A sour cream chocolate chip loaf cake – easy and so delicious! This simple chocolate chip pound cake loaf has a soft crumb, buttery vanilla flavor, and lots of mini chocolate chips that the whole family will love! And if you love this chocolate chip cake, you'll love my Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake, my Key Lime Pound Cake, and my Apple Cider Donut Cake!
*This post contains affiliate links — as an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Please see my disclosure for details*.
Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake Recipe
I'm obsessed with this cake! It's the perfect dessert -- so fun and simple to make, and that chocolate glaze on top is perfect. You may notice that It's the same glaze from my Chocolate Sour Cream Pound Cake, and it works perfect for this chocolate chip cake! And if you want to try another delicious sour cream cake, try my Peach Cobbler Pound Cake!
What is a loaf cake?
Simply put, a loaf cake is just a cake baked in a loaf pan. Often it's a pound cake, like this chocolate chip pound cake loaf, but not always. It's a smaller, more manageable size that's perfect for a small gathering! My marble loaf cake is another great example of a loaf cake!
What is the difference between pound cake and loaf cake?
Actually, pound cake refers more to the ingredients and texture of the cake than the pan it's baked in. In fact, traditionally, pound cakes were made with a base of only butter, sugar, flour, and eggs. Modern versions of a pound cake may add a small amount of leavening, but like with this simple chocolate chip loaf cake, they are able to maintain the tight crumb and buttery flavor of traditional pound cake. Check out my Lemon Sour Cream Pound Cake post for a little more on the history of pound cakes!
How to keep chocolate chips from sinking in cake?
For this easy dessert recipe your chocolate chip loaf cake batter should be thick and dense enough to prevent your mini chocolate chips from sinking while it bakes. But to make sure that your chocolate chips don't sink, toss them a bit of flour, or mix them in with the dry ingredients before mixing them into the batter!
How long should I bake a cake in a loaf pan?
We'll be baking this sour cream chocolate chip loaf cake for about 50 minutes. Check the recipe card below for the full baking instructions!
Chocolate Chip Cake Ingredients
Check out the recipe card below for detailed measurements, but here are the basic ingredients for this sour cream chocolate chip loaf cake:
- granulated sugar - creaming white sugar with butter is what gives this chocolate chip cake its soft, fluffy crumb!
- butter - I use salted butter in most of my baking, but you can use unsalted butter if you like -- just add in ½ teaspoon of salt with your dry ingredients. Also, your butter should be softened to room temperature - see below for a tip soften your butter quickly!
- eggs - your eggs should also be room temperature -- check below for a tip!
- vanilla extract - make sure you use a good-quality pure vanilla extract. Or better yet, check out my post on how to make vanilla extract at home with just 2 ingredients!
- sour cream - opt for full-fat sour cream to ensure a moist chocolate chip loaf cake! And again, make sure your sour cream is room temperature.
- cake flour - this is what gives this easy chocolate chip loaf cake such a light and fluffy texture and a soft crumb. Cake flour is lighter in protein and more finely-milled than all-purpose flour, so it's perfect for achieving the soft and tender crumb we're looking for here. If you're in a pinch and don't have cake flour, check below for a tip for making your own!
- baking soda - this leavener works with the moisture in the batter and the acid in the sour cream to give this chocolate chip cake a nice lift!
Then we'll add a delicious chocolate ganache glaze to the top of the loaf cake -- you may recognize this glaze from my Chocolate Sour Cream Pound Cake:
- bittersweet chocolate - I like to use a Ghirardelli Bittersweet Baking Bar for this glaze. But you can also use another good-quality dark chocolate or dark chocolate chips. If you prefer to use semi-sweet chocolate, feel free! But note that it'll make this glaze a bit sweeter, so you may want to cut down the sugar in the cake batter to ¾ cup.
- heavy cream - along with the chocolate, heavy whipping cream creates the chocolate ganache!
- light corn syrup - we'll add in a bit of light corn syrup to thin out the ganache a bit. It also gives it a glossy shine. If you don't have corn syrup, you can also use light agave nectar.
Equipment
First of all, you'll need a loaf pan for this chocolate chip cake recipe. This recipe yields a good amount of batter, so a 9 x 5 inch pan works best. But I've also made it in a medium loaf pan (8.5 x 4.5 in.) with great results. As you'll see below in the recipe card, the loaf pan just changes the baking time a bit. And the slightly smaller loaf pan might yield a higher dome top. Additionally, you'll need a stand mixer or electric mixer and large mixing bowl, and parchment paper. I also recommend a digital kitchen scale to accurately measure your flour.
Tips and F.A.Q.
To cool your chocolate chip cake, let it cool in the pan for 10-20 minutes, then remove it from the loaf pan and let it cool the rest of the way on a wire rack. This helps to prevent the bottom of the loaf from getting soggy.
In this chocolate chip cake, your mini chocolate chips will melt a bit while it's baking, but as the cake cools, they'll solidify. As you can see in the images, they stay intact but get a little gooey while the cake is still warm.
If you're in a rush, soften your butter in seconds by popping it in the microwave! Heat your stick of butter on high for about 20 seconds, rotating every few seconds.
It’s important to use room temperature eggs in most baking so that the cold egg doesn’t affect the rise or even baking of your result. However, if you didn’t have a chance to leave your eggs out to get to room temperature, try this tip! Just submerge the eggs in a bowl of lukewarm water for about 15 minutes. That will allow them to get to room temperature more quickly and ensure a great result for this chocolate chip pound cake loaf!
If you don't have any full-fat sour cream on hand, the closest substitute would be an equivalent amount of full-fat greek yogurt.
If you don’t have cake flour, you can make a substitute to use for this chocolate chip pound cake loaf! All you need is all-purpose flour and corn starch. Just measure out 2 ¼ cups of all-purpose flour and replace 5 tablespoons of it with cornstarch. In grams, it’ll be 227 grams of all-purpose flour sifted with 40 grams of cornstarch.
This sour cream chocolate chip loaf cake uses butter to achieve a soft buttery texture, but to ensure a truly moist cake, you can definitely substitute oil instead of butter, like in my Earl Grey Lavender Cake with Honey-Lemon Glaze! Just use ¾ cup of the vegetable oil of your choice instead of butter, and be sure to add in ½ teaspoon of salt with the dry ingredients.
Store this easy loaf cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 3 days, or freeze, well wrapped, for up to 2 months. You can also wrap individual slices in plastic wrap to before freezing in a freezer bag.
Variations
Make this simple chocolate chip loaf cake recipe your own!
- Coffee Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake - add in 1-2 tablespoons of espresso powder with the flour mixture!
- Banana Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake - mix in 2-3 mashed overripe bananas with the wet ingredients, reduce the sour cream to ¼ cup, and reduce sugar to ¾ cup. Or try my Banana Bread recipe and toss in chocolate chips!
- Buttermilk Chocolate Chip Pound Cake - replace the sour cream in this chocolate chip loaf cake with an equal amount of buttermilk!
- Double Chocolate Chip Loaf Cake - reduce flour to 2 cups and add in ½ cup of unsweetened cocoa powder with dry ingredients!
And check out my Marble Loaf Cake or my Vegan Gingerbread Loaf Cake for more ways to use your loaf pan!
If you try this recipe, I would love it if you could leave a star review rating and comment below! It’s so wonderful hearing your feedback! And don’t forget to share your creations with me by tagging @chenee_today on Instagram!
More Cakes You'll Love
- Vegan Coconut Cake
- Chocolate Orange Cake
- Butter Pecan Cake with Cream Cheese Frosting
- Chocolate Spice Cake
📖 Recipe
Equipment you may need
Ingredients
- baking spray
- 2 ¼ cups (281 g) cake flour
- ½ teaspoon (2 g) baking soda
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- ¾ cup (170 g) salted butter - room temperature (1 ½ sticks)
- 4 large eggs - room temperature
- 2 teaspoons (10 ml) pure vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup (153 g) full-fat sour cream - room temperature
- 1 cup (237 g) mini semi-sweet chocolate chips - or chocolate chips of your choice
Chocolate Ganache Glaze
- 4 oz (113 g) bittersweet chocolate - chopped
- ½ cup (119 g) heavy cream
- 2 tablespoon (44 g) light corn syrup
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F and spray a loaf pan* with baking spray and line with parchment paper, leaving an overhang for easy removal of the cake.baking spray
- In a medium bowl, whisk together cake flour and baking soda until well combined. Set aside.2 ¼ cups cake flour, ½ teaspoon baking soda
- In a large bowl with a hand mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes.1 cup granulated sugar, ¾ cup salted butter
- Add eggs, one at a time, followed by vanilla and sour cream, mixing after each addition.4 large eggs, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract, ⅔ cup full-fat sour cream
- Gradually fold in dry ingredients until just combined.
- Fold in chocolate chips until evenly distributed.1 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips
- Add batter to prepared loaf pan and smooth the top. Bake in preheated oven for 45-50 minutes*, or until a toothpick entered into the center of the cake comes out clean.
- Cool in loaf pan for 15-20 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack to cool completely.
Chocolate Ganache Glaze
- Heat chopped chocolate and heavy cream in microwave for 20-second intervals until beginning to melt.4 oz bittersweet chocolate, ½ cup heavy cream
- Stir to finish melting until smooth.
- Add corn syrup and stir until glossy.2 tablespoon light corn syrup
- If desired, allow to cool in the fridge for 15 minutes for a slightly thicker consistency.
- Pour glaze over cooled cake, allow to set, and serve.
Video
Notes
Nutrition
Last Updated on October 19, 2022 by Chenée Lewis
Michelle
My cake turned out perfectly and super moist. The glaze is to die for!
Chenée Lewis
I love that glaze too! Thank you!
Colleen
What a delicious treat this chocolate chip cake is. I brought it to a potluck and it disappeared in a flash.
Chenée Lewis
I've had that experience too!!
Sherry Robinson
I doubled the recipe and baked in a large pound cake pan and it was AMAZING!
Chenée Lewis
Wonderful! So glad to hear that!
Elizabeth
I love chocolate chip cakes and this one hits the spot! The chocolate glaze is so decadent. Thanks for sharing.
Chenée Lewis
So glad you liked it!
Kathleen
What a marvelous loaf cake. Super easy to make and everyone loves chocolate chips. Yum!
Chenée Lewis
Yes! Chocolate chips make everything better!
Kim
This cake was delicious, and the perfect size for our small family. The mini chocolate chips give the vanilla cake a nice pop of chocolatey flavor.
Chenée Lewis
I love using mini chips in this cake! 🙂
Casey
I loved this cake - it was so moist. And that glaze! I could have eaten the glaze with a spoon.
Chenée Lewis
The glaze is my favorite part!!