Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake
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Indulge your mornings with our irresistible Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake! This moist and tender treat, made from scratch with creamy sour cream, is the perfect companion to your favorite hot beverage. Each bite is a delightful blend of rich chocolate and the fluffy goodness of cake, making it an ideal breakfast or sweet afternoon snack.
Let’s talk about this incredibly easy cake! This cake is a perfect example of simplicity and flavor over fuss!
For the best results, use room temperature ingredients when you can. Simply allow your butter and eggs to sit out for about 30 minutes before you start mixing. If you’re short on time, you can soften your butter in the microwave, but do it in 5-second bursts to avoid melting it!
What makes this cake truly special? The secret ingredient is sour cream! This addition gives it that extra buttery richness and keeps it super moist, resulting in a melt-in-your-mouth texture that’s simply irresistible.
Trust me, you won’t be able to resist a second slice!
Ingredients
For the ingredient measurements and the entire recipe, be sure to scroll down to the bottom of the blog post where the recipe card is located.
- Butter: Unsalted sweet cream butter that is brought to room temperature is best for this cake.
- Sugar: Granulated white sugar is all that’s needed for the cake portion. Brown sugar goes in the topping.
- Eggs: Make sure they are at room temperature.
- Sour cream: Adds moisture so the cake is far from dry.
- Vanilla: Be sure to use a high-quality vanilla for the very best flavor.
- All-purpose flour
- Leavening: Baking powder and baking soda work together to yield a tall, thick cake.
- Salt
- Chocolate Chips: These are added to both the cake and the crumb topping.
- Pecans: Mixed into the crumb topping for a fun texture combo and added flavor.
Step by Step Directions
For the full recipe instructions, scroll down to the bottom of the blog post to the recipe card.
- Combine the wet ingredients. Cream the butter and sugar together. Mix in the eggs, followed by the sour cream and vanilla.
- Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk the flour baking powder, baking soda, and salt together, then beat them into the wet ingredients just until combined.
- Gently fold in the chocolate chips.
- Make the crumb topping. Use a fork to combine the flour, brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon.
- Stir in the chocolate chips and pecans.
- Spread the batter into the pan, then top with the crumb topping.
- Bake until a toothpick inserted into the middle comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached.
Tips For Success
- Measure the flour correctly! I prefer to use a digital scale to weight ingredients instead of relying on cups. You can read more about how to measure flour the correct way.
- The sour cream in this cake creates the most wonderful texture. It is truly supremely moist and tender. You can use full-fat Greek yogurt if you don’t have sour cream.
- You can easily double this recipe and bake it in a 9×13 inch pan. Be sure to choose a light colored pan for the best baking results.
- Chocolate chip coffee cake stays fresh and moist for up to 3 days, and guess what? The flavor becomes even richer by the next day! Be sure to cover it tightly with plastic wrap or pop it in an airtight container to lock in that moisture.
More Recipes You’ll Love
- Sour Cream Coffee Cake
- Peanut Butter and Banana Coffee Cake
- Raspberry Coffee Cake
- Sweet Potatoe Coffee Cake
Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake
Ingredients
For the Cake
- ½ cup (113 g) unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup (200 g) granulated sugar
- 2 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup (227 g) sour cream, at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 cups (260 g) all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup (170 g) chocolate chips
For the Topping
- ⅔ cups (87 g) all-purpose flour
- ½ cup (100 g) light brown sugar, packed
- ⅓ cup (75 g) unsalted butter, softened
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ cup (54 g) pecans, finely chopped
- ½ cup (85 g) semisweet chocolate chips
Instructions
Make the Cake
- Preheat the oven to 325°F. Generously grease a 9-inch square pan; set aside.
- Beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
- Beat in the eggs, one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Beat in the sour cream and vanilla until combined. The batter may look curdled at the point, this is okay.
- Sift the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Add it to the butter mixture and mix just until fully combined. Take care not to over mix. Gently fold in the chocolate chips with a silicone spatula.
- Using a small offset spatula, spread the batter evenly into the bottom of the prepared pan.
Make the topping
- Use fingertips or a fork to combine the flour, brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon together until crumbly. Stir in the pecans and chocolate chips.
- Sprinkle the topping evenly over the top of the cake batter.
- Bake for 50 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out with only a few moist crumbs attached.
- Cool in the pan on a wire rack until just warm before slicing and serving.
Notes
- Greek yogurt can be used instead of sour cream but keep in mind, the texture and richness won’t be the same. Whole milk can also be used but reduce it to ¾ cup.
- Try it with a sweet glaze! Mix ½ cup powdered sugar with 1-2 teaspoons milk until smooth. Drizzle over warm coffee cake.
- Cover tightly and store at room temperature or in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.
- Or wrap the completely cooled cake tightly in three layers of plastic wrap and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator.
Nutrition
The nutrition information provided is for convenience and as a courtesy only. It is not guaranteed to be accurate because nutrition information can vary for a variety of reasons. For precise nutritional data use your preferred nutrition calculator and input the exact ingredients and brands you used in the recipe.
Thank you for the clear, understandable and easy way to make the cake.
Looks great however does not mention what size baking pan to use, I’m guessing from the video 9×9?
Sorry, it’s a 9×9 pan.
Hi! This receipt looks great! Sorry if I missed it, but is the pan size 8×8? Thank you!
Sorry, it’s a 9×9 pan.