Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake

By Yossy Arefi

Updated August 13, 2026

  • Linda Xiao for The New York Times. Food Stylist: Yossy Arefi.
Media 1 of 2
Ready In
1 hr 15 min
Rating
5(39)
Comments
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This buttery coffee cake has everything you could want in a morning or afternoon treat. The base is a tender sour cream cake, made with a combination of butter and oil so it is extremely flavorful and also keeps very well for a few days at room temperature. The cake is studded throughout with mini chocolate chips that don’t overpower and the top is sprinkled with a generous amount of buttery crumble with just a hint of cinnamon. Make it the day before you plan to serve it, and the next morning you’ll thank yourself for being so thoughtful.

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Ingredients

Yield:14 to 16 servings

For the Crumble

  • 14 tablespoons/198 grams unsalted butter, cut into pieces and softened to room temperature, plus more for the pan

  • 2 cups/260 grams all-purpose flour

  • 1 cup/200 grams light brown sugar

  • 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

  • 1 teaspoon kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)

For the Cake

  • 1 ¼ cups/250 grams granulated sugar

  • 12 tablespoons/170 grams unsalted butter, cut into tablespoons and softened to room temperature

  • 2 tablespoons canola, vegetable or grapeseed oil

  • 3 large eggs, at room temperature

  • 1 cup/230 grams sour cream

  • 1 tablespoons vanilla extract

  • 1 ¼ teaspoons kosher salt (such as Diamond Crystal)

  • 3 cups/360 grams all-purpose flour

  • 1 tablespoon baking powder

  • 1 cup/200 grams mini chocolate chips

Ingredient Substitution Guide
Nutritional analysis per serving (14 to 16 servings)

67 grams carbs; 95 milligrams cholesterol; 537 calories; 7 grams monounsaturated fat; 2 grams polyunsaturated fat; 15 grams saturated fat; 27 grams fat; 2 grams fiber; 302 milligrams sodium; 6 grams protein; 36 grams sugar

Note: The information shown is Edamam’s estimate based on available ingredients and preparation. It should not be considered a substitute for a professional nutritionist’s advice.

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Preparation

  1. Step 1

    Heat oven to 350 degrees. Butter and line a 9-by-13-inch baking pan with a piece of parchment that hangs over the two long sides.

  2. Step 2

    Make the crumble: In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon and salt. Add the butter and use your fingers to smash the butter into the dry ingredients until large moist crumbs form.

  3. Step 3

    Make the cake: In a large bowl combine the granulated sugar, butter and oil. Mix with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Add the sour cream, vanilla extract and salt, and mix until well combined.

  4. Step 4

    Add the flour, baking powder and chocolate chips and fold until well combined. Spoon the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. (The batter will be thick.) Sprinkle the crumble evenly over the top. Bake the cake until puffed and golden brown and a tester inserted into the center comes out clean (if you see a bit of chocolate, it’s fine) 35 to 45 minutes.

  5. Step 5

    Let the cake cool in the pan set on a wire rack. Slice and serve warm or at room temperature.

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Ratings

5 out of 5
39 user ratings
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Comments

Maggie

This is another winning cake from Yossy Arefi! As with all the cakes in her Snacking Cakes cookbook, this one comes together easily, with one bowl for the cake and one bowl for the crumb topping, and offers a delightful soft texture, with just the right, generous amount of topping. I halved the recipe and baked in an 8x8 pan, and used King Arthur gluten free Measure for Measure Flour in place of AP flour, with outstanding result. I do like to hydrate the batter for GF cakes, so I assembled the cake and let it sit for a few hours before baking. A truly delightful coffeecake!

MM

Made as directed but used regular size semi sweet chocolate chips. Took 45 minutes for a clean knife in the middle. Delicious and easy!

Gluten free by marriage

@Erich my brownie recipes from NYT call for the same process of butter and than parchment paper. The dessert releases from the pan easily and no butter remains (absorbed into batter?). A sling of parchment over the edges of the baking dish helps remove the whole finished product in one easy move. Trust the process!

Jen

Too sweet

KCR

I didn’t actually taste this. It was gone before I could try a bite. Success! And so much butter!

LC

I love a good coffee cake, and based on all the positive reviews I expected I would love this one, too, but I was disappointed. I made the recipe exactly as written, but for me, the crumble was too much and way too thick and it overwhelmed the soft, moist crumb of the cake. If I make this recipe again—and that's a big "if"—I would cut the crumble in half. Two cups of flour for a crumble is excessive, and the thickness of it detracted from the cake rather than enhancing it.

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