Moist chocolate coffee cake with big fudgy crumbs ~ breakfast doesn’t get any better! Share this party-worthy coffee cake with the people you love.
chocolate sour cream crumb cake’s pedigree
Crumb cake is believed to have originated in Germany in the 1700s as streuselkuchen, which translates to ‘streusel cake’ (derived from the German word streuen meaning to scatter.) German immigrants brought crumb cake to America in the 1900s and the Pennsylvania Dutch popularized the recipe, especially among the Amish. The cake is easy to make and keeps well, so It eventually spread throughout the Northeast, where it remains a beloved breakfast treat. I grew up eating crumb cake every weekend with my German grandparents, and I’ve made several renditions here on the site. Transitioning from the traditional yellow cake to devil’s food chocolate seems like a no-brainer. This chocolate crumb cake is a must bake!
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what you’ll need for chocolate sour cream crumb cake
pantry staples
- butter
- flour
- baking powder, baking soda, salt
- eggs
- vegetable oil
- granulated sugar
- powdered sugar
- vanilla
- brewed coffee
to pick up
- unsweetened cocoa powder
- I use a combination of natural cocoa powder and Hershey’s Special Dark cocoa powder for a deep dark chocolate vibe in this cake. Hershey’s Special Dark Cocoa is made from 100% Dutch-processed cocoa.
- sour cream
- sour cream makes this cake moist and tender, and extra rich.
cocoa powder gives this crumb cake its chocolatey flavor
There are several main types of cocoa powder: natural, Dutched, and black or dark. I keep all types of cocoa in my pantry but for this chocolate crumb cake I used a Dutched cocoa.
Dutch process cocoa powder is made by treating natural cocoa with alkali. The alkalizing process removes some of the acidity, making it milder and darker than natural cocoa powder. This gives my chocolate sour cream crumb cake a richer, more intense chocolate flavor. Dutch process cocoa is commonly used in European recipes, but it’s becoming more and more popular in the US.
why use hot coffee in this chocolate sour cream crumb cake batter?
- Hot coffee acts as a flavor booster for chocolate. The coffee itself isn’t meant to be tasted, but it interacts with the cocoa powder in the batter. Here’s how it works:
- Coffee has a slight acidity that helps to “bloom” the cocoa powder. Blooming simply means releasing the full flavor potential of the cocoa.
- Coffee and chocolate share some flavor profiles, and the coffee can subtly complement the chocolate notes, making them deeper and more complex.
- Hot liquids like coffee can contribute slightly to a tender crumb in cakes and brownies. Here’s why:
- Hot coffee helps dissolve the sugar in the batter more efficiently.
- The hot coffee creates steam during baking, which helps to aerate the batter.
what to expect from this chocolate crumb cake
Like many crumb cakes this cake bakes up with a slightly uneven surface. This makes for an appealing rugged top, especially when you accent the texture with powdered sugar.
The cake itself is moist and almost brownie-like. The crumble is drier and has a hint of crunch, so the combination is super nice.
The cake slices easily from the pan and works both warm and room temperature.
Despite being super chocolatey, it’s not too sweet ~ this is definitely a morning/afternoon type treat, serve with coffee, tea, or milk.
This crumb cake is large and will feed a crowd. Feel free to halve the recipe and bake in a 9×9 baking pan.
storing and freezing suggestions
Keep the chocolate crumb cake covered in foil or plastic on the counter at room temperature. It can be frozen for up to 3 months.
To freeze crumb cake, cut it into slices and wrap each one in plastic wrap. Place them into a ziplock freezer bag and force out any extra air before zipping closed. Be sure to wrap well to prevent freezer burn which will dry the cake out. When ready to enjoy, remove from the freezer and allow to thaw at room temperature for an hour or two before serving.
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Chocolate Crumb Cake
Equipment
- 9×13 baking pan make sure your pan is at least 2 inches deep to accommodate this cake.
Ingredients
crumble topping
- 1 1/4 cups all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup cocoa powder (unsweetened), I used Dutched cocoa powder.
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter, melted
dry ingredients for cake
- 1 3/4 cups all purpose flour
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 3/4 cup cocoa powder, unsweetened, I used Dutched cocoa powder.
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
wet ingredients for cake
- 1 cup sour cream*
- 1/3 cup vegetable oil*
- 2 large eggs
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup hot brewed coffee, you can also use hot water but coffee will give you better flavor.
for dusting the finished cake
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350F. Spray your pan with nonstick baking spray.
make the crumb topping
- In a medium bowl whisk the flour, sugar, cocoa and salt together, and then drizzle in the melted butter. Stir, and then get in with your hands to toss and combine well to create a large crumb texture. It will seem gooey at first but will dry out as you blend everything. Set aside.
to make the cake
- Whisk together the dry ingredients in a large bowl and set aside.
- In a medium bowl whisk the sour cream, oil, eggs, and vanilla together until smooth. (Don't add the coffee yet.)
- Start mixing the wet ingredients into the dry ingredients, and then add in the hot coffee. Mix until everything is well combined, but don't over-beat.
- Pour the batter into your prepared pan and smooth out the surface.
- Top evenly with the crumble mixture. Note: scatter the crumbs evenly and all the way to the edges of the cake, don't mound them in the center. This will help the cake bake more evenly.
- Bake the cake in the center rack of your preheated oven for about 45 minutes, or until done in the middle. The center should not be wobbly. You can check with a toothpick, but be aware that this is a brownie-like cake so your toothpick may come out with fudgy crumbs. Don't over-bake.
- Let cool for about 10-15 minutes, the shower generously with powdered sugar through a seive.
Notes
Nutrition
You said in the explanation that you used a combination of natural cocoa powder and Hershey’s Special Dark. However, in the ingredient section you do not say what percentage/amount you used of each.
I use about half and half, but I have used either type of cocoa powder with this chocolate cake and they both work fine.
We loved this utterly rich and moist chocolate cake with the crumble on top. Used plain yogurt instead of sour cream and it turned out fantastic. The yogurt wasnt thick either.
Glad you loved it Laily ~ I’m sure many people would like to use yogurt, so happy to have your review.
I only have self rising flour, at the moment. Will this work ok for this recipe?
It can be a little tricky to substitute, you may have to do some trial and error. You might omit the baking powder and salt in this recipe, but keep the baking soda. Overall I’d suggest waiting until you have regular flour to work with.
What did I do wrong (I followed your recipe to the T). While the cake was baking the topping sank into the cake and my cake over flowed into my over
Hi Donna ~ I’ve noticed the issue coming up in a few comments so I’ve gone in and re-tested and tweaked the recipe so that will not happen going forward. I’m sorry you had trouble. I’ve basically lightened up the crumb topping so it won’t sink. I do hope you get to try it again!
I followed the recipe exactly. I spread the crumb topping to the edges. Almost all of it sank into the cake. Very disappointing. I suspected the filling was too heavy for the cake just by looking at the ingredients but I tried anyway. I am not a beginning baker! I’m sure the result will taste amazing, but I’m woefully disappointed in how it turned out.
Although I thought the flavors were delicious I think I over baked it but the center was still very jiggly at 35 min so went ahead with 45 and then 2 more min. I will try this again at some point I guess its a learning experience on the baking time but overall I think this is a great recipe!
I don’t know where I went wrong, but the sides of my cake all the way around, baked up around the center, so it looked like a chocolate cake with a crumb square in the center. (and I made sure to put the crumbs evenly all around the top; sides too) Actually, there’s also a strip of uncrumbed cake in the middle of that square. I don’t know where all my crumbs went. I’m sure it’ll taste great, but she’s not a looker.
Hi Sue, my cake did not turn out as beautiful as yours ? my flopped . I did everything to a tee,even with the crumb topping it all sank. The flavor was great though.
The same thing happened to my cake! It’s baking right now & all of the crumb topping is sinking down into the batter. I followed the recipe exactly too. As long as it tastes good, I will be happy. Hate wasting ingredients.
Confused, crumb cakes are in all different size pans….different serving sizes..9×9 at 12 servings?
Hey Carol ~ not sure what you mean, this cake is baked in a 9×13 pan. You can halve the recipe to bake in a 9×9, if you like.
Can zero fat FAGE yogurt be substituted for the sour cream?
Yes, although when I sub yogurt for sour cream I personally always go for full fat 😉
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