Forest Fruit Chocolate Loaf Cake

Forest Fruit Chocolate Loaf Cake

This is the kind of cake that makes a kitchen feel like a good idea happened in it: dark, dense, barely sweet enough to call itself dessert, and streaked through with jammy berries. It's a weeknight baking project in the truest sense - no stand mixer required, just a bowl, a loaf tin, and the patience to let it cool before you slice it (or don't, and eat it warm with a spoon).

You need

• 1 cup (225g) unsalted butter, softened, plus more for the tin
• 1 cup (200g) soft light brown sugar
• 1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
• 4 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 1/2 cups (190g) all-purpose flour
• 1/2 cup (50g) cocoa powder, sifted
• 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 cups (250g) frozen mixed berries (blueberries, blackberries, raspberries), straight from the freezer
• 2 tablespoons demerara or turbinado sugar, for the top

Method

1. Heat the oven to 325F (160C). Butter a 9x5-inch (23x13cm) loaf tin well and line the bottom with parchment paper, letting it overhang the long sides so you can lift the cake out later.
2. In a large bowl, beat the softened butter with both sugars until pale and fluffy, about 3-4 minutes with a hand mixer. It should look like soft frosting, not grainy.
3. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well after each. If it looks like it's splitting, add a spoonful of the flour - it'll come back together.
4. Sift the flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt over the mixture and fold in gently with a spatula until just combined; do not overmix or the crumb will toughen.
5. Toss the frozen berries with 1 tablespoon of the demerara sugar (this keeps them from sinking) then fold them into the batter quickly, while still frozen.
6. Scrape the batter into the prepared tin, smooth the top, and scatter over the remaining demerara sugar for a crunchy crust.
7. Bake for 60-70 minutes, until a skewer inserted in the center comes out with just a few moist crumbs (not wet batter) and the top has a deep crack down the middle - that crack is exactly right, not a flaw.
8. If the top is browning too fast before the center is done, lay a sheet of foil loosely over it for the last 15-20 minutes.
9. Let the cake cool in the tin for 15 minutes, then lift out using the parchment and cool completely on a wire rack before slicing - it cuts cleanly once cool, and tastes even better the next day.