A chocolate coffee cake that is moist and scrumptious. You get a fluffy crumb, lots of chocolate flavor, and a cinnamon streusel with three types of chocolate chips. It keeps well and can be frozen.
We're used to coffee cakes being vanilla cakes with streusel topping.
If you google chocolate coffee cake, you hardly find any. I mean a coffee cake that is chocolate-flavored. With sour cream in the batter and streusel or crumble.
All recipes are traditional chocolate cakes that use coffee as a flavor enhancer or complement it. Like the chocolate ganache bundt cake.
So, I had to come up with one. It was imperative. And top it with chocolate chips, so it was clear what it was about.
Originally, I added chopped pistachios to the streusel. It makes for a great cake, but not an all-chocolate coffee cake like I had in mind.
What is a coffee cake?
They are dense and rich cakes with a streusel in the middle, as a topping, or both.
They are sweet, perfect for brunch, and can be adapted to most cake flavors, like the pumpkin coffee cake and apple coffee cake, both popular in this blog.
This recipe for chocolate coffee cake has a chocolate streusel and is a great snacking cake to serve at brunch, plain or with a simple glaze.
Ingredients
- Chocolate chips: use your favorite semisweet chip. I love Ghirardelli premium baking chocolate chips and Nestle Toll house semisweet chips.
- Cocoa powder: always use unsweetened. I like Hershey's unsweetened cocoa powder, Ghirardelli Premium baking cocoa, and Scharffen Berger natural cocoa powder. And, in my experience, the dark ones are the best (this does not apply to the super dark used for making homemade Oreo cookies known as dark cocoa powder).
- Sour cream: the regular type, full-fat sour cream cheese is used for richness and creaminess.
- White granulated sugar.
- Brown sugar: light or dark.
- Eggs: fresh, large.
- Vanilla: I use pure vanilla extract or pure vanilla paste when available, but a good vanilla essence (artificially flavored) also works and is infinitely cheaper.
- Salt: I like to use kosher salt when baking. But regular table salt works just fine.
- Baking powder and baking soda: make sure they aren't expired.
- Cinnamon: any ground cinnamon you normally use works fine. I like Frontier Vietnamese cinnamon and Simply Organic Ceylon cinnamon.
See the recipe card at the end of this post for quantities.
Variations & substitutions
- Nuts: instead of, or in addition to, the chocolate chips topping. I used to make it with pistachios years ago. Hazelnuts also pair very well.
- Milk chocolate chips: substitute for the semisweet in the batter for a sweeter cake.
- Chocolate ganache icing: drizzle it on top instead of the powdered sugar glaze for an over-the-top chocolate dessert.
How to make chocolate crumb cake
Streusel topping
It's very easy to make and can be made ahead and kept refrigerated for a week in a covered container.
The dry ingredients are combined in a medium bowl.
Cold butter pieces are added and mixed until clumpy with a fork. Refrigerate it while making the chocolate batter.
Chocolate cake:
It's a classic butter cake with cocoa powder and has chocolate chips in the batter.
Beat sugars and butter for a few minutes, then add the eggs and vanilla, integrating well. Using an electric mixer is the best option.
The sour cream is added alternating with the dry ingredients. At this point, beat to integrate well but don't overdo it, or the cake will not be as fluffy.
Add the semisweet chocolate chips and stir to combine. You can use the electric mixer at low speed or a rubber spatula.
Transfer the cake batter to the prepared pan and smooth out the top.
Vintage Kitchen tip: after incorporating flour in a cake batter, we don't want to develop gluten as it will toughen the baked cake. So mix *just* until it's all well incorporated, but don't overbeat. I like to end with a spatula to ensure the ingredients are integrated but not overmixed.
For the chocolate crumb topping, mix chocolate chips with the streusel and sprinkle on top of the cake batter.
Bake as directed, removing it from the oven when a cake tester or toothpick comes out clean. The topping will have sunk into the batter in places.
Powdered sugar glaze
I am a huge fan of simple glazes or icings to drizzle over coffee cakes, which will enhance the sweetness.
- Cooled cake: it's essential before drizzling the glaze. Otherwise, it will thin out due to the heat.
- Make it ahead: refrigerate it in an airtight container or tightly covered bowl. A thin shell will probably form on the top. Simply beat it again before using it. If needed, add another teaspoon or two of liquid.
- Liquid: there are several you can use besides milk or cream. Coffee liqueur, rum or bourbon, orange juice, chocolate milk, they can all work.
Kitchen notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperature, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier.
- Baking time: consider that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer(like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you might need to adjust.
- Brown sugar: gives a slight caramel undertone that pairs very well with chocolate and adds moisture.
- Sour cream: is a must when making this type of cake, and you'll see why with each rich and dense (but not heavy) bite. It also adds moisture and structure, holding the streusel in place better.
- Storage: it keeps well for 2-3 days at room temperature and in the fridge for 5-7 days, well covered or wrapped to prevent dryness. Or freeze it for up to a month.
- Serving it: glazed at room temperature is the best option. Served with fresh berries is also a good alternative, especially for a brunch table.
Related recipes you might like:
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Chocolate Crumb Coffee Cake
Ingredients
For the topping:
- 1 tablespoon flour
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¾ cup 150g firmly packed light brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons 30g unsalted butter
- 1 cup chocolate chips, a mix of white, semisweet and milk.
For the cake:
- 1 ¾ cups all-purpose or cake flour
- ¼ cup unsweetened cocoa powder
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup 115g unsalted butter
- ½ cup sugar
- ½ cup dark brown sugar
- 3 eggs, at room temperature
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup sour cream, at room temperature
- ½ cup semisweet chocolate chips
For the glaze:
- 1 cup powdered sugar
- 2-3 tablespoons of milk
Instructions
For the topping:
- In a medium bowl combine dry ingredients.
- Add butter in pieces, and mix with your fingers until clumpy. Reserve.
For the cake:
- Preheat the oven to 350ºF/180ºC.
- Butter and dust with cocoa or flour a 13x9 inch (22x33cm) cake pan.
- Sift flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, and salt together in a bowl. Reserve.
- In a large bowl, beat softened butter until creamy.
- Add both sugars gradually while you continue beating until you have a light and creamy mixture, about 3 minutes.
- Add eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition.
- Add vanilla.
- Beginning and ending with the dry ingredients, add them dry in three additions, alternating with the sour cream in two additions. You start and end with the flour mixture. Don't overbeat at this point.
- Add the semisweet chocolate chips and stir to mix with a spatula.
- Pour into the prepared cake pan and smooth the top.
- Combine the three types of chocolate chips with the streusel mixture and sprinkle it on top of the cake batter, covering it.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until a cake tester or toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
- Let cool on a wire rack.
- Remove from the pan and glaze.
- It keeps, wrapped, for 2-3 days at room temperature and in the refrigerator for a week. Or freeze it for a month.
For the glaze:
- Mix sugar with 2 tablespoons of milk in a small bowl until completely smooth.
- If necessary, add more milk by teaspoons until you have the desired consistency.
- Drizzle over the cooled chocolate cake and let set before serving.
Notes
- Organization: read the recipe first and ensure you have ingredients at the correct temperatures, equipment, and enough workspace. This will make the process so much easier!
- Baking time: keep in mind that all ovens and pans are different, even if they look the same or very similar. The baking time in my recipes is as accurate as it can be, but it might take you more or less time. You can use a thermometer(like the OXO oven thermometer) to check that your oven is at the right temperature. I recommend you keep track of how your oven works and what tiny details you need to adjust.
- Brown sugar: it gives a slight caramel undertone that pairs very well with chocolate and also adds moisture.
- Sour cream: is a must when making this type of cake, and you'll see why when you take a bite that is rich and dense but not heavy. It also adds moisture and structure, so it holds the streusel in place better.
- Storage: it keeps well for 2-3 days at room temperature and in the fridge for 5-7 days, well covered or wrapped to prevent dryness. Or freeze it for up to a month.
- Serving it: glazed at room temperature is the best option. Served with fresh berries is also a good alternative, especially for a brunch table.
- Variations: use nuts (pistachios or hazelnuts are my favorites) for the topping instead of chocolate chips. Add milk chocolate chips (instead of semisweet) to the batter for a sweeter cake. Drizzle chocolate ganache on top instead of the glaze for an over-the-top chocolate dessert.
Richard Fry says
Is it me being dumb!?
Where is the 'coffee' in this cake.?
Or is it coffee cake because you eat it at coffee time..
Paula Montenegro says
Hi Richard! They're called coffee cakes because they accompany the drink not because there's coffee in them (though some might have it as an ingredient).
Earl C Williams says
An excellent, excellent cake. The topping with the roasted and salted pistachios makes this really pop. The hint of cinnamon was a wonderful surprise.
Thank you Paula.
Paula Montenegro says
Glad you like it Earl! I think pistachios and chocolate are not used together enough, haha!
Melanie @ Just Some Salt and Pepper says
I had no clue food blog search existed! Also, I'm on a pistachio dessert kick and this sounds wonderful!
anna @ annamayeveryday says
Love chocolate, love pistachios and coffee - what a cake!
mividaenundulce says
Looks delicious, and the best thing s that I can stop searching in the web for a recipe like this.
Dana @ Simply Romanesco says
This cake looks so rich and decadent! Total perfection, and I love the pistachios in there; I usually use walnuts, but the pistachios look so pretty and I bet they work beautifully with chocolate 🙂
laurasmess.me says
What a beautiful cake Paula... I love the dark, dark chocolatey sugar topping. You're right, it perfectly shows off the beautiful pistachios. I hope that you're plowing through the tax stuff and the other accumulated work. Argh, what a frustrating time of year. Thanks for this lovely recipe, I definitely need to try it soon! xx
Abbe@This is How I Cook says
Taxes? I'm glad you had this cake to help you through! And It looks like a great one!
Nancy @ gottagetbaked says
Oh Paula - this cake is a stunner! What a delicious flavour combination. I would love to bake this and have it lying around my apartment for whenever I need a bite of cake (which is pretty often, so this cake wouldn't last long!). And thank you thank you thank you for introducing me to the food blog search. It's way better than google at bringing up recipes from only food bloggers.
Karen @ Lemon Grove Cake Diaries says
What a great idea to use pistachios, what could be better than pistachios and chocolate a winning combination in my eyes!