Marzipan chocolate loaf cake

Combine the nutty marzipan flavour with a rich chocolate cake to make the ultimate treat. This easy recipe is perfect for baking with kids

Prep:25 mins
Cook:1 hrs

Serves 10
Easy

Nutrition per serving

kcal 653
fat 39g
saturates 21g
carbs 63g
sugars 0g
fibre 4g
protein 10g
salt 0.7g

Ingredients

165g salted butter, softened, plus extra for the tin
icing sugar, for dusting
350g marzipan
100g caster sugar
60g dark brown soft sugar
3 large eggs
200g self-raising flour
½ tsp baking powder
½ tsp almond extract
75ml milk
3 tbsp cocoa powder
50g dark chocolate chips
180ml double cream
140g dark chocolate, finely chopped
1 tbsp golden syrup
1 tsp almond extract

Tip

DECORATE THE CAKE

If you like, you could also decorate the top of the cake with marzipan fruits or other shapes for a traditional look.

Method

Heat the oven to 180C/160C fan/gas 4. Butter a 1kg loaf tin (ours was 14 x 24 x 7cm) and line with a long strip of baking parchment. Lightly dust a surface with icing sugar and roll the marzipan out to a 1cm-thick rectangle, then cut it so that it’s just smaller than the base of the loaf tin.
Beat the butter and both sugars together in a large bowl using an electric whisk until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs, flour, baking powder, almond extract, milk and cocoa powder until smooth. Fold in the chocolate chips, scraping down the sides of the bowl to ensure everything is combined.
Pour half the batter into the tin. Top with the marzipan rectangle, then pour the remaining batter on top and smooth the surface. Bake for 1 hr-1 hr 15 mins until golden, risen and a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Leave to cool completely in the tin.
To make the ganache, bring the cream to a simmer in a small pan. Meanwhile, put the dark chocolate, golden syrup and almond extract in a heatproof bowl. Once the cream is simmering, pour it over the chocolate mixture and set aside for 2 mins to melt. Whisk until smooth, then leave for 5 mins to cool and thicken slightly. Pour the ganache all over the cake, and cut into slices to serve.

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