This chocolate chip coffee cake boasts a soft texture with a flavorful middle and top layer of cinnamon sugar and a generous amount of melty chocolate throughout. Cinnamon and chocolate make for such a great flavor pairing, and this easy baking recipe is one of my favorite snack cakes!
Once I perfected my Sour Cream Coffee Cake recipe, I knew I just had to make a chocolatey version. After much testing, I opted for a buttery golden cinnamon sugar top layer rather than a crumb topping, as it’s much easier to replicate and in my opinion equally (if not more) effective.
Because as a busy mom who self-identifies as a choco-holic, I love having a foolproof snack cake recipe that has maximum impact with minimum effort in my back pocket!
Chocolate Chip Sour Cream Coffee Cake Ingredients
You can use any percentage of dairy milk or even an unsweetened, unflavored non-dairy milk in this recipe. I use whole milk.
Any chocolate chips will work here. I use dark but also tested this with semi-sweet and milk chocolate chips. For me the dark chocolate was the best compliment to the cinnamon sugar without making the cake overly sweet.
I usually have unsalted butter on hand for baking, so I used that and added a pinch of salt to my cinnamon sugar mixture, but you can use salted butter instead.
Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake Tips and Tricks
How to Make Coffee Cake with Chocolate Chips
Start by beating the eggs in a large mixing bowl until the whites and yolks are well-combined and some bubbles appear on the surface. Then, add the oil, milk, sour cream, and vanilla extract and mix to combine.
Next, add the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt and mix again to form a light and airy batter. Use a rubber spatula to scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to make sure everything is integrated.
Set a handful of chocolate chips aside and fold the rest into the batter. Grease a 9×13-inch dish and pour in about half of the batter, using the spatula to spread it out into an even layer reaching all four corners of the pan.
In a separate bowl, whisk together the brown sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Use about half of this cinnamon sugar mixture to coat the bottom layer of batter in the pan.
Then, add the rest of the cake batter on top, again using the spatula to spread it out. Top with the rest of the cinnamon sugar. Melt the butter (I do so in my Pyrex measuring cup in 30-second intervals in the microwave), and pour it over top of the cake.
Sprinkle the conserved chocolate chips on top sporadically and bake on the middle rack until a toothpick comes out clean.
How I Store Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake with Sour Cream
I like to slice my cake and store leftover pieces covered or in airtight container at room temperature for about 4 days before transferring it to the refrigerator. In the fridge, it will last another week or so.
Quick tip: Storing your cake with a piece of bread will keep it moist (a great use for the end piece or bread!). The moisture from the bread keeps it from drying out.
If you have tons of extra coffee cake, you can freeze it! In the freezer, it will last up to a year. It thaws quickly, so just take it out a couple of hours before you want to eat it.
Moist Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake with Sour Cream
SAVE RECIPE TO COLLECTION PIN PRINT RATEEquipment
- 9 x 13 Baking Pan
Ingredients
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup vegetable or canola oil
- ¾ cup milk of choice (I use whole milk)
- ½ cup full-fat sour cream
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 tablespoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon salt (+ extra pinch for cinnamon sugar mix)
- 2 cups chocolate chips
- 1 ¼ cup light brown sugar (tightly packed)
- 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ cup unsalted butter (melted)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F and grease a 9 x 13-inch baking pan.
- Add the eggs to a large mixing bowl and beat with a hand mixer on high until the whites and yolks are well-combined and bubbles appear on the surface of the eggs.2 large eggs
- Add the oil, milk, sour cream, and vanilla extract and beat again until well-combined and the oil and milk are emulsified.1 cup vegetable or canola oil, ¾ cup milk of choice, ½ cup full-fat sour cream, 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- Add the flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt and mix again with hand mixer on high until batter starts to form. Then, use a rubber spatula to finish combining your ingredients, scraping the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure everything is integrated.3 cups all-purpose flour, 1 cup granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon salt, 1 tablespoon baking powder
- Conserve about ½ cup of chocolate chips for the top of the cake and gently fold the rest into the batter.2 cups chocolate chips
- Add roughly half of the cake batter to the lined baking pan (about 2 cups of batter). Use the spatula to spread it into all four corners of the pan. You should have a thin layer of cake batter; the cake rises plenty in the oven.
- To a medium mixing bowl, add the brown sugar, cinnamon, and a pinch of salt. Use a fork or whisk to combine, breaking down any large clumps of brown sugar.1 ¼ cup light brown sugar, 1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
- Sprinkle roughly half of the cinnamon sugar mixture on top of the bottom layer of cake batter (you'll use about 1 cup of the mixture loosely scooped). Try to sprinkle it on in an even layer, so that the cake batter is completely coated in the cinnamon sugar.
- Pour the rest of the cake batter over top of the cinnamon. Then, use the spatula to very gently spread the batter out over the cinnamon layer, so that you're left with two distinct layers of cake, with cinnamon sugar in between. Work gently and slowly, and don't stress- it doesn't have to be perfect!
- Sprinkle the rest of the cinnamon sugar on top, followed by the conserved chocolate chips. Then, melt the butter (I usually just do so in my Pyrex measuring cup in 15-second intervals in the microwave) and drizzle it over top.¼ cup unsalted butter
- Bake on the middle rack for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow it to cool for at least 20 minutes before slicing into it. Try it with this Chocolate Glaze!
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