Chocolate Loaf with Espresso Mascarpone Frosting
This chocolate loaf topped with a smooth, coffee-infused mascarpone frosting combines rich cocoa with bold espresso. It’s moist, flavorful, and perfect for holiday gatherings!
How to Make
01. Gather your Ingredients
Before you start baking, make sure you have all of your ingredients for both the loaf and the frosting. Measure everything out and set it aside to make the process smoother.
02. Bake the Chocolate Loaf
Preheat your oven and grease your loaf pan. Whisk together the eggs, vegetable oil, yogurt, milk, and vanilla extract. Then, mix in the brown sugar and granulated sugar. In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet batter and mix until combined. Add the coffee and whisk until smooth. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake for 45 minutes, checking for doneness with a toothpick. Let the loaf cool in the pan for about 10 minutes, then transfer it to a wire rack to cool completely.
03. Make the Frosting
While the loaf is cooling, prepare the frosting. Using a hand mixer, beat the mascarpone cheese, ground coffee, and vanilla. While mixing, slowly pour in the heavy cream followed by the powdered sugar. Mix until soft peaks.
04. Serve & Enjoy!
Once the loaf is completely cooled and frosted, it’s time to slice and serve! You can enjoy it as is, or add a dusting of cocoa powder. Serve with a glass of milk or a cup of coffee for a perfect treat.
Recipe Tips
Use high quality cocoa powder: Using good quality ingredients makes all the difference in this recipe. We recommend using dutch process cocoa powder for a richer, more intense flavor. Our go-to brand is Ghirardelli.
Use warm coffee: The recipe calls for warm coffee to enhance the chocolate flavor in the loaf. You can either brew fresh coffee or mix 1 tablespoon of espresso powder with 1/3 cup of hot water.
Avoid overmixing the frosting: Once all the ingredients are added, whisk only until soft peaks form. Be careful not to overmix, as this can cause the frosting to separate.
Watch how we made it:
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Chocolate Loaf with Espresso Mascarpone Frosting
Ingredients
Chocolate Loaf
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 cup vegetable oil
- 1/2 cup plain yogurt
- 1/4 cup whole milk
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup brown sugar
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1 1/4 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup dutch process cocoa powder
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1/2 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/3 cup warm coffee
Espresso Mascarpone Frosting
- 8 oz mascarpone cheese cold
- 2 tsp finely ground coffee
- 2 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
- 1 cup heavy cream
- 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar sifted
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350℉. Grease and line a standard size loaf pan.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the eggs, vegetable oil, yogurt, milk, and vanilla extract. Then, add the brown sugar and granulated sugar. Mix well.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flour, cocoa powder, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the wet batter and mix until combined.
- Add the coffee and whisk until smooth.
- Pour the batter into the loaf pan. Bake at 350℉ for 45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
- To make the frosting: Using a hand mixer, beat the mascarpone cheese, ground coffee, and vanilla. While mixing, slowly pour in the heavy cream followed by the powdered sugar. Mix until soft peaks. Be careful not to overmix. If you overmix, the frosting will separate.
- Allow the loaf to cool completely before topping with the frosting. Dust with cocoa powder. Serve and enjoy!
Love it! The only downside is it was a bit dry on the bottom. Is there a way to remedy this?
Hi Megan, so happy you loved this recipe! The main reason your loaf turned out dry on the bottom is likely overbaking. When a loaf is overbaked, the bottom browns too much and dries out, while the middle may still stay moist. Hope this helps!
Can I replace plain yoghurt with something else like oil, milk or Greek yoghurt?
You can sub the plain yogurt with equal parts greek yogurt or sour cream.