21 easy loaf cake recipes (2024)

Features

by Genevieve Halbert

published on 25 August 2016

21 easy loaf cake recipes (1)

Extravagant show-stoppersare all well and good, butwhen it comes down to it you simply can’t beat a humble loaf cake. Easy to make and even easier to eat, loaf cakes are the perfect combination of quick, simple, andcomforting. Here, we’ve rounded up 21of ourfacouriterecipes, from a frosted marble cake to tangy blueberry and lemon loaf.

Banana Loaf

by Mary Berry

from Simple Cakes

The perennially popular Mary Berry banana loaf is a Happy Foodie community favourite, and with good reason. It’s a beautifully sweet, moist cake, and the recipe couldn’t be more straightforward.

From the book

Simple Cakes

Mary Berry

21 easy loaf cake recipes (3)

Simple Cakes

21 easy loaf cake recipes (4)

Classic tea-time treats

21 easy loaf cake recipes (5)

Mary’s easiest cakes

21 easy loaf cake recipes (6)

Stunning desserts

21 easy loaf cake recipes

This fruity loaf cake from Ottolenghi’s Simpleis studded with fresh blueberries and drizzled with a zingy lemon icing. The ground almonds in the mixture help to ensure a moist texture.

From the book

Simple

Golden Apricot and Marzipan Loaf Cake

by Paul Hollywood

from The Great British Bake Off: How to Bake

This light fruit cake from Paul Hollywood is layered with chunks of marzipan for a fragrant almond flavour.

From the book

The Great British Bake Off: How to Bake

Buy Book

Perfect Banana Bread

by Felicity Cloake

from Perfect Too

Take your banana bread to the next level with this recipe from Felicity Cloake’sPerfect Too. Felicity’s recipe includes a few ingenioustricks to ensureyour banana bread is a cut above the rest.

by Nadia Sawalha, Kaye Adams

from Disaster Chef

A classic co*cktail in cake form? It doesn’t get much better than that.

From the book

Disaster Chef

Buy Book

Plum Bread in a Hurry

by Miranda Gore Browne

from Bake Me a Cake as Fast as You Can

Perfect for those hectic days that leave you needing an emergency cake fix,this quick plum breadfrom Bake Me a Cake as Fast as You Can can be ready in under forty-five minutes.

From the book

Bake Me a Cake as Fast as You Can

Chocolate and Vanilla Marble Loaf

by Mary Berry

from My Kitchen Table: 100 Cakes and Bakes

A classic British tea-time treat, this aesthetically pleasingcake consists ofswirls of vanilla and chocolate sponge topped with a layer of rich chocolate ganache.

From the book

My Kitchen Table: 100 Cakes and Bakes

Rosemary, Parsnip and Parmesan Loaf Cake

by Melissa Sharp, Lindsay Stark

from Modern Baker

This is a savoury, spelt flour loaf cake, which can be eaten just as it is, spread with butter, or served alongside a hot bowl of soup.

From the book

Modern Baker

Banana Cake with Peanut Butter Frosting

by Georgina Hayden

from Stirring Slowly

A slightly more luxurious take on banana bread, this cake from Georgina Hayden is topped with a layer of fluffy peanut butter frosting, making for a truly decadent treat.

From the book

Stirring Slowly

Ginger Cake

by Duval Timothy, Folayemi Brown and Jacob Fodio Todd

from The Groundnut Cookbook

Comfort baking at its finest – this moist ginger cake is just thing to go with your morning cup of tea.

Caramelised Fig Semolina Loaf

by Georgina Hayden

from Taverna

One for the warmer months, this loaf cake is made with orange blossom water and fresh figs. Serve with a dollop of thick Greek yoghurt and enjoy the Mediterranean flavours.

From the book

Taverna

Chocolate and Banana Loaf

by Martha Swift & Lisa Thomas

from The Primrose Bakery Book

Yet another banana loaf (you can never really have too many). The combination of banana and chocolate in this recipe from the Primrose Bakery is hard to resist.

From the book

The Primrose Bakery Book

Buy Book

Ricotta, Lemon, Polenta Teacakes

by Natalia Conroy

from The Kitchen Orchard

These mini ricotta and lemon loaves are made with polenta and ground almonds, rather than flour, so they’re gluten-free.

From the book

The Kitchen Orchard

Buy Book

Mary Berry’s Courgette Loaves

by Mary Berry

from My Kitchen Table: 100 Cakes and Bakes

This moist loaf, flavoured with walnut and cinnamon, is similar to carrot cake and is a great way to use up a summertime glut of courgettes. Mary recommends eating this warm, withbutter or cream cheese.

From the book

My Kitchen Table: 100 Cakes and Bakes

Orange and Hazelnut Cake with Orange Flower Syrup

by Silvena Rowe

from

Another wheat-free bake, this one is made with ground hazelnuts and drizzled with afragrant orange flower syrup.

From the book

Buy Book

Vegan Banana Bread

by Jérôme Eckmeier, Daniela Lais

from Vegan Cakes and Other Bakes

This one’s for the vegan bakers out there. Banana bread is the ideal vegan bake, since mashed bananas are a great replacement for eggs, helping to bind the cake together and add moisture.

From the book

Vegan Cakes and Other Bakes

Linda’s Lemon Drizzle Cake

by Mary McCartney

from Food

It’s almost impossible to refuse a slice of lemon drizzle cake, especially this tangy and moreish number from Mary McCartney.

From the book

Food

Chocolate and Pear Cake

by Anna Del Conte

from Italian Kitchen

Anna del Conte’s Chocolate and Pear Cake is the idealbalance of bitter and sweet. It’s goes perfectlywith a cup of tea, and works equally well as a sophisticated dessert.

From the book

Italian Kitchen

Sweet Coconut Loaf with Berry Coulis

by DK Publishing

from Superfood Breakfasts

We take this Coconut Loaf recipeas a perfectexcuse to eat cake for breakfast – though it’s excellent at any time of day. The sharp tang of the berry coulis lifts the buttery loaf to new heights.

From the book

Superfood Breakfasts

Chocolate Marble Cake with White Chocolate Icing

by Peyton & Byrne

from British Baking

This loaf is slightlyless lazy than the others, but is totally worth it. Topped with creamy and sweet white chocolate icing, it’s a real crowdpleaser that’s guaranteed to become a regular fixture in your kitchen.

From the book

British Baking

Buy Book

Super-Chocolatey Snacking Cake

by Jérôme Eckmeier, Daniela Lais

from Vegan on the Go

A fabulously rich cake, filled with chocolate chips and covered in not one but two types of melted chocolate, this is the ultimate elevenses snack. It also happens to be totally vegan.

From the book

Vegan on the Go

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21 easy loaf cake recipes (2024)

FAQs

What is a loaf cake? ›

Meaning of loaf cake in English

a cake baked in a rectangular pan: I'm making a lemon loaf cake. We like a slice of loaf cake with our morning coffee. Fewer examples. This chocolate loaf cake is amazing.

Is cake flour good for pound cakes? ›

2. Cake flour – This flour works considerably better for pound cake than using plain/all-purpose flour (see in post for comparison). It rises better, and has a more tender crumb. Measuring cake flour: If using cups, sift flour into a large bowl first, then scoop out a cup of flour.

Are loaf cake and pound cake the same? ›

What's the difference between pound cake and loaf cake? A loaf cake is simply any cake that's baked in a loaf pan, including pound cake. Pound cakes got their name because they were made with a pound each of flour sugar, butter, and eggs.

What's the difference between pound cake and vanilla cake? ›

The differences include: Ingredients: Pound cake has more fat than regular cake, and has four ingredients: butter, eggs, flour, and sugar. Regular cake has the same four ingredients plus more ingredients. Regular cake also has baking powder, baking soda, and buttermilk or milk.

What is the difference between a cake and a loaf cake? ›

Loaf cakes are always baked in a loaf pan, whereas cakes in other square or round tins. And even though both cakes and loaf cakes share similar ingredients, the ratio of flour, fat, sugar and the mixing methods are different and make a difference in the final product.

Why does a loaf cake fall in the middle? ›

Cakes sink in the middle due to several reasons. One reason is that the cake batter might be too moist, causing it to collapse during baking. Another reason could be that the oven temperature is too low, leading to uneven baking. Opening the oven door too frequently while baking can also cause cakes to sink.

What is the best flour for moist cake? ›

cake flour has a low protein content and high starch content. making it perfect for a super soft and fluffy texture. all purpose flour has a higher protein content. and will make a cake that is shorter and has a more coarse texture.

Why does my pound cake fall after baking? ›

The depth of your cake pan and the volume of batter in your cake pan can also contribute to a sunken cake. If the cake pan is too full and the oven temperature is too high, the cake will again cook around the edges and not in the center. End result? Sunken cake.

Can you bake a pound cake in a glass loaf pan? ›

Preheat the oven to 350°F for metal, or 325F for glass or stoneware. Butter a 6-cup loaf pan (8 1/2 x 4 1/2 x 2 1/2-inch) and line it with parchment or wax paper. In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. In a mixer cream the butter, sugar, and lemon zest.

What size is a loaf cake? ›

If a recipe calls for a standard loaf pan, they are most likely asking for a “1 pound” pan that measures 8 1/2” x 4 1/2” x 2 1/2” high.

Is loaf cake a sponge cake? ›

It's a light vanilla sponge, topped with creamy vanilla buttercream and sprinkles. Loaf cakes are also known as pound cakes, this is because they were traditionally made with 1lb (one pound) of each ingredient - butter, eggs, flour and sugar.

Do you flip a pound cake? ›

No, not the scary alternate reality from Stranger Things. Let the cake rest for 5 minutes once you remove it from the oven. Then, flip the cake onto a cooling rack upside down and let it rest for about 5 minutes before you remove the pan. A little trick here is to use a grid cooling rack, not one that has big gaps.

Do you need a special pan for pound cake? ›

The bundt pan allows more of the cake to be in contact with the edges of the pan, and therefore the heat is transferred more evenly. If you put pound cake into a regular round cake pan, it will not cook in the center or it will burn on the edges.

Is pound cake the same as angel food cake? ›

The texture of Pound Cake and Angel Food Cake are almost completely opposite. Pound Cake is a dense cake with a moist texture while Angel Food Cakes have fluffy and airy foam interiors. The texture of Pound Cake is rich and solid, which makes it perfect for topping with icing or a dollop of whipped cream.

What is the difference between bread and loaf cake? ›

The difference between cake and bread is that a cake is sweeter, more delicious, and contains much more calories than bread. Cakes are leavened using baking soda while the bread is leavened using yeast. Cakes are prepared using a lot of ingredients to make them tastier while the bread is prepared chiefly with flour.

Why do they call it a loaf? ›

The modern English word loaf is derived from Old English hlaf, 'bread', which in turn is from Proto-Germanic *khlaibuz.

Why is it called a loaf? ›

Loaf derives from Old English hlāf, "bread, loaf of bread," related to Gothic hlaifs, Old Norse hleifr, and Modern German Laib, all of which mean "loaf of bread." Hlāf survives in Lammas, originally Hlāfmaesse, "Loaf-Mass," the Christian Feast of the First Fruits, traditionally celebrated on August 1.

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