Espresso Chocolate Coffee Cake

There is no such thing as having too many coffee cake recipes.  That’s like having too much cheese, or too many raw sugar packets, or too many pairs of shoes.

Honestly, I have one coffee cake recipe (a cinnamon-streusel one) that is the best in the world, and my go-to under any and all circumstances.  And I’m just now realizing that I’ve never posted it.  So…that will need remedied.  But in the meantime, this one—if you like the combo of espresso and chocolate—is definitely a keeper.

The sour cream gives this a lovely moistness and a dense but somehow light crumb.  Everyone at work totally raved about the taste and the texture, so you could probably switch up the toppings if the chocolate/espresso flavor combo isn’t for you.

The original recipe (link at the bottom) calls for you to split the topping and batter, and have a layer of topping in the middle.  Since I was using a big springform pan I definitely didn’t have enough batter or topping to make this work, but if you go the bundt or tube pan route, you may want to give this a try.  Either way, the melted chocolate, deep espresso notes, and little spikes of cinnamon make this worth getting up in the morning.

Preheat your oven to 350 F (180 degrees C).  Heavily grease a 10-inch pan (tube or bundt or just regular springform) and set aside.  I used a springform pan, to be able to easily remove the cake later.

In the large bowl of your stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy.  Then beat in the eggs one at a time, scraping down the sides after each addition, and mix in the sour cream and vanilla.

Gradually fold in the dry ingredients—salt, baking soda, baking powder, and flour.  The batter will be really thick, which is normal.

For the topping, stir together the sugar, cinnamon, and espresso powder in a small bowl.

Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan and then sprinkle the topping and the mini chocolate chips over the batter.

Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the cake is lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Cool in the pan for 20 minutes before removing and transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely (or you can keep it in the pan).  You can make this the night before and serve the following morning.

b  Fresh Apricot Cherry Coffee Cake (a.k.a. Buckle)

Espresso Chocolate Coffee Cake

For Cake:

• 1/2 cup of butter, room temperature
• 3/4 cup of granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup of sour cream (or plain yogurt)
• 2 teaspoons of vanilla extract
• 1/2 teaspoon of salt
• 1 teaspoon of baking soda
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• 2 cups of all-purpose flour

For Topping:

• 1/3 cup of granulated sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons of ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon of espresso powder
• 6 ounces of miniature chocolate chips

Preheat your oven to 350 F (180 degrees C).  Heavily grease a 10-inch pan (tube or bundt or just regular springform) and set aside.  Go ahead and make the topping, stirring together the sugar, cinnamon, and espresso powder in a small bowl, then set aside.

In the large bowl of your stand mixer, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.  Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well and scraping down the sides after each addition, then mix in the sour cream and vanilla.  Gradually fold in the salt, baking soda, baking powder, and flour.  The batter will be quite thick, but this is normal.

Spread the batter evenly in the prepared pan.  Sprinkle the topping and the mini chocolate chips over the batter.  Bake for 45-50 minutes, or until the cake is lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean.  Cool in the pan for 20 minutes before removing and transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely (or you can keep it in the pan).

Original recipe from Pastry Affair