Brownie bread is the best dessert in a loaf pan. Coated with ganache frosting or with a scoop of ice cream on top, if you loved our Brownies out of Cake Mix but want to make from scratch more like a cake this is it!
You could call this a chocolate loaf if you wanted to. Denser than cake with cocoa powder that is like brownies but thicker as you can see here. Whether you make the glaze or serve as is it will satisfy your sweet tooth as a treat after a meal year round. (affiliate links present)
Brownie Bread
In the past I have used this same pan to make Cherry Brownies with just 2 ingredients, delicious as well. Those used a boxed brownie mix but it was time to go all the way without processed ingredients. As you would make other quick breads of sorts you’ll need a bowl for dry ingredients, one for wet ingredients and then incorporate.
The batter will be thick, the end result will be dense and rich rich rich. The closest to it would be our brownie cake but we didn’t use boxed mix for this one. Dense and fudgy we will share the base and frosting you will need.
Ingredient Notes
- 1 1/3 c all purpose flour is the base for the dry ingredients. You can use our all purpose flour substitute if you need to use a different type.
- Cocoa powder will make it rich, I like dark Ghirardelli brand because it is the best if you ask me
- 1/3 tsp salt will actually bring out the chocolate flavor in the dish believe it or not.
- Baking powder allows it to rise when baked of course, make sure yours is not expired or results will not be ideal.
- 3 eggs should be room temperature if possible, large and organic is what we prefer for a fudgy texture.
- Sugar gives it sweetness, white granulated I use. I haven’t tried sugar-free substitutes but I imagine it would work just fine
- Chocolate chips or chopped bar is optional add in but great choices, I like the mini sizes
- 1/2 c vegetable oil or mayonnaise/applesauce are alternatives but keep in mind those will make it more dense.
Optional Add-ins
If I make this in it’s “traditional form” in an 8×8 pan I might integrate other ingredients like I have with our black bean brownies. In this case I want it to be like a sweet bread that can be sliced like a loaf. I have heard some say they added whole mini chocolate chips, about 1/2 cup into the batter that worked out well. You can serve as is or coated with frosting or ganache.
Variations
As far as tweaking the flavors you could add some Fall or holiday-ness of sorts by incorporating things like ginger into the dry mix to create a Christmas-like flavor. You can add a glaze on top with a double boiler or melting chocolate chips in microwave is easier.
Same goes for Fall months when we have made a brownies with pumpkin version that is a fun twist on a “plain” type too. You can add a scoop of whey protein like our protein brownies recipe too. Just go with what is listed below first and decide from there if you want to make another a bit different.
FAQ
You do not want to bake this too long, it should have a fudgy texture in the middle but baked all the way thru. Use your finger to touch the center, it should be fairly firm. Your toothpick should have moist crumbs attached. When it reaches this stage, take out, set pan on cooling rack until cooked, then remove from the pan and slice.
Yes but since a loaf pan is deeper and has less surface area than a typical brownie pan, they will likely take longer. Check for doneness about 10 minutes after the recommended baking time and continue checking every few minutes after that. They’re done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean with a few moist crumbs.
Hot Fudge Brownie Bread Recipe
Equipment
- 1 8×4.5 loaf pan or 9×5"
- 2 bowls
Ingredients
- 1 1/3 c all purpose flour
- 4 tbsp cocoa powder
- 1/3 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 3 eggs
- 2/3 c sugar
- 1/2 c chocolate chips, or chopped bar, melted
- 1/2 c vegetable oil
- 1 tsp vanilla
- Brownie Frosting, link to recipe options, optional
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 325 F. Mix all-purpose flour, cocoa powder, salt and baking powder in a bowl.
- In another bowl, beat eggs and sugar with a whisk for about 4-5 minutes until combined, light and fluffy.
- Melt chocolate; You can use a double boiler or pour chocolate chips into a microwave safe bowl (adding 1/8 tsp coconut oil is helpful to melt if you have it). Heat in 30 second increments stirring well in between until it is smooth, no longer. Pour melted chocolate, vegetable oil and vanilla into the bowl with your whisked egg mixture. Stir together.
- Add dry ingredients and mix until you get a smooth, thick dough without lumps. Pour the batter into a non stick sprayed loaf pan. Do not fill higher than 1 inch of the top edge.
- Place the baking dish in the oven and bake for approximately 50-60 minutes. The wooden skewer should be slightly damp when pulled out with moist crumbs attached.
- Allow to cool in the pan on cooling rack for 10 minutes, then carefully remove and cool rest of the way out of the pan on a cooling rack. Serve as is or coated with frosting or ganache.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
