Serves 12

We thought this deep, dark chocolate loaf was fabulous freshly baked. And then we tasted it the next day, and the next. It’s one of those magical cakes that becomes more moist and more delicious over time as the chocolate and hazelnut flavors of Nutella develop. It’s our new cake for breakfast!

INGREDIENTS

  • Vegetable oil spray or shortening, for greasing the pan

    A New Take on Cake book cover A New Take on Cake Anne Byrn
  • All-purpose flour, for dusting the pan

  • 1 (15.25-ounce) package chocolate cake mix

  • 1 cup Nutella (chocolate-hazelnut spread)

  • 3 large eggs

  • 3/4 cup full-fat or light canned coconut milk

  • 1/2 cup vegetable oil

  • 1/2 cup (3 ounces) mini semisweet chocolate chips (optional)

COOK’S NOTES:

  • To veganize this is cake, use 3/4 cup unsweetened applesauce instead of the eggs.

  • For fancy days, scatter 1/4 cup chopped blanched hazelnuts on top before baking.

INSTRUCTIONS

  1. Place a rack in the center of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease and flour a 10 × 5-inch loaf pan. Set the pan aside.

  2. In a large mixing bowl, combine the cake mix, Nutella, eggs, coconut milk, and oil. Beat with an electric mixer on low speed until blended, about 30 seconds. Stop the machine and scrape down the sides of the bowl with a rubber spatula. Increase the mixer speed to medium and beat until the batter is smooth and fluffy, about 1 minute. Fold in the chocolate chips, if desired. Pour the batter into the prepared pan, smoothing the top with a rubber spatula.

  3. Place the pan in the oven and bake until the cake springs back when gently pressed in the middle, 1 hour 7 minutes to 1 hour 12 minutes.

  4. Let the cake cool in the pan on a wire rack for 20 minutes. Run a dinner knife around the edges of the cake, shake the pan gently, and carefully unmold the loaf right-side up. Let the cake cool for 20 minutes longer, then slice and serve. Store, tightly covered, at room temperature for up to 5 days.


    Reprinted with permission from A New Take on Cake by Anne Byrn copyright © 2021. Photographs by Danielle Atkins Published by Clarkson Potter, a division of Penguin Random House, LLC.


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