Obsessed Cakes

Chocolate Chip Cookie Coffee Cake

No ratings yet.

Brown sugar and vanilla cake with chocolate chips, a cinnamon filling, buttery chocolate chip crumble, and a sprinkle of flaky salt.

Prep: About 30 min (estimated)
Bake: 65 min in my oven; allow 65-90 min depending on yours
Total: About 2 hr 5 min-2 hr 30 min (estimated), including a 30-minute rest; allow longer to set if needed
Yield: One 9x9-inch cake

On a phone, if the print window does not open, use your browser's Share menu and choose Print.

Ingredients

Chocolate Chip Crumble

115 g (about 3/4 cup + 3 tablespoons + 1 teaspoon) all-purpose flour
40 g (about 3 tablespoons) light brown sugar, packed
40 g (about 3 tablespoons + 3/4 teaspoon) granulated sugar
1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
85 g (about 6 tablespoons) cold butter, cubed
1 teaspoon vanilla bean paste
80 g (about 7 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons) chocolate chips

Cinnamon Filling

120 g (about 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon) light brown sugar, packed
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
75 g (about 1/3 cup) butter, melted
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon fine sea salt

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake

98 g (about 1/2 cup) granulated sugar
98 g (about 1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons) light brown sugar, packed
102 g (about 1/3 cup + 2 tablespoons) neutral oil
170 g (about 2/3 cup + 1 teaspoon) plain unsweetened yogurt, room temperature
115 g (about 7 tablespoons + 2 teaspoons) milk, room temperature
About 2 1/2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste
221 g (about 1 2/3 cups + 3 tablespoons) all-purpose flour
13 g (about 1 tablespoon + 2 1/2 teaspoons) cornstarch
About 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
Scant 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
About 1/2 teaspoon + 1/8 teaspoon fine sea salt
Scant 1/4 teaspoon ground nutmeg, optional
128 g (about 3/4 cup) chocolate chips

To Finish

Maldon flaky sea salt, for sprinkling after baking

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9x9-inch light-colored metal pan. Line the bottom and all four sides with two long, crossed sheets of parchment, leaving generous overhangs.
Make the crumble: combine the all-purpose flour, brown sugar, granulated sugar, salt, cold butter, and vanilla bean paste. Work thoroughly with your fingertips until evenly mixed and the mixture holds together when squeezed. Mix in the 80 g chocolate chips, break into clusters, and refrigerate while preparing the filling and batter.
Make the cinnamon filling: stir together the brown sugar, cinnamon, melted butter, all-purpose flour, and salt until evenly combined. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together the granulated sugar, brown sugar, oil, yogurt, milk, and vanilla bean paste until smooth.
Sift the all-purpose flour, cornstarch, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and optional nutmeg directly over the wet ingredients. Gently mix just until no dry streaks remain, then fold in the 128 g chocolate chips.
Spread about two-thirds of the batter evenly into the prepared pan. Spoon the cinnamon filling over it and gently spread all the way to the parchment-lined edges.
Add the remaining batter in small spoonfuls across the filling. Gently connect and smooth them without stirring the cinnamon layer into the batter.
Scatter the chilled chocolate chip crumble evenly over the top, keeping a mixture of large and smaller clusters.
Bake at 350°F (175°C) with a foil-lined sheet pan on the rack underneath to catch any drips. Mine took 65 minutes total, with a loose foil tent at about 55 minutes. My oven is fast, so allow 65-90 minutes depending on yours. Tent earlier if the topping has browned enough, and continue until the cake at the center is baked through.
Check a cake portion near the center, avoiding the cinnamon filling and chocolate chips where possible. My cake was perfectly moist at about 210°F (99°C) internally. The center should be set, with a tester showing baked cake crumbs rather than wet batter. Melted chocolate can coat a thermometer or tester even when the cake is done; check another cake portion if needed. Keep baking under the foil if you find wet batter.
As soon as the cake comes out of the oven, sprinkle Maldon flaky sea salt over the top.
Rest the cake in the pan for at least 30 minutes. Gently test a small lift using the parchment overhangs. A little give is normal, but if the cake bends deeply or starts to cave in, lower it back into the pan and wait longer. Once it feels stable, support the base as you move it onto a wire rack. Gently peel the paper from the sides and let it cool further before slicing if needed.
If removing the parchment from the base, support the sturdy cake between two wire racks. Hold both racks firmly and carefully turn it upside down. Remove the upper rack and peel away the paper, then replace the rack against the exposed base and turn the cake upright again. Allow more cooling time if the cake is still fragile.

Make it ahead, then enjoy it when you are ready

You can bake the entire coffee cake, cool it completely, and freeze it with the cinnamon filling and chocolate chip crumble already in place. No separate assembly is needed after thawing.

Chocolate chip cookie coffee cake make-ahead plan
What to prepare	How far ahead	How to store	When you are ready
Chocolate chip crumble	1 day ahead	Cover and refrigerate, keeping the butter cold.	Break into clusters and scatter over the assembled cake.
Whole baked cake	Up to 4 days refrigerated	Cool completely, then seal in an airtight container. Protect any cut surfaces.	Enjoy chilled or let it reach room temperature before serving.
Whole baked cake or squares	Up to 3 months frozen	Cool completely. Wrap tightly in plastic wrap and foil, or place wrapped squares in a freezer bag.	Thaw overnight in the refrigerator while wrapped, then let it reach room temperature before unwrapping.
Optional glaze	After thawing	Freeze the cake without glaze.	Let the thawed cake reach room temperature, then add fresh glaze.

For the simplest plan, freeze the whole finished cake

Bake and finish with Maldon salt as directed, including the filling and chocolate chip crumble. Rest the cake in its pan for at least 30 minutes, wait until stable enough to lift, then cool it completely on a rack before wrapping. Never wrap it warm.

For extra protection, freeze the wrapped cake flat on a rigid tray until firm. Keep it level and protect the crumble from being crushed. Freeze for up to 3 months. You can freeze individual squares instead if you want to take out a little at a time.

Thaw before serving

Move the wrapped cake to the refrigerator the night before you need it. A whole cake may need extra thawing time, so make sure the center is thawed before serving. Let it reach room temperature while still wrapped, then unwrap carefully to keep the crumble in place.

If you want the optional glaze, add it fresh once the thawed cake reaches room temperature. You can also serve the thawed cake chilled. Count any refrigerator time before freezing toward the four-day refrigerator window after thawing.

Prepare the crumble early, mix the batter on baking day

The chocolate chip crumble can be made a day ahead and kept covered in the refrigerator. Mix the cake batter, make the filling, and assemble when you are ready to bake; this plan freezes the fully baked cake rather than holding assembled raw batter.

Helpful notes

This is a dense, moist coffee cake. Give it at least 30 minutes to rest before lifting it from the pan, and longer if it still feels unstable.
Mine took 65 minutes at 350°F (175°C), tented loosely at about 55 minutes, and reached about 210°F (99°C) internally. Your oven may need closer to 90 minutes. Check baked cake rather than melted chocolate or cinnamon filling.
The generous cinnamon filling can settle into the bottom and spread to the edges, where it caramelizes. That is part of this cake’s intended texture.
Nutmeg is optional. Plain unsweetened Greek yogurt also works at the same listed weight and room temperature.
For a nutty variation, replace some of the chocolate chips with chopped nuts, keeping the combined weight the same.
Maldon salt finishes the cake without a glaze. For an optional glaze, see the linked Pumpkin Spice Old-Fashioned Donut Loaf in the FAQ. Freeze completely cooled cake before glazing, then thaw and let it reach room temperature before adding the glaze.
To make muffins or use another pan, build the same layers and adjust the baking time for the pan size and batter depth. Use the center doneness checks rather than a fixed time, and let the cake or muffins become stable before removing them.
Make ahead: bake the entire cake with its filling and crumble, cool completely, wrap tightly, and freeze for up to 3 months. Thaw overnight in the refrigerator while wrapped, allowing extra time for a whole cake. Let it reach room temperature before unwrapping or adding an optional fresh glaze.