Hot Chocolate Quick Bread
This rich and cozy chocolate bread recipe turns everything you love about a mug of hot chocolate into an easy homemade quick bread. The moist chocolate loaf is filled with melty chocolate chips and pockets of marshmallow, then finished with toasted mini marshmallows, more chocolate, and a decadent chocolate drizzle. No yeast or rising time needed!
Ingredients
For the Chocolate Quick Bread
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 packet (1 oz) hot cocoa mix (yep! We get to use real hot chocolate mix for this bread!)
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, melted and slightly cooled
- ¾ cup granulated sugar
- ¼ cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ¾ cup sour cream
- ½ cup whole milk
- ¾ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ¾ cup mini marshmallows
For the Hot Chocolate Topping
- ¾ cup mini marshmallows
- ¼ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder, optional for dusting
For the Chocolate Drizzle
- ½ cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 2 tbsp heavy cream
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9×5-inch loaf pan and line it with parchment paper, leaving enough parchment over the sides to lift the bread from the pan after baking. I never use parchment paper for my quick breads and have had no issues. Therefore, this step is optional.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cocoa powder, hot cocoa mix, baking soda, baking powder, and salt until evenly combined.
- In a large mixing bowl, whisk the melted butter, granulated sugar, and brown sugar together. Add the eggs and vanilla and whisk until smooth.
- Mix in the sour cream and milk until combined.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and gently fold together just until you no longer see streaks of flour. Avoid overmixing.
- Fold in ¾ cup chocolate chips.
- Gently fold in ¾ cup mini marshmallows last. Fold only a few times so the marshmallows are distributed throughout the batter without being crushed.
- Transfer the batter to the prepared loaf pan and smooth the top.
Bake the Chocolate Bread
- Bake for 45 minutes without adding the topping yet.
- Remove the loaf briefly from the oven and scatter ¾ cup mini marshmallows and ¼ cup chocolate chips over the top. Return it to the oven.
- Continue baking for approximately 10–20 minutes, or until the center is set and a toothpick inserted into an area without melted chocolate comes out with a few moist crumbs rather than wet batter.
- For the toasted hot-chocolate appearance, turn the oven to broil for approximately 30–60 seconds at the very end. Watch the loaf continuously because marshmallows can go from golden to burned very quickly.
- Allow the bread to cool in the pan for about 15 minutes. Use the parchment to carefully lift it from the pan and transfer it to a wire rack.
Make the Chocolate Drizzle
- Place ½ cup chocolate chips and the heavy cream in a microwave-safe bowl. Microwave in 15-second intervals, stirring between each interval, until melted and smooth.
- Once the loaf has cooled until just slightly warm or completely cool, drizzle the chocolate over the marshmallow topping. If desired, finish with a very light dusting of cocoa powder.
- Allow the chocolate to set slightly before slicing.
Notes
Marshmallows inside the bread: The marshmallows folded into the batter will not remain perfectly shaped after baking. Some will melt into the crumb and leave soft, gooey marshmallow pockets, which is exactly what we want for the hot chocolate effect.
Don't add all the marshmallows at the beginning. The marshmallows used for the topping are added near the end of baking, so they remain visible and can become lightly toasted instead of completely melting away.
Check the right spot for doneness. Melted chocolate and marshmallow can make a toothpick look wet even when the loaf is finished. Test several places near the center. You're looking for moist chocolate crumbs but no raw batter.
Hot cocoa mix: Use one standard packet of regular hot cocoa mix rather than sugar-free cocoa mix. The cocoa mix adds that recognizable sweet, creamy hot-chocolate flavor while the unsweetened cocoa provides the deeper chocolate flavor.
Prevent overbaking: Chocolate quick bread is much better slightly moist than dry. Begin checking around the 55-minute mark since ovens and loaf pans vary.
Storage: Store tightly covered at room temperature for up to 2 days or refrigerate for up to 5 days. The loaf is especially good slightly warmed so the chocolate and marshmallow pockets soften again.