This is a sweet and buttery crumb cake with a chocolaty twist! A moist vanilla cake filled with mini chocolate chips and covered in a thick layer of brown sugar-chocolate chip crumb topping. This is a cozy, bakery-style treat that comes together with minimal effort.
What sets this recipe apart
Chocolate chips: This recipe features the flavors of butter, brown sugar, cinnamon and chocolate chips! Mini chocolate chips are added to the cake batter and the crumb topping.
Crumb to cake ratio: This cake features a thick layer of crumb topping. The layer of crumb topping is almost as thick as the cake layer. Just like in my espresso crumb cake.
Moist cake: Buttermilk and a small amount of oil keep the cake layer extra soft and moist. This provides a fantastic contrast with the crunchy crumb topping.
Visual recipe overview
*Full recipe below in recipe card*
Crumb topping
Stir together sugars, cinnamon, salt, and butter. Add the flour. Set aside.
Cake batter
Make the cake batter and stir in the chocolate chips.
Assemble
Pour the cake batter into a greased 8×8 pan. Add the crumb topping over the cake batter.
Bake
Bake for about 40 minutes. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely.
My recipe testing tips and notes
Chocolate chips: Mini chocolate chips work best for this recipe. They disperse evenly throughout the cake and topping. I use semisweet mini chocolate chips.
Butter and oil: A combination of butter (for flavor) and oil (for moisture) creates the perfect balance in the cake layer.
Buttermilk: Buttermilk keeps the cake moist and light. I highly recommend actual buttermilk, but in a pinch you can use a buttermilk substitute.
Cornstarch: Adding cornstarch to the cake batter (along with the flour) mimics cake flour and makes the cake tender with a delicate crumb.
Recipe
Chocolate Chip Crumb Cake
Ingredients
Crumb topping:
- ⅓ cup (75g) light brown sugar, packed
- ¼ cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, see note
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- 6 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (140g) all purpose flour, weighed or spooned and leveled
- ½ cup (82g) mini chocolate chips
Cake:
- 1 cup plus 2 tablespoons (140g) all purpose flour, weighed or spooned and leveled
- 3 tablespoons (23g) cornstarch
- 1¼ teaspoons baking powder
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ½ teaspoon salt
- ¼ cup (56g) unsalted butter, softened
- 2 tablespoons vegetable or canola oil
- ⅔ cup (134g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ⅔ cup (157ml) buttermilk, see note
- ¾ cup (124g) mini chocolate chips
- powdered sugar, optional garnish
Instructions
Crumb topping:
- Preheat oven to 350°F.
- In a medium-sized bowl, stir together brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, salt, and melted butter. Add the flour and stir gently with a fork until the flour is incorporated. Stir in ½ cup mini chocolate chips. Set aside.
Cake:
- Combine flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
- In a large bowl, using a hand mixer, or a stand mixer with the paddle attachment, beat butter, oil, and sugar for two minutes. Add egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and beat until combined, scraping the bowl as needed. Add half the dry ingredients, once combined beat in the buttermilk then the remaining dry ingredients, beating between each. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure it is well mixed but do not overmix it. Stir in ¾ cup mini chocolate chips.
- Pour the batter into a greased 8×8 square baking pan (preferably metal). Spread the batter into an even layer. Add the crumb topping over the cake batter, pressing some of the crumbs together to form larger chunks and smaller chunks.
- Bake for 38-43 minutes. Around 35 minutes, peak at the cake and if the top is getting dark you can loosely tent it with foil. The cake should be removed from the oven when a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out without raw batter on it. A few moist crumbs are ok. If you hit a melty chocolate chip try again in another spot. Place the pan on a wire rack to cool completely. Once cool, dust with powdered sugar, if desired.
Notes
Cinnamon:
The crumb topping has a very subtle cinnamon flavor. I wanted the chocolate, butter, and brown sugar to be most prominent. If you prefer a stronger cinnamon flavor feel free to add an additional ¾ teaspoon to the crumb topping.Buttermilk:
Buttermilk keeps the cake moist and light. I highly recommend actual buttermilk, but in a pinch you can use a buttermilk substitute.Serving and storage:
Cake can be stored at room temperature for up to 3 days. Serve at room temperature or slightly warm.Nutrition
Nutritional Information is an estimate based on third-party calculations and may vary based on products used and serving sizes.
Tried this recipe?Leave a comment and rating below!
Elizabeth says
This recipe was awesome. I used tapioca flour instead of cornstarch. It worked really well, but I didn’t have time to chill it for a long time so I use the freezer instead that made it a lot faster. It tasted a bit like vanilla ice cream. It was very good.👍
Allison Mattina says
That’s great to hear! Thanks for taking the time to share your experience.
Rosie says
My family loved this! I only had regular chocolate chips so I reduced them by a little bit. Tasted great.
Allison Mattina says
Perfect! Glad you enjoyed it.