This easy Chocolate Date Bread is soft, sticky, and full of sweet dates, warm spices, and melted dark chocolate. Perfectly moist, naturally sweetened, and simple to make, this family-favorite quick bread is ideal for breakfast, snacking, or cozy afternoon tea.
If you like this recipe, you may like my Italian Pignoli Cookies and my Nonna's Italian Apple Cake.
Originally published in November 2012 and updated August 2025
Why You'll Love This Family Favorite
This recipe has been a staple in our kitchen for years. It's cozy, sweet, and just the right mix of wholesome and indulgent. Here's why this chocolate date loaf is so loved:
- Moist & tender - thanks to bananas, dates, and melted chocolate.
- Naturally sweetened - with less added sugar than most quick breads.
- Simple ingredients - pantry staples you likely already have.
- Versatile - can be made as muffins, a loaf, or even mini loaves for gifting.
- Perfect for any season - warm spices make it cozy in fall/winter, but it's light enough for summer snacking.
A Little Story Behind This Date Loaf
Living in Florida means weathering more hurricanes and tropical storms than I can count. Whenever one passes through, the kitchen becomes our safe haven. During Hurricane Sandy, while the winds roared outside, I baked this Sticky Chocolate Date Bread for my family.
It quickly became a tradition-comforting, rich, and filled with natural sweetness from dates and bananas. Sometimes I bake it as a loaf, sometimes as muffins, but it always fills the house with that cozy scent of chocolate and spice. Let's get onto the recipe!
🛒 Ingredients You'll Need
- 30 pitted dates, coarsely chopped
- 1¼ cups water
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon sea salt
- ¾ cup canola oil
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon molasses
- 1 ripe banana, mashed
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips, melted and cooled
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips (to stir in before baking)
How to Make Chocolate Date Bread (Step by Step)
1. Soften the Dates
Combine dates and water in a saucepan. Bring to a boil, simmer for 3 minutes. Stir in baking soda (it will foam). Let cool.
2. Mix Wet Ingredients
Whisk together oil, sugar, molasses, banana, and vanilla until smooth. Stir in the melted chocolate.
3. Mix Dry Ingredients
In another bowl, whisk flours, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt.
4. Combine
Fold half the flour mixture into the wet ingredients. Stir in cooled date mixture. Fold in the rest of the flour and chocolate chips.
5. Bake
Pour into a parchment-lined loaf pan. Bake at 350°F (175°C) for 55-60 minutes, or until a toothpick comes out mostly clean.
6. Cool & Serve
Let cool for 10 minutes, then remove from pan. Slice & enjoy warm with coffee or tea.
How to Use Dates in Baking
- When making a sticky chocolate date cake, don't skip the step of soaking the dates-it's essential!
- I always begin by pouring boiling water over the dates to soften them. This not only makes them easier to blend into the batter but also helps create that rich, fudgy texture we all love in this kind of cake.
- While the dates soak, I use the time to line my cake pan, preheat the oven, and measure out all the ingredients.
- It's a small but crucial step that makes a big difference in how moist and luscious the final cake turns out.
Pro Tips for the Best Date Bread
- Store wrapped at room temperature for 3 days, or freeze slices for up to 2 months.
- Be sure to not skip boiling the dates-it softens them and makes the loaf moist.
- Fold gently to avoid overmixing.Let the loaf cool completely before slicing for the best texture.
Substitutions & Variations
This date loaf is flexible-here are some ways to make it your own:
- Flour - Use all all-purpose for a lighter crumb, or all whole wheat for a heartier date bread.
- Banana - Swap with unsweetened applesauce for a milder flavor.
- Sugar - Coconut sugar or maple sugar can be used instead of brown sugar.
- Oil - Substitute with melted butter or coconut oil.
- Add Nuts - Walnuts or pecans turn this into a classic date nut bread.
- Add Orange - Stir in 1 tablespoon orange zest for a fragrant date and orange loaf.
- Make it Healthy - Use all whole wheat flour, reduce the sugar, and add flaxseed for a healthy date loaf.
FAQ's
Medjool dates are soft, sticky, and extra sweet. Deglet Noor are drier but easier to chop. Both work great.
Yes! Walnuts or pecans make this a classic date nut bread.
Yes, substitute applesauce or Greek yogurt for a similar texture.
Absolutely-wrap tightly and freeze for up to 2 months.
Some other chocolate recipes you'll love:
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📖 Recipe
Quick Chocolate Date Bread
Equipment
- 1 baking loaf pan
Ingredients
- 30 pitted dates coarsely chopped
- 1 ¼ cups water
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup whole wheat flour
- 2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¾ cup canola oil
- ½ cup brown sugar
- 1 Tablespoon molasses
- 1 ripe banana mashed
- 2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup dark chocolate chips melted and cooled
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips to stir in the batter right before baking
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350 F and line a loaf pan with parchment or non stick baking paper (or you can make them in muffins tins).
- In a small pan, combine dates and water and bring to a boil. Lower heat and simmer for about 3 minutes or until dates are soft and liquid has reduced. Lower the heat and stir in baking soda. Stir well once the mixture foams up; set aside to cool.
- In a large mixing bowl whisk together the flours, baking powder, cinnamon, nutmeg and salt. In another large mixing bowl, whisk the oil, sugar, molasses, banana, and vanilla until fluffy. Stir in the cooled melted chocolate.
- Gently fold in half the flour mixture, then fold in all the date mixture. Gently fold in the remaining flour and the rest of the chocolate chips.
- Transfer batter to baking pan and tilt pan gently from side to side to level batter. Bake at 350F for 30 minutes, then lower heat to 325F for the next 30 minutes. Bake for 1 hour or until a fine skewer comes out almost clean from centre of loaf and loaf begins to pull away from the sides of tin.
- Remove from oven let the loaf cool. If you have a cooling rack, place it on that to cool down. Slice and enjoy!
Nutrition Disclaimer
Please keep in mind that the nutritional information presented below is an approximation and may vary depending on the exact ingredients used.
Notes
- Don't skip soaking the dates: This is key to achieving a moist, fudgy texture. The hot water softens the dates, making them easier to blend and infuse into the batter.
- Use high-quality cocoa powder: For the best chocolate flavor, choose an unsweetened Dutch-process or natural cocoa powder that's rich and aromatic.
- Chop dates if they're large: Medjool dates or other larger varieties should be roughly chopped before soaking so they break down more easily in the batter.
- Let the batter rest briefly: After mixing, let the batter sit for 5-10 minutes. This helps the dates fully hydrate and meld with the chocolate flavors.
- Vegan: This cake is vegan baked as it is. Make sure to use vegan sugars, if you are baking it vegan.
- Don't overbake: Start checking for doneness 5 minutes before the suggested baking time. A toothpick should come out with just a few moist crumbs.
- Optional add-ins: For extra texture, stir in chopped walnuts, pecans, or dark chocolate chunks before baking.
- Even better the next day: The loaf becomes even more flavorful and fudgy after resting overnight-perfect for make-ahead dessert or breakfast!
What a great event you are particating in! Glad that you and your family are okay. It is heart wrenching to hear about all of the destruction back east. This chocolate date loaf looks and sounds amazing!!!!
Love this cause Lora. Poor souls especially now as the Holidays are approaching. Such a heartbreak! 🙁 So happy to be a part of this effort. Love your rich date bread.
Happy to hear that you are safe and experienced minimal damage in your area. Thank you for this post and helping to spread the word, such a frighting thing and seems that even with warning the destruction can be so devastating.
Your cake looks wonderful and like a serious comfort treat!
I'm glad to hear that you and your family are made it through the storm! Sending only positive thoughts and energy to everyone impacted by Sandy. (Thanks for the aid links!)
Your chocolate date loaf looks splendid!
What a lovely post and a lovely looking loaf. I'm so encouraged by all the wonderful outreach on-line that is happening for all those in need of help recovering from Hurricane Sandy.
I used to gorge on this sticky, dark date nut loaf from a long gone bakery in the town I grew up in. To this day, I've yet to taste one even close to it. What was their secret? Seeing your beautiful and delicious looking Sticky Chocolate Walnut Date Loaf makes me wonder if it was chocolate?? Regardless, this is a perfect comfort food for a wonderful cause. You know all of my details, so I won't write a novel xoxo
You know I grew up with Florida hurricanes as well and it taught us the power of nature and that we should respect it with awe. And at times like this, comfort food is such a necessity! This cake reminds me of the date nut bread my mom always ate (she bought it and kept it to herself!!) but I love your with chocolate added so much more!
Beautiful post, my friend!! So glad we all came together to help out those in need.
As always, beautiful cake! xo
We can't stop the storms but we can help each other and pray!
Thanks for the recipe I used to make this cake long time ago, but lost the recipe. God Bless all!
What a lovely loaf cake. The outpouring of support from bloggers has been wonderful. Many of my relatives experienced the wrath of the storm and I know this means so much to them.
Some buttery caramel sauce on the side and I'd move in. 🙂
If we all gave just $10 we could help everyone.
Great loaf - I am bookmarking to make for my son. Thanks for such a meaningful post about the tragedy.
What a delicious loaf cake for a wonderful cause!
Great job with your sticky chocolate date loaf, it looks delicious! Thanks for all you did to bring this event together, and for keeping it about the victims.
There´s never enough to be done for those who lost everything. I´m glad you´re all ok Lora and this is the perfect way to spread the word. And that date bread is absolutely amazing!
It really is so heartbreaking to think about what people are going through. I'm hoping we make a huge difference.
Your loaf is gorgeous, Lora!
Lora I love how generous and caring the food blogging community is - I did not know about Macy's accepting donations, that is great to hear - and this date loaf sounds wonderful! I'm not sure if you have heard, but there is another food blogging event going on today as well to encourage donations for Hurricane Sandy relief - wouldn't it be great if we all joined together to form an even larger movement to garner support for hurricane victims? Feel free to link up your post to Food Bloggers Support for Sandy to help get the word out and share your post.
It is incredible what the force of nature can do - what a wonderful thing you are doing to help those who suffered losses recently.
I know you know of hurricanes first hand...I've only seen the devastation on TV. You've created such a delicious, comfort loaf to offer support to the Sandy victims...and I'm thrilled to be spreading the word with you today. xo
I simply cannot imagine - the stories I am hearing are breaking my heart! I hope our #WeCare reach is far and wide!
on a sweet note, I will be making this cake...