Chocolate Chip Crumb Cake

Rewind to the week before Thanksgiving.  My in-laws were heading to New York City to see their daughter Katy and my mother- in- law, Linda, thought we should do a “goodie” exchange along their way.  You see, they live in Florida and we live in Charleston, SC and are therefore a stop on their way via Amtrak.    This was the perfect opportunity to try out some new recipes as well as baking up some tried and true.  I spent all day that Friday preparing for our meetup.  I made two goodie bags each containing almond biscotti, gingersnaps, treasure cookies, and chocolate chip crumb cake, as well as a few old favorites.  Their train was to come through Charleston around 9:40 pm.  Kevin arrived home at 8:30 pm from work, had a snack, and we waited until it was time to leave.  We hopped in the car and arrived at the train station only to discover that a train was already there.  Oh, crap!  The train was early and we were both worried that we would miss them and therefore would be stuck with all of the baked goods that were made.  Kevin & I parked the car and raced into the station, finding Linda as well as my father- in-law, Rich nervously waiting.  In the end we were able to exchange hugs, goodie bags, and a few good laughs before the train pulled away from the station.

This chocolate chip crumb cake that I found in both Annie’s as well as the Brown Eyed Baker’s blog was a total hit!  I baked mine for about 20 minutes longer than the recipe suggested because my toothipick would not come out clean and the center was still a bit jiggly.  When I finally cut into the bread the center was still not done, but the result was a thick caramel inside.  It was SO good!

Chocolate Chip Crumb Cake

For the crumb topping:
1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
1 ½ cups light brown sugar
1 ½ cups cold butter, cut into small pieces
2 tsp. vanilla extract

For the cake:
2 ½ cups all-purpose flour
½ cup cake flour
1 cup unsalted butter
1 ½ tsp. baking powder
½ tsp. baking soda
1 ½ cups mini chocolate chips
1 ½ cups sugar
1 tbsp. orange zest (optional) I did not add this.
1 cup buttermilk
3 eggs
1 tbsp. vanilla extract

For the topping after it is baked:
1 ½ cups mini chocolate chips
confectioners’ sugar

Method of Preparation

Preheat the oven to 350°. Line two loaf pans with foil & spray with non stick baking spray.  Set aside.

To make the topping, thoroughly mix the flour and sugar in a medium bowl. Drop in chunks of butter. Using a pastry blender, cut the butter into the flour until it reduces to the size of peas. Sprinkle vanilla extract over the top, and knead into the mixture using your fingertips, until moist, clumpy lumps form. Be careful not to overmix.

To make the batter, sift the plain flour, cake flour, baking powder and baking soda into a bowl. In a small bowl, toss the chocolate chips with 1 tablespoon of the dry ingredient mixture. Set aside.

In the bowl of a stand mixer, cream the butter for 3 minutes. Beat in orange zest, if using.(Again, I did not add this.) Mix in sugar in three additions, beating for 1 minute after each portion is added. Beat in eggs, one at a time, scraping down the sides after each addition. Mix in the vanilla extract. Alternately add in the dry ingredient mixture in 3 additions with the buttermilk in 2 additions. Scrape down the sides of the bowl periodically to ensure that the batter is properly mixed. Stir in the chocolate chips.

Divide the batter evenly between the prepared loaf pans. Spread evenly and smooth the top with spatula. Sprinkle the streusel topping over the cake batter, making sure that the whole surface is covered. It looks like a lot of topping, but in the end the results are wonderful! Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. (I had to bake mine for 20 minutes longer.  It could be my oven, though. I also had to cover my loaves with foil to prevent burning for the extra time in the oven.) The baked cake should pull slightly away from the sides of the pan.

Allow the cakes to cool in the pans for 5 minutes. Sprinkle with mini chocolate chips on top.  Let cakes sit in pans for another 5 minutes or so. Run a knife around the edge to loosen the foil, then transfer to a wire cooling rack by picking up all sides of the foil so that you don’t have to turn the loaf upside down. Allow to cool completely. Sprinkle with confectioners’ sugar just before slicing and serving.

Source: Brown Eyed Baker