Chocolate Chip Loaf with Dulce De Leche
I don’t know about you, but I love a good loaf cake! Be it banana bread, or lemon poppy seed loaf, they never seem to disappoint! So what could be better than a chocolate chip loaf? Well I’ll tell ya – A Dulce De Leche Swirl Chocolate Chip Loaf!! This amazing cake loaf features a decadently moist cake that features all those great ingredients that scream ‘chocolate chip cookies’ – brown sugar, lots of vanilla, and of course mini chocolate chip cookies! But where this Chocolate Chip Loaf really shines is with that delicate amber-toned Dulce swirl that marbles it’s way through each slice!
What is Dulce De Leche?
Dulce de leche is a Latin American sauce that quite literally translates to ‘candy made of milk”. Essentially this caramel colored sauce is created by simmering a can of sweetened condensed milk for hours. While it simmers, the milk solids and the sugar in the sweetened condensed milk go through the Maillard Reaction, essentially caramelizing the sugars! Dulce de leche looks and actually tastes quite similar to caramel, however I find the flavor to be more mild, and a touch less bitter, than caramel. This milder taste means that It is a great compliment to many things, as it doesn’t tend to overpower with it’s flavor, like caramel sometimes does.
You can make your own dulce de leche with just 2 things – a can of sweetened condensed milk and a pot of simmer water. This process will take hours though (about 2-3 hours, plus cool-off time). If you don’t want to spend hours preparing your dulce, it can easily be found at the grocery store. It typically is in the same area as the sweetened condensed milk. As well, regular caramel can be substituted as well.
How to Make Chocolate Chip Loaf
To make this Dulce de Leche Chocolate Chip Loaf we are going to use the ‘creaming method’. Start by adding the brown sugar and room-temperature butter to your stand mixer that is fitted with the paddle attachment. Beat these two together until they have become fluffy, lighter in color, and almost tripled in volume – about 3 minutes. Scrape down the sides of the stand mixer, then add your eggs in one at a time. It is important to ensure each egg is fully incorporated before adding the next because we don’t want any unmixed eggy-bits in the chocolate chip loaf! Next add the vanilla, and mix to combine. In a separate bowl, add all your dry ingredients and whisk them to combine. Add these dry ingredients to the stand mixer in 3 additions, while alternating with the sour cream. After all the dry ingredients and sour cream have been added, simply fold in the mini chocolate chips, and now were ready to add it to the pan!
How to Swirl in Dulce De Leche
Start by adding about ½ of the loaf batter to a prepared loaf pan. You can eyeball this part – no need to be perfect! Next, using a spoon drizzle the dulce de leche over top of the batter. The formation of the drizzle does not matter. Next place the rest of the batter over top of the drizzled dulce de leche. Now, grab a long stick or knife (I like to use a kebab skewer), and place it into the batter and begin swirling it around. I like to swirl down the length of the pan then turn around swirl width-wise too. When you feel like you’ve swirled enough (it’s important to go too overboard), sprinkle some more mini chocolate chips on top, then place into the oven for baking!
Substitutions and Variations
• Regular chocolate chips will work just fine.
◦ If you want more dulce de leche flavor, try pouring it over top of the finished chocolate chip loaf – It makes it a bit sticky but really amplifies that dulce flavor!
• Buttermilk can be used in place of sour cream.
◦ Regular caramel can be substituted if you do not have dulce de leche.
Get the Recipe: Chocolate Chip Loaf with Dulce De Leche
Ingredients
- 1 cup Unsalted Butter,, at room temperature
- 1 cup Brown Sugar
- 2 Large Eggs
- 1 ¾ cups All Purpose Flour,, measured correctly †
- 1 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 2/3 cup Full-Fat Sour Cream
- 1 ½ tsp Vanilla
- 1/2 cup Mini Chocolate Chips,, plus more for sprinkling
- 1/4 (give or take) cup Dulce De Leche
Equipment
- Stand mixer
- 9" x 5" Loaf Pan
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Prepare a 9×5" loaf pan with oil and parchment paper.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, add butter and brown sugar. Beat on medium-high until light and fluffy looking, about 3-4 minutes. Add in the eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition and scraping the sides of the bowl.
- In a separate medium sized bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Whisk together to combine.
- Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the stand mixer, mix on low until combined. Add ½ of the sour cream and mix on low until combined. Continue alternating the flour and the sour cream, until both have been completely added (finishing with the flour mixture). Add the vanilla and mix until combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
- Pour ½ of the batter into the loaf pan and spread smooth. Drizzle the dulce de leche over top of the batter, then place the rest of the batter on top. Using a wooden skewer or a knife, swirl the batter around in every direction. Sprinkle the top with some more chocolate chips, then place into the oven and bake for 60 minutes or until an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Notes
Related Recipes
Looking for more chocolate chip recipes? Check out these below:
CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIE CUPCAKES. These little cupcakes feature a moist cake that is reminiscent in flavor to chocolate chip cookies. Topped with a brown sugar frosting.
CHEWY BROWNED BUTTER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES. These cookies are chewy on the inside, with those perfectly crispy outer edges. Everything a cookie should be.
What size loaf pan did you use
I used a regular sized loaf pan and it overflowed in the oven
I think mine is an 8×3 inch pan
Hi, I should have specified – use a 9×5″ loaf pan.
Thank you for the recipe, trying it today. Just a small typo in step 4, mentions buttermilk and I think you meant sour cream 🙂
Oops!! Thanks for letting me know! ☺️