Chocolate cherry loaf cake

A wonderfully simple yet incredibly delicious chocolate loaf cake. Thanks to the addition of cherry jam, it’s exceptionally moist and stays fresh for several days. This is a small-batch recipe – just enough to satisfy a craving for something chocolatey. You can also use other flavours of jam, especially raspberry, strawberry or plum, or simply whatever you have in the cupboard. I’ve even tried it with orange marmalade, but the cherry version was by far our favourite.

Ingredients for chocolate cherry loaf cake:

• 125 g butter
• 100 g dark chocolate, finely chopped
• 300 g cherry jam
• 150 g caster sugar
• pinch of salt
• 2 large eggs, lightly beaten
• 150 g plain flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder

All the ingredients should be at room temperature.

Melt the butter in a saucepan. Add the chopped chocolate, remove the pan from the heat and stir until the chocolate has completely melted and the mixture is smooth. Leave to cool slightly, then transfer to a large mixing bowl. Add the cherry jam, sugar, salt and eggs, and whisk just until combined. Sift in the flour and baking powder and mix briefly until you have a smooth batter. Do not overmix.

Grease and flour a 10 × 20 cm loaf tin (or a slightly smaller one). Transfer the batter to the tin and level the surface.

Bake at 180°C for about 50–60 minutes, or a little longer if needed, until a skewer inserted into the centre comes out clean. Remove from the oven and leave to cool.

Finish with the chocolate glaze and decorate with glacé or syrup cherries, if desired.

Ingredients for chocolate glaze:

• 50 g milk chocolate
• 50 g dark chocolate
• 40 g butter

Melt the butter in a small heavy-based saucepan. Add the chopped chocolate and stir until completely melted and smooth. If necessary, remove the pan from the heat to prevent the chocolate from overheating. Leave the glaze to cool slightly and thicken a little before pouring it over the cake.

Enjoy!

Recipe source: How to Be a Domestic Goddess by Nigella Lawson.