Bake
by: Genius Recipes
April19,2021
4
21 Ratings
- Makes one 8 X 4-inch loaf
Jump to Recipe
Author Notes
This charming loaf may look like a pound cake, and act like a pound cake—and travel well and make sweet gifts like a pound cake. But it's quite a different little number, and thanks to a slew of hidden perks—it's better. To read the full article, head here. Adapted slightly from Molly on the Range (Rodale, 2016). —Genius Recipes
- Test Kitchen-Approved
What You'll Need
Ingredients
- 7 to 8 ounces(200 to 225 grams) marzipan, chopped into 1/2-inch pieces
- 1 tablespoonpowdered sugar
- 1/2 cupdark chocolate chips
- 2 cups(250 grams) all-purpose flour
- 1 tablespoonbaking powder
- 1/2 teaspoonkosher salt
- 2 tablespoonsplus 1 teaspoon granulated sugar
- 3/4 cupcold unsalted butter, cut into 1/2-inch cubes
- 2 large eggs
- 1/2 cupbuttermilk or heavy cream
- 1/2 teaspoonvanilla extract
- 1/2 teaspoonalmond extract
- Jam, for serving
Directions
- Heat oven to 400° F. Line an 8 x 4-inch loaf pan with parchment paper, allowing 1-inch wings to hang over the edges on the long sides.
- In a large bowl, toss together the marzipan and powdered sugar to coat. Add the chocolate chips and set aside.
- In a food processor, combine the flour, baking powder, salt, and 2 tablespoons of the sugar and pulse to combine. Add the butter cubes and pulse until the butter is in the size of peas. Add this to the bowl with the marzipan. (Note: If you don’t have a food processor, you can cut the butter in quickly with your hands or a pastry blender.)
- In a small bowl, whisk together the eggs, buttermilk or cream, and the extracts and add to the dry ingredients. Use a wooden spoon or spatula to stir until just combined.
- Pour the mixture into the prepared loaf pan and spread it out evenly. Sprinkle the top with the remaining 1 teaspoon sugar and bake until deep golden brown on top and firm when you poke it with your finger, with no squishy give (indicating an undercooked middle). Begin checking for doneness at 40 minutes. If you want to be extra sure it’s done, an instant-read thermometer should read 205°F to 212°F (95°C to 100°C) in the middle.
- Cool in the pan on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Using the parchment wings, remove to the rack to cool completely. Slice with a serrated knife and serve with jam.
Tags:
- Bread
- Cake
- Quick Bread
- Chocolate
- Buttermilk
- Dark Chocolate
- Marzipan
- Milk/Cream
- Make Ahead
- Bake
- Spring
- Summer
See what other Food52ers are saying.
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Phyllis Bass
-
Änneken
-
Lauren Miller
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krikri
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Jake Nash
Recipe by: Genius Recipes
Popular on Food52
66 Reviews
charlenesilver March 13, 2023
This is an absolutely delicious recipe for a snacking loaf cake/scone :) Followed it exactly. The baking time could use some work since it needs a check for done ness. I’d also scale the sugar back a little next time. Overall saving it as a goto recipe since the flavor combinations are scrumptious.
Val April 10, 2022
Has anyone made mini loaves? I made these for Christmas presents and everyone complimented me on them.
(Thank you Molly!).
I want to make about mini loaves but I am not sure about the ratios. I will probably buy aluminum mini pans from my grocery. Not sure of the size they come in.
Sconer March 27, 2022
Just baked dark chocolate marzipan scone loaf! Tastes like a scone only it’s a loaf. I enjoyed a slice for breakfast with jam and coffee. Nice treat!
Never used or even had seen marzipan before using it in this recipe, but I walked into a local ethnic grocery store and found it! I stored the rest of the scone loaf in air right container and put in the fridge. Not sure how long it will last. Not sure about freezing it. Does marzipan freeze well? Anyone know?
Thanks
Violet L. January 10, 2023
Marzipan freezes beautifully! I have some I made myself in my freezer, and I am going to use it tomorrow for this recipe. I will probably make smaller loaves, as I have better luck baking small loaves than big ones. Can hardly wait!
lori November 5, 2020
Forgot to line loaf pan and had messy hands, had read recent review in which Phyllis considered making scones, so patted dough into a circle and cut into 8 wedges, separated them a bit, brushed with egg and topped with turbinado, and made scones. Came out well but I still want to try as a loaf!
Phyllis B. October 11, 2020
I really like the scone like texture on the outside and the cake like texture on the inside. I was surprised that the marzipan did not melt into the loaf. Next time I would put the marzipan in with the flour mixture for smaller pieces. But I love a good scone. Might even try to make this into scone shapes as mine was more like a dough than a batter before I baked it.
Änneken August 29, 2020
This came out beautiful! Used vegan buttermilk (plant milk with a tbsp of apple cider vinegar whisked in) since I didn't have the real stuff at home. I don't like chocolate and fruit together so I'd go with a thin layer of Nutella instead of jam to spread on the scone slices. Yumm!
jessica402 April 5, 2020
Wow, just made this and it's completely delicious. I thought I was a fan of scones before -- this will be my new go-to.
Jackie_69 September 30, 2018
This was an interesting and flavorful sweet loaf that I felt wasn't overwhelmingly sweet as some others complained about it being. I workout, so I'm not worried about diabetes, if that's the case. I did, however, desire more of a chocolatey flavor in advance, so I added two tablespoons of cocoa powder and I think that helped. Instead of using regular chocolate chips. I used M&Ms and that made this sweet loaf more colorful while keeping the chocolate 'chunks' intact. Again, the results weren't overly sweet. I love the unique marzipan flavor this recipe allows me to taste and this recipe was ultimately worth the money I invested into it. I'll definitely save this recipe and make it again soon! So delicious!
Lauren M. August 7, 2018
I had the highest of expectations for this loaf from the incredible Molly Yeh, but even with the highest effort of as little mixing as possible it turned out dry and tough. It was a bummer since I baked it for a family event. It was also quite sweet and maybe could have used a bit more salt for my personal taste.
marika July 9, 2018
Could anyone please give me advice on the temperature? I baked this tonight but it took more than an hour and it almost overflowed. And the bottom part got burned.
Sconer March 27, 2022
Molly suggests parchment paper to line loaf pan. Works well.
I Didn’t have food processor so I hand cut in cold butter. Takes a little more time to do it by hand but incorporated all the flour. You can use a thin sharp knife in center of loaf to check if loaf is done. The first time I stuck knife in, came up sticky so baked loaf another 4-5 minutes. Stuck knife in again, came up clean. That’s another way to know if it’s done. Try the old fashioned knife method. It does work
krikri January 28, 2018
How long does this cake last? Not as in, how quickly will we gobble it up, but rather, can I send it in the mail? I got my hopes up when I read it will "travel well" but then I thought that may not be what you mean.
Also, will it freeze ok?
Kristen M. January 29, 2018
I've found that the sugared areas (the crust and the area around the marzipan bits) can get a little soggy after a few days, so it's probably not the best option for shipping. I haven't tried freezing it, but hopefully someone else here has!
rk November 21, 2019
I have baked and frozen this on a few occasions. I slice it, put parchment between the slices, double wrap in foil, then into a freezer zip-lock bag. That way, I can take out one slice at a time when the urge strikes.
Has anyone baked this as muffins?
Jake N. January 12, 2018
Just made this loaf and added 1/2 tsp of orange blossom water. It came out very nicely with a buttery crust and a soft interior with just the right amount of sweetness. My only complaint is that it was a little bland for my taste. Next time I would add 1 tsp orange blossom water and the zest of one orange. Still super tasty though!
Sarahlmorford December 14, 2017
Made these tonight - I did 4 mini loaves x 2 (doubled the recipe) for teachers' gifts - how much do I love these teachers? To-die-for! This recipe is the bomb. Don't agree with other commenters - the sweetness level is perfect - there is barely any sugar in it anyway. Found marzipan easily at Safeway out in the Bay Area. Wasn't sure how small to chop it so that add in the recipe would be helpful. (I did approx pea sized) - love love love- for mini loaves 30 minutes was perfect.
suzanne December 6, 2017
Made it yesterday exactly as directed, with some super fresh mail-order marzipan. Delish! I agree that you could eliminate or cut the 2T sugar, but not the powdered sugar as it serves a purpose to coat the marzipan so it doesn't clump and stick. I cooked this for about 54 minutes - just fine. My mom and husband swooned.
Casey October 1, 2017
Absolutely wonderful recipe! Thanks so much for sharing!
stefanie September 22, 2017
Just made this today - sooooo good. I used some hand-crushed version of marzipan and it might have had more texture than originally intended, but turned out delicious!
wl110 May 30, 2017
I found this to be WAY too sweet, even (1) omitting the confectioner's sugar (2) using almond paste instead of marzipan, and (3) being an almond paste/marzipan junkie. Next time, I'd still omit the confectioner's sugar, use half the amount of almond paste (cut into smaller bits), and maybe cut back on the sugar as well.
Katherine H. May 24, 2017
Made this scone loaf today! Incredible! I subbed half the butter for plain non-fat greek yogurt to lighten things up (so 6 tbsp butter, 6 tbsp yogurt). I also didn't have any dark chocolate or marzipan on hand, so I did a half cup semi-sweet chips, and a half-cup of candied ginger (cut into smaller chunks). LOVE the chocolate and ginger combo and will probably make it like this the next time.
Tom May 24, 2017
Given the crust on top, it would be helpful to have an internal temperature for doneness.
Kristen M. October 22, 2017
Tom, I just wanted to let you know (belatedly) that I've added internal temperature to the recipe—thanks for the suggestion.
Barbara F. May 15, 2017
My little box of almond paste (packaged in foil inside) was 8 oz. and I used it all. I wasn't sure where to find marzipan in my grocery store, but I always see almond paste. I cubed in up. It was so delicious in this "scloaf!" lol.
