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A chocolate streusel coffee cake with a slice cut from it to show the chocolate streusel.
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4.72 / 7 votes

Chocolate Streusel Coffee Cake

A terrific cake that's as good for breakfast as it is for dessert, I particularly love the cinnamon chocolate streusel that runs through the tender cake. This recipe also works perfectly for cupcakes.
Prep Time45 minutes
Cook Time45 minutes
Total Time1 hour 30 minutes
Course: Dessert
Cuisine: American
Servings: 10 servings
Calories: 314

Equipment

  • One 6-cup fluted metal tube pan, coated with baking spray with flour
  • 2 cupcake liners set in ramekins or custard cups

Ingredients

For the chocolate streusel filling

  • 3 tablespoons light brown sugar, preferably Muscovado, firmly packed
  • 2 tablespoons plus 1 1/2 teaspoons unsweetened (alkalized) cocoa powder (sifted before measuring)
  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

For the batter

  • 1 3/4 cups bleached all-purpose flour
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
  • 1/4 plus 1/8 teaspoon baking soda
  • 1/4 teaspoon salt
  • 1 stick (4 oz) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
  • 1 cup superfine sugar (or blitz granulated sugar in a food processor until finely ground)
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 1 large egg white, at room temperature
  • 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
  • 1 cup sour cream
  • Nonstick baking spray, for the rack
US - Metric

Instructions

Make the chocolate streusel filling

  • In a small bowl, stir together the brown sugar, cocoa powder, and cinnamon. Use a fork or your fingertips to break up the sugar, if necessary.

Make the cake batter

  • Set an oven rack in the lower third of the oven and preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) (325°F [160°C] if using a dark pan).
  • In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt just until lightly combined.
  • In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the flat beater, beat the butter on medium-high speed for 1 minute. Beat in the sugar slowly, taking about 2 minutes to beat it in, and then beat for another 2 minutes.
  • With the mixer off, pour in the egg, egg white, and vanilla and scrape down the sides of the bowl onto the egg mixture. Beat on medium speed for 1 minute, scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed.
  • With the mixer off between additions, add the flour mixture together with the sour cream in three parts. Beat each addition starting on low speed until the dry ingredients are moistened, then raise the speed to medium and beat for 15 seconds. Scrape down the sides of the bowl after each addition.
  • Spoon the batter into the cupcake liners to fill half full. Sprinkle each with 1 teaspoon of the streusel filling and drop a spoonful of batter on top. Use a small offset spatula or the back of a spoon to smooth the batter. The batter should fill the liner almost to the top.
  • Using a silicone spatula or spoon, scrape about half of the remaining batter into the prepared pan and smooth the surface evenly with a small metal spatula. Sprinkle the remaining streusel filling evenly over the batter, making a ring around the center of the batter to keep most of the streusel away from the outside and inside edges. Drop the remaining batter in large blobs over the filling and spread it evenly.
  • Bake until the cake just begins to come away from the sides of the pan, 20 to 30 minutes for the cupcakes and 45 to 50 minutes for the cake. In the cupcake liners, the cupcakes should spring back when pressed lightly in the center.
  • Let the cakes cool on wire racks in their pan and liners for 10 minutes. Coat a wire rack with nonstick baking spray. With a small metal spatula, loosen the top edges of the large cake and invert it onto the wire rack. Cool completely.

Nutrition

Serving: 1portion | Calories: 314kcal | Carbohydrates: 43g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 15g | Saturated Fat: 9g | Monounsaturated Fat: 4g | Trans Fat: 1g | Cholesterol: 55mg | Sodium: 163mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 24g