This image released by Milk Street shows a recipe for double chocolate loaf cake. (Milk Street via AP)2025-02-10T15:12:38Z Chocolate is a must-have for Valentines Day, but it neednt be fussy. Instead of melting bars for chocolate-covered strawberries or spending money on store-bought bon bons, give your valentine an intensely rich double chocolate loaf cake with a plush, velvety crumb.Inspiration for this cake came to us by way of Claire Ptak of Violet Cakes, a bakery-caf in East London. In this recipe from our cookbook, Milk Street Bakes, we achieve a complex chocolatiness using a generous amount of bittersweet chocolate and unsweetened cocoa powder. Any type of bittersweet chocolate will work, but for best results use one thats tasty enough to eat out of hand and contains about 70% cocoa solids.Dont use natural cocoa. Dutch-processed is best because the alkali used in its production gives the cocoa a richer, deeper hue and smoother taste thats important for color and flavor intensity. If your cocoa does not indicate type on the label, check the ingredient list. If it reads processed with alkali, the cocoa is Dutch-processed.Serve slices with fresh berries and spoonfuls of crme frache, which has a subtle tang and creaminess that are fantastic foils for the cake. Store leftovers at room temperature, tightly wrapped, for up to three days. Double Chocolate Loaf CakeStart to finish: 1 hours (20 minutes active), plus coolingMakes one 9-inch loaf cake Ingredients:200 grams (7 ounces) bittersweet chocolate (see headnote), finely chopped198 grams (14 tablespoons) salted butter, cut into several chunks195 grams (1 cups) all-purpose flour214 grams (1 cup) white sugar43 grams ( cup) Dutch-processed cocoa powder2 teaspoons baking powder teaspoon table salt3 large eggs, room temperature1 cup boiling water Directions:Heat the oven to 350F with a rack in the middle position. Mist a 9-by-5-inch loaf pan with cooking spray, then line it with an 8-by-14-inch piece of kitchen parchment, allowing the excess to overhang the long sides of the pan.In a medium saucepan over medium, bring 1 inch of water to a simmer. Put the chocolate and the butter in a large heatproof bowl and set the bowl on top of the saucepan; be sure the bottom does not touch the water. Stir occasionally until the chocolate and butter are melted. Remove the bowl from the pan and cool until barely warm to the touch, stirring occasionally. Meanwhile, in a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder and salt.Add the eggs to the cooled chocolate mixture; whisk until well combined. Add the dry ingredients and stir with a silicone spatula until evenly moistened; the mixture will be dryish and thick. Gradually stir in about half of the boiling water; when fully incorporated, whisk in the remaining boiling water. The batter will be smooth, glossy and fluid. Pour into the prepared pan. Bake until the center of the cake rises, forming deep fissures on the surface, and a toothpick inserted at the center comes out with a few crumbs attached, 55 to 60 minutes.Cool in the pan on a wire rack for about 20 minutes. Lift the cake out of the pan using the parchment and set it directly on the rack. Cool to room temperature. Peel off and discard the parchment before slicing.EDITORS NOTE: For more recipes, go to Christopher Kimballs Milk Street at 177milkstreet.com/ap