Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake
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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!
You may also like
- Chocolate Chip Scones
- Sour Cream Coffee Cake with Cinnamon-Walnut Swirl
- Chocolate Chip Ricotta Cake
- Kentucky Butter Cake
- Marble Cake
- Chocolate Chip Muffins
Sour Cream Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake
Rich and tender from the addition of sour cream, and jam-packed with chocolate chips, this coffee cake is loved by all.
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour, spooned into measuring cup and leveled off with a knife
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 large eggs
- 1 cup sour cream
- 1 teaspoon vanilla 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 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.
- Note: If using a pan other than a Bundt, baking time may need to be increased.
- Freezer-Friendly 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.
Nutrition Information
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- Per serving (14 servings)
- Serving size: 1 slice
- Calories: 336
- Fat: 18 g
- Saturated fat: 11 g
- Carbohydrates: 44 g
- Sugar: 28 g
- Fiber: 2 g
- Protein: 4 g
- Sodium: 178 mg
- Cholesterol: 49 mg
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.
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Great recipe! Super fast and easy with minimal clean up. Better on the second day!
Made this today and it’s a hit with the family. I used a Lodge cast iron fluted cake pan, and had to cook it about 45 minutes or so. Turned out exactly like the picture. It’s not as moist as your recipe for lemon Buttermilk pound cake,but still very good. Will make it again.
I made it today and it is delicious. I reduced the sugar to 3/4 cup, used 3/4 of the bag of chocolate chips and also added almost the entire cup of chopped walnuts. I think next time I’ll reduce further the amount of chocolate chips. I baked it for almost 55 min before it got a nice color
This cake is absolutely fabulous! I made it for an office birthday celebration and everyone loved it! I did choose to reduce the sugar a little, but this is a very versatile recipe, as others have said, you can make some slight changes like that and it works just great! I am a long time baker and I have many of the same books that you reference from time to time. Thank you for all your recipes Jenn. You are truly a talented Chef all around and I look forward to getting your book soon. I got the notice from Amazon yesterday that it shipped! 🙂
P.S. Hope you stop in the San Francisco Bay Area some time, would love to come to one of your book signings.
So happy you enjoyed it, Gia! Hope you love the book, too! ❤️
I just made the cake and let it cool 10 minutes in pan on rack. Turned pan over to invert onto rack and about 1/3 of the cake stuck in the pan. I sprayed it very well with non-stick cooking spray. Although I cooked it for 40 mts., the inside of the cook almost looks like it needed to cook longer. I’m wondering if I should have used the flour/non-stick spray I normally use instead of just the non-stick spray? Any suggestions on what may have gone wrong?
Hi Glinda, Sorry to hear you had a problem with this sticking! I do think the non-stick spray with flour works well, so I’d suggest trying that next time. Also, if your bundt pan is old, the non-stick coating may be starting to wear off. Regarding it looking a bit underdone – could your oven temp be “off?”
drizzled choc bittersweet chocolate ganache on top. This recipe is definitely a winner in my home. Its cery easybto make and most of the ingredients I already had on hand. AWESOME RECIPE!!
Hi Jenn, first I want to say thanks so much for share your recipes. I am trying to make every recipe I love and I’m enjoying it. I CAN say I am your fan. 😀 I’ve been making 2 times sour cream cake, can I add to this recipe 1 more cup of flour I want it to be bigger. If yes, what about other ingredients and will the baking time be the same? Thanks again 😘🌷
Hi Fanny, Thanks for your nice words and so glad you’re enjoying the recipes! While you could certainly try tweaking this, I’m not confident that these changes would be successful. For the best results, I’d suggest sticking to the recipe as written.
Delicious! This is a dense, moist cake. The first time I made it as described except I sprinkled in a little cinnamon. The second time I made it, I halved the sugar and made it with dark chocolate chips to make it less sweet. My husband loves it, and I like to cut it into fourths, wrap it in plastic wrap, and put it in a Ziploc in the freezer so we always have some on hand for a quick little dessert.
Just as you described, this recipe is simple yet such a crowd pleaser – I made it for my family and it was gone by days end! I used mini chips and a special bundt pan with lots of ridges from William’s Sonoma and it was extra elegant. I often modify recipes to make them lighter (i.e. less butter and sugar, replace some fat with apple sauce, etc.) but this time I left great enough alone and am glad I did. I did however use light sour cream and it tasted remarkable all the same. This cake will be my new go to for parties, family get togethers, and rainy days. Thank you for sharing!
Absolutely delicious so moist. With the chocolate chips I added white chocolate chips and heath chips. Came out caramelized super flavor. My neighbor loved it so did my husband. Easy to do recipe. Every step easy to understand and great pictures attached to steps. I have NEVER been disappointed with any of your recipes. Can’t wait for the book.