks Neha! I hope its visible now. :)
Happy Baking!
A
Yes. Thanks a lot. I will be making it for weekend breakfast.
Great. Let me know how it turns out. :)
That loaf is calling my name! I mean, chocolate and cinnamon are just dreamy together: so this is perfection.