Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

This Cinnamon Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake recipe features a moist cake studded with chocolate chips and topped with a cinnamon crumb topping and an extra large handful of chocolate chips. If you’re a die-hard chocolate lover you could add a second handful of chocolate chips to the cake and no one would be the wiser!

There is something so fun and fancy about coffee cake! If you love coffee cake recipes, then be sure to try my Banana Coffee Cake recipe which is like coffee cake meets banana bread. If you are looking for a muffin version of this recipe, you’ll love my Bakery-Style Chocolate Chip Muffins.

Why This Recipe Works

• Moist coffee cake with sour cream. The trick to getting a deliciously moist coffee cake recipe is the addition of sour cream! It not only adds a nice tang to the flavor complex but the fat content in the sour cream does wonders to keep the cake moist. 
• Nostalgic. There is something about the best chocolate chip coffee cake to bring all the memories back! For example, in 7th grade, one of my friend’s mom would make this easy coffee cake recipe as an after school snack. When you have such a delicious treat, you’re bound to flag those memories! 
• The coffee cake that has it all! Since you didn’t just jump to the recipe and start making this cinnamon chocolate chip coffee cake recipe, then I guess I just need to convince you! So, we have a deliciously moist cake crumb (thanks to the sour cream and buttermilk); then we have chocolate chips studded through the entire thing! Followed by a deliciously buttery, sugary, cinnamon crumble topping. Finished off with more chocolate chips on top! I mean…need I say more? 

Ingredient Notes

• Buttermilk: You can use regular milk if you don’t have buttermilk, but I recommend buttermilk! It will give a lighter crumb texture due to the acidity and will provide a nice flavor and moisture to the sour cream coffee cake recipe. 
• Sour Cream: Use full fat sour cream. The chocolate chip sour cream coffee cake gets its name because of the sour cream! It makes the chocolate chip coffee cake much more moist! 
• Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips: While you can use milk chocolate chips if you prefer, I recommend semi-sweet chocolate chips because they have a chocolate flavor that is more bitter than milk chocolate chips which will go much better with the sweetness from the coffee cake.
• Cold Butter: You want the butter cold because it needs to hold up when cut into the flour and sugar. You want the crumble topping to come together like a pastry would, where the butter will cut into small pieces when combined with the flour and resemble coarse sand.  
• Cinnamon: You may think the cinnamon is a strange flavor combination with the chocolate chips, but it actually tastes amazing! The flavors complement each other so well in this cinnamon chocolate chip cake! 

Step-By-Step Instructions

1. Combine the dry ingredients. Whisk the all purpose flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt in a medium bowl until combined. 
2. Cream butter and sugars. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment beat the butter, brown sugar and granulated sugar together on medium speed until well combined. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each egg. Once all the eggs are added, add the vanilla extract and milk. Mix to combine. 

3. Alternate dry ingredients and sour cream. Mixing on low, add half of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined. Then add the sour cream and mix. Finish with the remaining dry ingredients and mix until just combined.
4. Fold in chocolate chips. Gently fold in the chocolate chips.

5. Place in prepared pan. Place the chocolate chip coffee cake batter in a 9×13-inch baking dish that has been sprayed with nonstick cooking spray. The batter will be thick, so use a spatula to spread the batter into an even layer. 
6. Make the cinnamon topping. Add the cold butter, cinnamon, brown sugar and flour to a medium sized bowl. Using a pastry cutter, mix until the mixture resembles course sand. Sprinkle the cinnamon sugar crumble topping over the batter and top with 1/2 cup of chocolate chips.

7. Bake. Bake at 350°F for 35-40 minutes or until a toothpick in the center comes out with a few moist crumbs but no wet batter. Enjoy! 

Recipe Tips

If you don’t have sour cream, plain greek yogurt is a great substitution.

You can add more than just 1/2 cup of chocolate chips (or even add some mini chocolate chips too!) to the top of the cinnamon mixture. You can be as generous as you’d like!

I love using Bakers Joy baking spray when making cakes. That’s what I used to grease my pan. 

Don’t over mix the batter when adding the dry ingredients and sour cream. Mix until just combined or even until there is still a bit of flour or sour cream needing to be mixed. You don’t want to over mix or else the batter will be tough and the coffee cake won’t rise correctly. 

I turned this amazing cinnamon chocolate chip coffee cake into a Bundt Cake! you’ll love my Chocolate Chip Bundt Cake Recipe.

Make Ahead, Storing, and Freezing

I would make the batter just prior to baking. 

Store any leftovers of this chocolate chip coffee cake covered at room temperature for 2-3 days. 

To freeze, cut into individual slices and wrap individually in plastic wrap and store in an airtight container, or tightly wrap the pan and freeze for up to 2 months. Remove and let thaw in the fridge overnight or unwrapped at room temperature. 

Recipe FAQs

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