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Chocolate Coffee Cake Recipe (with Sour Cream)

Elevate breakfast with our Chocolate Coffee Cake Recipe with Sour Cream. It’s an easy moist cinnamon streusel-topped cake recipe that’s layered and drizzled with rich dark chocolate.

Top down view of a chocolate coffee cake topped with cinnamon streusel and drizzled with dark chocolate sitting on a glass plate over a white table cloth. A pretty turquoise napkin and two white plates with a fork sit to one side and a cup of coffee sits on the other.

Chocolate Coffee Cake with Sour Cream has to be one of the best things that’s come from my kitchen in a while. It looks elegant but is easy to make.

Did you know that coffee cake doesn’t always have coffee in it? It’s meant to be served with coffee. I wanted to put that out there for you non-coffee people.

The thing I love about Chocolate Coffee Cake is that it’s legal to eat it for breakfast.

Side view of a cinnamon streusel coffee cake sitting on a glass plate drizzled with dark chocolate running down the sides. A layer of chocolate chips run through the middle of the cake.

Who wouldn’t want a moist Sour Cream Coffee Cake loaded with a layer of chocolate and then topped with a cinnamon streusel and then drizzled with more rich dark chocolate? Turn on the oven is all I can say.

Well, let me tell you a little bit about how this Chocolate Coffee Cake came about.

Today I’m celebrating our annual Freaky Friday Spring Edition!

Photo of spring vegetables including asparagus, eggplant, green peppers, and broccoli.

The Freaky Friday blog hop, organized by Michaela who runs An Affair From the Heart, is a group of bloggers that are secretly assigned each others’ blogs from which we choose a recipe appropriate for the theme. It’s so much fun and there are so many quality recipes.

The theme for this event is “something that fits the SPRING Season“.

I’d love to share this chocolate coffee cake recipe over a cup of coffee with a friend on a sunny spring morning, but honestly, it’s great all year long.

The secret blog that I was assigned was Nicole’s blog “Or Whatever You Do“.

Nicole is one of those people who comes off super chill while handling 100 things at once.

I met Nicole last summer at a conference we attended. She’s so smart, juggles a large family, and we have our love of wine and chocolate in common.

If you google “Traeger recipes“, Nicole’s blog is the first one that comes up after Traeger! She’s definitely the queen of Traeger recipes.

Even though I don’t have a Traeger grill I knew that I wouldn’t have a problem finding a recipe to make. The girl does it all.

Some of the contenders were her:

A side angle of a slice of Chocolate Coffee Cake with a bite taken out on a white plate with a fork sitting beside it showing a layer of chocolate running through it and topped with streusel then drizzled with more chocolate. A pretty spring blue napkin sits below the plate and the cake sits behind it with a cup of coffee to the side.

How long does Sour Cream Coffee Cake last?

John and I actually ate this entire Chocolate Coffee Cake. I know it lasts at least 4 days but can’t vouch for any longer because if your Sour Cream Coffee Cake lasts that long, there’s something wrong!

How to Store Coffee Cake

We kept our coffee cake stored at room temperature under a cake cover. We didn’t refrigerate it even though you could.

This Sour Cream Coffee Cake recipe would freeze well too. Regardless of how you store it, keep it as air-tight as you can so it doesn’t dry out.

Top angle view of a chocolate coffee cake topped with cinnamon streusel and drizzled with dark chocolate sitting on a glass plate over a white table cloth. A pretty turquoise napkin and s white plate with a fork sit to one side and a cup of coffee and creamer pitcher sits on the other.

Chocolate Coffee Cake Variations

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I used a 9-inch springform pan which turned out a beautiful coffee cake. It also made a showstopper deep-sided cake when I drizzled on that dark chocolate.

Nicole used a higher-sided cake pan but you could also use a bundt pan or even a 9×13″ pan.

The recipe calls for milk chocolate chips. I used up what I had and didn’t have any for the top so substituted dark chocolate chips for the drizzle.

The streusel is a simple mix of cinnamon and brown sugar. No butter cutting or blending which makes this Sour Cream Coffee Cake recipe quick and easy. You could add grated nuts such as almonds or pecans to the topping.

How to make chocolate coffee cake

For the best outcome, you want your ingredients to be room temperature. This assures that your ingredients will not clump together and makes for smoother blending.

  1. Preheat your oven and apply grease or a non-stick cooking spray to your pan.
  2. Using an electric mixer, combine softened butter and sugars. Mix until the batter is light and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time, blending between each addition. Mix in the vanilla.
  3. In a separate bowl, add the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon. Whisk to combine.
  4. Alternately, add the flour mix and the sour cream to the butter mixture blending between each addition.
  5. Add half of the batter to the prepared pan and then sprinkle 1-1/2 cups of chocolate chips over the top. Spread the rest of the batter over the top of the chocolate chips.
  6. In a small bowl, add the cinnamon and brown sugar together and whisk to combine. Sprinkle it over the top of the cake.
  7. Bake until done, and let the cake cool on a wire cooling rack.
  8. Melt remaining chocolate chips and drizzle over the cake with a fork or piping bag.
    • If you use a piping bag, allow the chocolate to cool to touch first to prevent melting the bag or burning your hands.

The only thing that I did differently than Nicole is to add a teaspoon of cinnamon to the batter and to use the dark chocolate chips in my drizzle as explained above.

In my humble opinion, this Chocolate Coffee Cake recipe is perfect as is. I want to thank Nicole for such an amazing recipe! You’ve just got to check out her blog, Or Whatever You Do!

Side view of a Chocolate Coffee Cake with Sour Cream sitting on a glass cake plate. A piece has been removed showing the layer of dark chocolate that runs through it. The cake is topped with a cinnamon streusel and drizzled with more chocolate.

If you like this recipe, we would appreciate your comment and a 5-star ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ review!

A side angle of a slice of Chocolate Coffee Cake on a white plate showing a layer of chocolate running through it and topped with streusel then drizzled with more chocolate. A pretty spring blue napkin sits below the plate and the cake sits behind it with a cup of coffee to the side.

Chocolate Coffee Cake with Sour Cream

Author: Julie Menghini
Chocolate Coffee Cake recipe with Sour Cream is an easy moist cinnamon streusel-topped cake layered and drizzled with rich dark chocolate.
5 from 16 votes
Prep Time 20 minutes
Cook Time 45 minutes
Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes
Course Breakfast, Brunch, Dessert
Cuisine American
Keyword: Coffee Cake
Servings: 12

Ingredients
 
 

Coffee Cake

  • 1/2 cup brown sugar I use dark but light is fine
  • 1/2 cup white sugar
  • 1/2 cup butter
  • 2 eggs
  • 1 tbsp vanilla extract pure or imitation
  • 2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • cups sour cream
  • 1-1/2 cups milk chocolate chips

Topping

Drizzle

Instructions
 

Cake

  • Preheat the oven to 350 °F and grease or spray a 9-inch springform or cake pan.
  • In the bowl of an electric mixer, add the softened butter and sugars. Mix until lightened in color and fluffy. Add the eggs one at a time mixing after each addition. Add vanilla and mix.
  • In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and cinnamon. whisk together.
  • Alternately add the flour mixture and the sour cream to the sugar mixture. Mix until completely mixed.
  • Add 1/2 of the batter to the prepared pan. Sprinkle 1 ½ cups of chocolate chips over the batter. Top the chocolate chips with the remaining batter.

Topping

  • Whisk the cinnamon and brown sugar together and sprinkle it over the top of the batter.
  • Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until a cake tester comes out with moist crumbs.

Drizzle

  • Allow the cake to cool slightly on a wire rack. Remove the cake from the pan and put it on a cake plate.
  • Melt 1/2 cup of chocolate chips in the microwave for 30 second intervals or use a double boiler.
  • Drizzle over the cake with a fork or piping bag.

Notes

Recipe originator Nicole Johnson of Or Whatever You Do
If you use a piping bag, allow the chocolate to cool to touch first to prevent melting the bag or burning your hands.
The cake can be stored in an air-tight container in the refrigerator or at room temperature. This Chocolate Coffee Cake also freezes well for up to 3 months in air-tight packaging.

Nutrition

Calories: 391kcalCarbohydrates: 54gProtein: 5gFat: 18gSaturated Fat: 11gCholesterol: 65mgSodium: 208mgPotassium: 139mgFiber: 1gSugar: 37gVitamin A: 489IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 96mgIron: 2mg

Nutritional Disclaimer

This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. My calculations are intended as a guide only.

Tried this recipe?Let me know how it was!

If you like bakery for breakfast like we do, check out these recipes!

Did you enjoy this recipe? Don’t forget to pin it for later and follow me on Pinterest for more delicious recipes like this one!

A side angle of a slice of Chocolate Coffee Cake on a white plate showing a layer of chocolate running through it and topped with streusel then drizzled with more chocolate. A pretty spring blue napkin sits below the plate and the cake sits behind it with a cup of coffee to the side. The title runs across the top of the photo.

Take a look at all of our 2020 Freaky Friday Spring Edition Recipes:

  1. An Affair from the Heart – Brown Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookies
  2. Aunt Bee’s Recipes – Homemade Loaded Queso
  3. Bowl Me Over – Crispy Smashed Potatoes
  4. Hostess at Heart – Chocolate Coffee Cake
  5. House of Nash Eats – Asian Lettuce Wraps
  6. Life, Love & Good Food – Italian Grilled Burgers
  7. Lisa’s Dinnertime Dish – Lemon Garlic Brussels Sprout Linguine 
  8. Or Whatever You Do – Air Fryer Shrimp
  9. Take Two Tapas –  Fried Mac and Cheese Balls
  10. The Foodie Affair – Strawberry Bread
  11. The Speckled Palate – Chicken Pesto Pasta
  12. West Via Midwest – Loaded Baked Potato Skins – Air Fryer Recipes
5 from 16 votes (1 rating without comment)
Recipe Rating




Kate O'Neill

Sunday 23rd of January 2022

After years of popovers for Sunday breakfast, I'd done a kind of 180 and began thinking about a chocolate coffee cake. This cake was exactly what the doctor ordered. (Ha! I don't think the doctor would have prescribed, but what a treat!) The instructions were perfect, and I even learned that there are many substitutes for sour cream when you don't have as much in the fridge as you'd thought! I thought 1 1/2 c. of chocolate chips was plenty of chocolate, so I skipped the drizzle. For us, it was perfect, and I will definitely make it again! Thanks, Julie!

Julie Menghini

Tuesday 25th of January 2022

Thank you, Kate for your great comment! I love coffee cakes and this one is a winner. I'm glad your family enjoyed it. That's a win in my book!

Paige

Monday 6th of July 2020

I LOVE coffee cake and you never see one that has chocolate in it! I have this on my list to make this weekend!

Julie Menghini

Tuesday 7th of July 2020

We do too! Thank you!

Vrishen Kumar

Monday 8th of June 2020

nice cakes Very Helpful Article but I have a question that how much calories in this cake?

Julie Menghini

Monday 8th of June 2020

Hi Vrishen! There are 391 calories per serving in this cake. The nutritional information can be found at the bottom of the recipe card. Thank you for stopping by!

Mike

Tuesday 26th of May 2020

We have made this several times. A great addition to a cup of coffee in the morning

Erin Parker

Tuesday 19th of May 2020

CHOCOLATE coffee cake? I'm here for it! My husband and our daughters made this for me on Mother's Day, and can I just say it was the BEST surprise? Because it truly was!

Julie Menghini

Wednesday 20th of May 2020

I'd love that as a surprise too Erin! Thank you!

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