Chocolate Marble Bread with Ganache
I love chocolate! I will never understand how some people don’t like chocolate. I think it is the yummiest thing on the planet you can eat. I try not to eat too much of it but here and there it’s always a pleasure to have. Lately, though I’ve really been craving chocolate!
I wanted to make mini loaves of bread for a few neighbors so I researched different types of bread. I came across this gem of a recipe and was really excited to try it. It was a fairly simple recipe and turned out very beautiful.
I love the swirls each piece of bread has. It looks pretty fancy but it’s actually quite simple to do. After the bread has cooled you make a simple chocolate ganache and spread it over the top. It hardens up after an hour and then the bread is ready! I kept a mini loaf for myself and had a piece and was amazed at how yummy it was. I had never had chocolate bread before so I didn’t know what to expect.
It wasn’t as sweet as a cake but reminded me of cake. It’s better than cake! Derek isn’t too into sweets and usually just has one bite or two or them but he had 3 pieces of this bread so you know it’s good! I can not wait to try this again. I told my chocolate loving mother-in-law about it and she wants to try it too so I’m sure I will be baking this up again soon!
Chocolate Marble Bread with Ganache
Slightly adapted from Martha Stewart
Yield: Makes one 8 ½ inch loaf or 2-3 mini loaves
Ingredients:
2 sticks butter, softened, plus more for pan
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
½ teaspoon salt
¾ teaspoon baking powder
8 ounces semisweet chocolate, coarsely chopped (or about 1 ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips)
2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons sugar
4 large eggs
½ cup whole milk
¼ cup heavy cream
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8 ½ by 4 by 2 ½ inch loaf pan; dust with flour, tapping out excess. Sift flour, salt and baking powder into a medium bowl.
Melt 5 ounces chocolate in a heatproof bowl (or 1 cup chocolate chips) in a heatproof bowl set over a pan of simmering water, stirring occasionally until smooth.
Put butter in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment. Mix on low speed until smooth, 2 to 3 minutes. Add sugar; raise the speed to medium. Cream butter and sugar until pale and fluffy, 3 to 4 minutes. Scrape down sides of the bowl. Mix in eggs, 1 at a time. Reduce speed to low. Add flour mixture in three batches, alternating with two batches of milk. Mix until just combined.
Pour half of the batter into melted chocolate; stir well. Alternating between remaining plain batter and the chocolate batter, drop large spoonfuls of batter into the prepared pan. When the pan is filled, use a table knife to cut through mixture with a swirling motion.
Bake until a cake tester(or toothpick) inserted into the center comes out clean, about 1 hour. (40-45 minutes for mini loaves) If bread browns too quickly, tent with foil. Let bread cool slightly in pan on a wire rack, about 10 minutes. Run a thin knife around edges of the bread to loosen; unmold. Let cool completely on rack.
Make ganache: Put the remaining 3 ounces chocolate in a medium bowl. (or ½ cup of chocolate chips) Heat cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until just about to simmer. Pour cream over chocolate; stir until mixture is smooth. Let stand 10 minutes to thicken slightly. Using a small offset spatula, spread ganache over cooled cake; let stand until set, about 1 hour. Bread can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature, up to 2 days.
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