Easy Streusel Chocolate Chip Cake
This Chocolate Chip Cake is a quick and easy moist cake made even more delicious with a Streusel Topping. No need for a mixer! The best cake for snack or dessert. Perfect with a cup of coffee or tea!
In my past life, the first 30 years of my life in other words, I could not get enough of those heavily frosted cakes, any and all of them. I actually remember when I was four years old and my mom had just finished frosting the Sunday dessert cake, (yup we had cake every Sunday), she walked out of the room and I proceeded to lick allll that icing off the cake! She wasn’t impressed that she had to re-frost it! But I sure loved it.
And now in my present life, I have found that I much more appreciate no-frosted cakes, Italian style with a dusting of powdered sugar or if I want to go all out, a streusel topped cake. From a simple Yogurt Cake to a traditional Italian Bundt Cake to a deliciously moist Lemon Ricotta Cake.
Recipe Ingredients
- Flour – either all purpose or cake/pastry flour
- Sugar – granulated sugar
- Salt – if you use unsalted butter then add a bit more salt
- Baking powder
- Butter – cold butter
- Cinnamon – ground cinnamon
- Milk – whole or 2% milk
- Eggs – large eggs
- Vanilla – vanilla extract
- Chocolate chips – semi sweet chocolate chips either regular or mini
How To Make Cake Flour
For every cup of all purpose flour, remove two tablespoons and replace with two tablespoons of corn starch. Be sure to sift the flour and cornstarch together a couple of times, this way it is sure to be properly combined and lump free. Cake flour in cakes will give you a very tender texture and fine crumb, it will also help the cake to rise.
Place butter in the freezer and then grate directly into the dry ingredients, mix with a fork until you have coarse crumbs.
If you prefer you can substitute vanilla bean paste for extract at a one for one substitution. Or you could use a vanilla bean, half a bean for one teaspoon of vanilla extract.
How to make A Streusel Chocolate Chip Cake
In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar and baking powder. Add the cold butter and mix until the mixture becomes crumbly.
Remove some of the crumbly mixture to a small bowl, stir in the cinnamon, you now have your topping, set aside. In a medium bowl add the milk, eggs, and vanilla and beat with a fork until combined.
Add the wet mixture to the flour mixture. Stir just until moistened. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Spoon the batter into the cake pan and sprinkle with the topping and bake.
Let cool in pan then move to a wire rack to cool completely before serving.
What does stir just until moistened mean?
Mix just until moistened means to combine the dry ingredients and the liquid ingredients just until the dry ingredients are thoroughly moistened but the mixture is still slightly lumpy. I stir 15-16 times only and it always turns out perfect. Be sure not to over stir or your resulting cake will be dense and tough.
How to keep the chocolate chips from sinking
All you have to do is toss the chocolate chips in a teaspoon of flour before folding into the batter, that little trick will keep your chips from sinking to the bottom of the batter.
This not only works with chips but also with nuts, fresh berries and even dried fruit, do this before folding them into cake, muffin or sweet bread batter.
Recipe variations
Instead of semi sweet chocolate chips you could use white or milk chocolate or even chocolate chunks or chopped chocolate. You could add some finely chopped nuts such as walnuts, pecans, hazelnuts or even almonds. Or even some fresh or frozen berries. You could add a simple glaze to the cake.
How to make a simple glaze
In a small bowl whisk together until smooth 3/4 -1 cup (90-120 grams) powdered sugar and 2-3 tablespoons of milk or cream, if it’s too thick add more liquid if too thin then add more sugar.
How to store the cake
Be sure to wrap the cake in plastic wrap or foil to prevent the cake from drying out. It will last up to two days at room temperature. It can also be stored in the fridge tightly wrapped to prevent it from drying out and will keep for up to 5-7 days.
Can it be frozen?
Be sure to wrap it tightly with plastic wrap and place in a freezer safe container or bag. It will keep for up to three months in the freezer. Thaw the cake in the fridge, then bring it to room temperature before serving. You could also cut individual pieces, wrap them separately and freeze. And remove pieces when needed.
More delicious bundt cake Recipes
- Italian Lemon Bundt Cake
- Brown Sugar Bundt Cake
- Homemade Raspberry Bundt Cake
- Homemade Applesauce Cake
So if you are like me and love a good Streusel Cake then I hope you give this Easy Streusel Chocolate Chip Cake a try and let me know what you think. Enjoy!
Easy Streusel Chocolate Chip Cake
Ingredients
- 2½ cups all purpose or cake/pastry flour
- 1¼ cups granulated sugar
- 1 pinch salt*
- 1½ teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup butter (cold) (cut into small pieces or grate with a cheese grater)
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon milk (195 grams total, if you double the recipe then double this amount)
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- ½ cup mini chocolate chips
- 2 teaspoons all purpose flour
*If you use unsalted butter increase salt to ¼ teaspoon.
Instructions
- Pre- heat oven to 350F (175C) and grease and flour a 9" (23 cm) cake pan.
- In a large bowl whisk together the flour, sugar, salt and baking powder. Add the cubed cold butter and mix until the mixture becomes coarse crumbs.
- Remove ¾ cup of the crumbly mixture and place in a small bowl, stir in the cinnamon, this will be your streusel topping, set aside.
- In a small bowl toss together the chocolate chip and 2 teaspoons of flour, set aside.
- In a medium bowl add the milk, eggs, and vanilla, beat with a fork until combined. Add the wet mixture to the flour mixture. Stir with a wooden spoon or spatula just until moistened, stir for 15-16 stirs (no more). Gently fold in the chocolate chips.
- Spoon the batter into the prepared cake pan and sprinkle with the topping. Bake for approximately 45-55 minutes check for doneness with a toothpick. Let cool in pan 15-20 minutes then move to a wire rack to cool completely or let cool completely in the pan, before serving. Enjoy.
Notes
Nutrition
Updated from February 2, 2018.
Hello, I’ve tried this recipe, the cake didn’t rise. I wonder if because some of the baking powder didn’t end up inside the cake mix but as topping with sugar and flour. Any help?
Hi Sara, if it’s whisked together well enough that shouldn’t happen. Check your oven temperature it could be off, or the baking powder is no longer active. Be sure you don’t open the oven door before 30 minutes has passed. Try using room temperature ingredients. Hope this helps. Take care.
Thank you so much for your reply. I will buy a new sachet of baking powder and try again. The method says to mix flour, sugar,butter and baking powder and then save some for topping. Can I just reserve the baking powder for the cake mix only instead?
Many thanks
Sara
Hi Sara, you’re welcome, sure if you want you can do that. Let me know how it goes.
I love that you add weights of ingredients!! So much easier and accurate! Thanks!
Hi Eileen, thanks so much, so much easier (and less mess) and yes accurate. Take care.
You don’t have in the directions when to add in the salt. I assume it goes with the rest of the dry, but thought I’d let you know. Thanks for a super yummy cake!!
Hi Monica, thanks I just added it. Take care.
It came out so good! Smelled awesome baking, and was just the perfect breakfast. Thanks so much!
Thanks Monica, so glad you enjoyed it. Take care.
Did you use a 9″ cake pan when you made this or a 9″ spring form pan?
Hi Kathi I actually used a tube pan this time but I have made it in a regular and springform, just be sure to grease and flour well. Either are fine. Hope you enjoy it.
The Chocolate Tiramasu from your Authentic Italian Desserts that I mentioned a few days ago was delicious… a definite success! My adult son whose birthday we were celebrating was thrilled. My husband of forty years who I have not been able to convert to a coffee drinker even loved it . Of course, we didn’t reveal the coffee component until afterwards!! Thank you again for your wonderful recipes and inspiration.
Hi Debbie, thanks so much, so glad everyone enjoyed it. You should try the chocolate milk tiramisu for your husband, my husband loves coffee but he really likes this one too and its great for the kids. Happy Birthday to your son. Have a great weekend! https://anitalianinmykitchen.com/easy-tiramisu-recipe-for-kids/
This cake looks delicious, I love streusel cakes but never had one with chocolate chips in it before.
Hi Laura, thank you.
This cake looks delicious! I just found your blog for the first time. I had a quick look around, and I’ll definitely be back to try some of your recipes! Italian food speaks to my heart. My great grandparents immigrated to America from Italy. I have vague childhood memories of authentic Italian cooking, but my italian grandparents have all passed on, and they took most of their recipes and cooking skills with them. I think I’ll try my hand at a few of your recipes and allow my Italian roots grow a bit :). Hope you have a great day!!
Hi Amy, thanks very much, I certainly hope you try your hand at some of these recipes, they are really quite easy and delicious. I learned from one of the best my mother-in-law. So have fun at letting your Italian roots grow.
How many eggs go into the wet ingredients??? It doesn’t say in the ingredients list.
Hi Jess, thanks, sorry about that it should be 2 eggs, I corrected it, thanks for letting me know.
Looks really good!
Hi Michal, thanks, give it a try I think you will like it.