Rich and tender from the addition of sour cream, and jam-packed with chocolate chips, this coffee cake is loved by all.
This old-fashioned coffee cake is rich, tender, and jam-packed with chocolate chips. It’s the kind of cake that appeals to just about everyone, and it’s super-simple to make. I was initially hesitant to share the recipe because it seemed so basic, but in the short time that I was contemplating that idea, half the cake disappeared from my countertop. Michael and the kids practically inhaled it. The cake is wonderful with a cup of coffee morning, noon, or night. It also travels well, so go ahead and pack it up for a picnic or wrap individual slices for the kids’ lunches. The recipe calls for a 10-cup Bundt pan but don’t stress if you don’t have one; you can easily bake the cake in a 12-cup Bundt pan (it’ll just be a little shorter) or a 9-inch square pan.
What you’ll need to make Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake
How to make Chocolate chip Coffee cake
To begin, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt, and set aside.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar for 2 to 3 minutes, until light and fluffy (use medium speed for a stand mixer or high speed for a hand-held mixer).
Beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla.
Add 1/3 of the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined. Mix in half of the sour cream, followed by another 1/3 of the dry ingredients, until just combined.
Mix in the remaining sour cream, followed by the remaining dry ingredients, scraping down the bowl as necessary and mixing until just combined.
Gently mix in the chocolate chips.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan – it will come about halfway up the sides of the pan.
Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown.
Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then invert onto the rack and allow to cool completely.
Carefully transfer the cooled cake to a plate; dust with cinnamon first, then Confectioners’ sugar, if desired. To slice the cake, use a serrated knife and sawing motion for best results. Enjoy!
Rich and tender from the addition of sour cream, and jam-packed with chocolate chips, this coffee cake is loved by all.
Servings: 12to 14 from one (10- or 12-cup) bundt cake
Prep Time: 20 minutesminutes
Cook Time: 40 minutesminutes
Total Time: 1 hourhour
Ingredients
2cupsall-purpose flour,spooned into measuring cup and leveled-off
1teaspoonbaking powder
1teaspoonbaking soda
¼teaspoonsalt
½cup (1 stick)unsalted butter, at room temperature
1cupsugar
2large eggs
1cupsour cream
1teaspoonvanilla extract
1(12-oz)bag semi-sweet chocolate chips, best quality, such as Ghirardelli
Cinnamon and confectioners’ sugar,for dusting (optional)
Instructions
Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C) and set an oven rack in the middle position. Generously grease a 10-cup Bundt pan with butter or nonstick cooking spray. (A 12-cup Bundt pan will work as well with no adjustments; it'll just make a shorter cake.)
In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
In the bowl of an electric mixer, cream the butter and sugar for 2 to 3 minutes, until light and fluffy (use medium speed for a stand mixer or high speed for a hand-held mixer). Beat in the eggs one at a time, followed by the vanilla. Add ⅓ of the dry ingredients and mix on low speed until just combined. Mix in half of the sour cream, followed by another ⅓ of the dry ingredients, until just combined. Mix in the remaining sour cream, followed by the remaining dry ingredients, scraping down the bowl as necessary and mixing until just combined. Gently mix in the chocolate chips.
Scrape the batter into the prepared pan – it will come about halfway up the sides of the pan (or a little less than halfway in a 12-cup pan). Bake for 35 to 40 minutes, or until the top is golden brown. Let the cake cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes, then invert onto the rack and allow to cool completely. Carefully transfer the cooled cake to a plate; dust with cinnamon first, then confectioners’ sugar, if desired. To slice the cake, use a serrated knife and sawing motion for best results. The cake keeps well for several days stored in a cake dome or covered tightly with aluminum foil.
Notes
If using a pan other than a Bundt, baking time may need to be increased.
Freezing Instructions: The cake can be frozen for up to 3 months. After it is completely cooled, double-wrap it securely with aluminum foil or plastic freezer wrap, or place it in heavy-duty freezer bag. Thaw overnight on the countertop before serving.
This website is written and produced for informational purposes only. I am not a certified nutritionist and the nutritional data on this site has not been evaluated or approved by a nutritionist or the Food and Drug Administration. Nutritional information is offered as a courtesy and should not be construed as a guarantee. The data is calculated through an online nutritional calculator, Edamam.com. Although I do my best to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures should be considered estimates only. Varying factors such as product types or brands purchased, natural fluctuations in fresh produce, and the way ingredients are processed change the effective nutritional information in any given recipe. Furthermore, different online calculators provide different results depending on their own nutrition fact sources and algorithms. To obtain the most accurate nutritional information in a given recipe, you should calculate the nutritional information with the actual ingredients used in your recipe, using your preferred nutrition calculator.
I made a vegan version using vegan Greek yogurt, Miyokos unsalted butter, and following the instructions for veganizing cake in the Elements of Baking book. It was *amazing* 🙏
I’m curious if there are any bakers here who can advise on swapping chocolate for blueberries? Would that work? Too moist? Frozen or fresh?? I’m not a baker so looking for advice. Thank you.
So glad you liked it with the tweaks you made! Unfortunately, I don’t think blueberries would work here, as they’d add too much moisture (but I have plenty of recipes that use blueberries if you’ve got some on hand).
Love this recipe, and know it by heart. I love that it’s kinda pound cake-y while truly using very small amounts of ingredients.
If I’m not packing this in cello wrap to gift, I pretty regularly put half of the recipe’s chocolate in the cake, and make the other half into a ganache to drip over the pretty bundt. Same net amount of chocolate, but 2 forms make it interesting and pretty!
A good recipe to use extra sour cream. Used a thin aluminum bundt pan with white inner coating (found a few years ago at the store that everyone has in their area) and it came out just right for 35 mins bake time. I cut hack chips to 3/4 pkg & added a thin chocolate glaze to finish. Very tasty.
Hi Jenn! I’ve loved this recipe for many years, and have always baked it in one 9×9 square pan. I’d love to double the recipe – any pan suggestions and baking time alterations you think would work? I’m hoping double the recipe would work in a 9×13 pan.
Hi Saira, Glad you like it! You could fit 1.5 times the recipe in a 9 x 13 inch pan, but I don’t think it would hold double the batter. Your best bet is to use two 9-inch square pans.
I’ve baked this cake several times and it consistently comes out “just right“ — thank you! Great recipe, including clear instructions. If serving for dessert, would you recommend whipped cream, (fresh, of course!), or vanilla ice cream, or something else?
I have made many of her recipes and they always turn out perfect… Unfortunately, I’m not sure if the issue was my pan but the outside was cooked and when I went to flip over the cake, it fell out of the pan because it was completely raw in the middle!
I made a GF version of this and I got so many compliments on it. I used Pamela’s GF flour blend and an extra 1/2 tsp of baking powder.
I put it in the oven for the correct amount of time and it probably could have been in longer. After cooling the cake for 10-15 min I put it in the microwave for 30 seconds and it was good enough to serve.
This cake is perfection in every way. I’ve made it over and over again, as it is a family favorite! I use mini chocolate chips, as I find it easier to slice the cake when serving. The cinnamon-sugar dusting is a must for me!
I’ve also learned that if I thoroughly grease my Bundt pan with softened butter then lightly flour the pan and put it in the freezer for at least 20 minutes, the cake slides out without issue. The butter gives the cake a beautiful golden brown color as well!
Thank you for the thoughtful, detailed recipes. I’ve never been disappointed when I prepare a Once Upon a Chef recipe, and I tell everyone I know about your blog! 🥰
I made a vegan version using vegan Greek yogurt, Miyokos unsalted butter, and following the instructions for veganizing cake in the Elements of Baking book. It was *amazing* 🙏
I’m curious if there are any bakers here who can advise on swapping chocolate for blueberries? Would that work? Too moist? Frozen or fresh?? I’m not a baker so looking for advice. Thank you.
So glad you liked it with the tweaks you made! Unfortunately, I don’t think blueberries would work here, as they’d add too much moisture (but I have plenty of recipes that use blueberries if you’ve got some on hand).
Delicious cake but I think it could be enhanced by adding Chocolate ganache. Super easy to make!
Love this recipe, and know it by heart. I love that it’s kinda pound cake-y while truly using very small amounts of ingredients.
If I’m not packing this in cello wrap to gift, I pretty regularly put half of the recipe’s chocolate in the cake, and make the other half into a ganache to drip over the pretty bundt. Same net amount of chocolate, but 2 forms make it interesting and pretty!
Hi,
I want to do the recipe but I don’t have the same pan for it. What should I do? A loaf pan would work? Or a regular circle pan?
Hi Shai, you can use two 8 x 4-inch pans or one 9 x 5-inch loaf pan. The bake time should be about the same. Enjoy!
A good recipe to use extra sour cream. Used a thin aluminum bundt pan with white inner coating (found a few years ago at the store that everyone has in their area) and it came out just right for 35 mins bake time. I cut hack chips to 3/4 pkg & added a thin chocolate glaze to finish. Very tasty.
Hi Jenn! I’ve loved this recipe for many years, and have always baked it in one 9×9 square pan. I’d love to double the recipe – any pan suggestions and baking time alterations you think would work? I’m hoping double the recipe would work in a 9×13 pan.
Thanks!
Hi Saira, Glad you like it! You could fit 1.5 times the recipe in a 9 x 13 inch pan, but I don’t think it would hold double the batter. Your best bet is to use two 9-inch square pans.
I’ve baked this cake several times and it consistently comes out “just right“ — thank you! Great recipe, including clear instructions. If serving for dessert, would you recommend whipped cream, (fresh, of course!), or vanilla ice cream, or something else?
Glad you liked it! I think this would be great with a scoop of vanilla ice cream.
Half the cake came out of the pan and the second half stayed in. It looked exactly like the picture when I took it out.
I have made many of her recipes and they always turn out perfect… Unfortunately, I’m not sure if the issue was my pan but the outside was cooked and when I went to flip over the cake, it fell out of the pan because it was completely raw in the middle!
I made a GF version of this and I got so many compliments on it. I used Pamela’s GF flour blend and an extra 1/2 tsp of baking powder.
I put it in the oven for the correct amount of time and it probably could have been in longer. After cooling the cake for 10-15 min I put it in the microwave for 30 seconds and it was good enough to serve.
I will totally make it again.
This cake is perfection in every way. I’ve made it over and over again, as it is a family favorite! I use mini chocolate chips, as I find it easier to slice the cake when serving. The cinnamon-sugar dusting is a must for me!
I’ve also learned that if I thoroughly grease my Bundt pan with softened butter then lightly flour the pan and put it in the freezer for at least 20 minutes, the cake slides out without issue. The butter gives the cake a beautiful golden brown color as well!
Thank you for the thoughtful, detailed recipes. I’ve never been disappointed when I prepare a Once Upon a Chef recipe, and I tell everyone I know about your blog! 🥰