Chocolate Chip Crumb Cake

Soft chocolate cake, gooey chocolate filling, chocolate crumbs on top, chocolate chips in each layer. This cake is the one to satisfy any and every chocolate craving! It tastes even better the next day, travels well and if you warm up a piece just enough to make those chocolate chips perfectly melty, well, you’re doing everything right. Let’s make some cake!

This is King Arthur Baking’s Recipe of the Year for 2023, a chocolate variation on their classic coffee cake (they have 10 variations!). I was tempted to try it when I saw all of the amazing chocolatey-ness and since finding out that a coffee doesn’t in fact, have any coffee (it’s meant to be eaten alongside coffee and I prefer to call it ‘crumb cake’ to minimise confusion among non-Americans like me), I’ve really liked the idea of a soft cake with extra texture from the crumb topping. This recipe uses the ‘reverse creaming’ method, where butter is added after the flour and by coating the flour in fat, it limits gluten development and produces a more tender cake. To be honest, I’ve made and eaten  wonderfully soft cakes using traditional creaming (butter and sugar beaten together as the first step) too, but I wanted to make this recipe as written.

I therefore didn’t change much about the recipe, apart from adding chocolate chips to the cake batter as well, and using soured milk instead of soured chocolate milk, which was easier for me. I just added a bit more cocoa and sugar to the batter to compensate. The cake does take some time to assemble so I did find the prep time to be much longer, but it’s worth it!

I found cold butter in the crumb topping worked better than room temperature recommended in the recipe. I also feel like this cake would be great even without the crumbs actually, because they soften on day two and the crunch you then get is mostly from the sugar. It still tastes delicious of course, but because the cake itself is so flavourful plus has that ribbon of cocoa filling, the crumbs aren’t essential in my opinion which I realise is an odd thing to say for a crumb cake! The cake needs to cool completely before you slice it because the crumbs make things a little bit messy especially if it’s still warm. Not that anyone will mind after that first bite!

The filling melts down into a moist and gooey layer, adding tons more chocolate flavour to the cake. I plan to try this filling with other recipes too! The cake improves in both texture and flavour by the next day. On day one, I found it harder to cut neat slices since the cake is so soft. By day two, it’s firmer and the pieces hold together properly. It’s also more chocolatey the next day!

This cake got rave reviews and despite the fact that it takes a little time to make, I’d do it again for sure!

Chocolate Chip Crumb Cake

Soft chocolate cake with a cocoa sugar filling, chocolate crumb topping and chocolate chips in every layer!

Prep Time: 45 minutes mins

Cook Time: 45 minutes mins

Total Time: 1 hour hr 30 minutes mins

Makes: 16 pieces

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Ingredients

  

For the filling

• 1/3 cup caster sugar (60 gms)
• 2 tbsps cocoa powder
• 1/4 cup dark chocolate chips (40 gms)

For the crumb topping

• 3/4th cup all-purpose flour (90 gms)
• 3 tbsps cocoa powder
• 2 tbsps icing sugar
• 1/4 tsp salt if using unsalted butter
• 6 tbsps caster sugar (75 gms)
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 6 tbsps cold butter, cut into cubes (85 gms)
• 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips (55 gms)

For the cake

• 1 cup whole milk at room temp (250 ml) + 1 tbsp lemon juice
• 1 and 3/4th cups all-purpose flour (210 gms)
• 1/4 cup + 1 tbsp cocoa powder (25 gms)
• 1 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt if using unsalted butter
• 3/4th cup + 1 tbsp caster sugar (155 gms)
• 1/2 cup butter at room temp, cut into cubes (115 gms)
• 2 tsps vanilla extract
• 2 eggs, at room temperature (I haven't tried substitutes)
• 1/3 cup dark chocolate chips (55 gms)

Instructions

• Make the filling by combining the sugar, cocoa and chocolate chips in a small bowl. Set aside.
• Make the crumb topping by sifting the flour, cocoa, icing sugar and salt in a larger bowl. Stir in the sugar and vanilla. Then add the cold cubed butter and rub it into the dry ingredients with your fingers until no dry flour is left and you have a range of large and smaller pea-sized crumbs. Add the chocolate chips and then refrigerate till you need it. I found that keeping this topping mixture cold leads to crunchier crumbs compared to the room temperature butter recommended in the original recipe linked below.
• Make the cake by first stirring together the milk and lemon juice and setting it aside while you make the batter.
• Now preheat the oven to 175 C. Line an 8 inch square pan with non-stick baking paper leaving a little overhang for easy removal. Set aside.
• For the batter, use either a stand mixer with a paddle attachment (recommended because the batter can get a little messy) or a large mixing bowl and hand mixer.
• In the bowl, sift together the flour, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Stir in the sugar.
• Add the cubed butter and beat for a minute or two until the mixture looks sandy and all the flour is moistened. Now add the vanilla and eggs and beat to combine into a thick, cookie-dough like batter. See photos below.
• Add a splash of the soured milk to loosen the mixture and beat for a few seconds. Then add the rest of it slowly with the mixer running on low speed. Beat until smooth. If many lumps remain, whisk the batter by hand to smoothen further, but be gentle and do not over mix it. Finally, stir in the chocolate chips.
• To assemble the cake, add half the batter to the prepared pan. Smoothen it out then scatter all of the filling in an even layer over the batter. Top with the remaining batter and smoothen it out again. Finally, scatter the crumb topping all over, then gently press it down with the back of a spoon to help it stick and make it easier to slice the cake later.
• Bake for 40 minutes, then an additional 5 to 10 minutes until a toothpick comes out with moist crumbs and no wet batter. You may get some melted chocolate, that's ok!
• Let the cake to cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then lift it out of the pan using the overhang and set on a wire rack to cool completely. Cut into 16 squares. I found that on day one, the cake was very soft and crumbled a little (not the crumb topping, the cake itself) so I do recommend waiting and cutting it on day two when it's firmer and actually tastes better.
• Store in an airtight tin at room temperature for 4 to 5 days, in the fridge for about 10 days and in the freezer for longer. If the cake is cold, it's best eaten slightly warmed up as butter cakes harden in the fridge. The crumb topping will soften by day two but there is still a crunch from the sugar. I actually think this cake is great even without the crumb topping but that's personal preference 🙂 Happy baking!

Notes

*Watch this cake come together on Instagram!

*If you don't have chocolate chips (good quality ones like Nestle Tollhouse, Ghirardelli, Guittard are great here but unfortunately unavailable in India), use a good dark chocolate, finely chopped. The recipe recommends mini chocolate chips because they are easier to evenly disperse in the three layers but I used regular sized and they worked fine.

*While this cake uses the 'reverse creaming' method (step 7) for a more tender crumb, as opposed to the more common method of beating butter and sugar together first, I do feel I've made and eaten equally soft and tender cakes using both methods. If you'd like to try another recipe that's very similar in flavour, I love this one!

*I found this cake took a little while to put together, therefore the prep time for me was on the longer side. However since a lot of the ingredients are repeated in the three layers, don't let the prep time put you off, and maybe it'll take you less time than it took me!

*Adapted slightly from King Arthur Baking

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