Chocolate Marzipan Scone Loaf

Chocolate Marzipan Scone Loaf recipe

Having fled the country so soon after new year I a) still have lots of random festive leftovers in my cupboards and b) have yet to start the post Christmas diet and c) have no intention of starting a post Christmas diet. We ate and drank although our lives depended on it on holiday so it would be a shame to stop now. This Chocolate Marzipan Scone Loaf not only tastes amazing, it’s seen off the last of the spare marzipan which didn’t make it onto my Christmas cake.

I am a massive fan of loaf cakes and scones, so I love Molly Yeh for introducing me to this dream of a cake. It’s crisp on the outside with it’s scone style crust, but soft and buttery on the inside. I used double cream in the mix as our local shop doesn’t always stock buttermilk and well hey, I bloody love cream; it adds richness and depth to the already rich and deep loaf. The loaf is studded with two of my all times faves – dark chocolate and cubes of marzipan. These two go so well together and in a scone, they totally rule.

Slices of this Chocolate Marzipan Scone Loaf are getting me through life back in the cold and back at work. And I still have another 200g of marzipan to use, so that diet isn’t starting anytime soon.

Ooh yum, you can only imagine how hard it was not to eat that whole bowl of marzipan and chocolate. I always have way too much cream in my fridge and never any buttermilk, so I went for cream for my scone loaf.

Make a start by lining your loaf tin and pre heating the oven to 180 degrees fan assisted. Next, toss your cubes of marzipan in the tablespoon of icing sugar then mix in the chocolate.

Next, in a large bowl or in your food processor combine the flour, salt, sugar and baking powder.

Now, either by hand or in the food processor, process in the butter until the mixture is the texture of breadcrumbs with some larger pieces of butter, the size of peas.

Tip the flour mixture into a large bowl with the marzipan and chocolate and stir to combine.

In a small jug whisk the cream, eggs, vanilla extract and almond extract until combined. Pour this into the dry ingredients and mix with a spatula until you have a stiff dough.

Pack the mixture into your lined tin and level the top. Sprinkle with a teaspoon of caster sugar for an extra sweet crusty top.

Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until the loaf is golden, firm to the touch and a skewer comes out clean when poked in the middle. If you have an instant read thermometer it should read 95 to 100 degrees centigrade in the centre of the cake.

Leave the cake to cool in the tin for ten minutes before leaving to cool for as long as you can on a rack.

Once your loaf’s cool enough to cut, serve in whopper slabs. Butter in large quantities essential.

Scone in loaf form studded with marzipan and chocolate, this is what a grey week in January is all about. Don’t forget the butter.

Lucy x

Chocolate Marzipan Scone Loaf recipe

Makes a lovely big loaf, around 8 generous slabs/slices

You will just need bowls and a lined/butter 1kg loaf tin for this

200g marzipan, cubed

1 tablespoon icing sugar

100g dark chocolate chips, or chopped dark chocolate

250g plain flour

1 tablespoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons caster sugar, plus a teaspoon for sprinkling

170g cold butter

2 eggs

125ml double cream, or buttermilk

1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/2 teaspoon almond extract

Pre heat your oven to 180 degrees fan assisted and line your loaf tin with a liner or butter.

Toss the marzipan in the tablespoon of icing in a large bowl then add the chocolate chips. In a food processor or another large bowl, mix the flour with the salt, baking powder and sugar and mix to combine. Add the chopped, cold butter and process again until you have a breadcrumb like texture with some larger, pea sized shaped pieces of butter. You can, of course, do this by hand too.

Tip the flour mixture into the bowl with the marzipan and chocolate and mix to incorporate. In a jug whisk the eggs into the cream or buttermilk and the vanilla and almond extracts. Pour this into the flour mixture and mix with a spatula until you have a stiff dough.

Scrape this into your lined loaf tin and level the top. Dust the top with a teaspoon of caster sugar then bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until the loaf is golden and firm to the touch and a skewer comes out clean when poked in the middle. I used an instant read thermometer and it should read 95 to 100 degrees centigrade in the centre of the cake.

Leave to cool in the tin for 10 minutes before removing and leaving for as long as you can bear before serving in thick slices, slathered in butter. This is best enjoyed within two days, or freeze on the day of baking.