Mocha Coffee Cake: Easy Streusel Breakfast Guide

Waking up at six on a Tuesday morning with a toddler who decided sleep was a construct led directly to this mocha coffee cake, since caffeine in chewable form felt like an actual emergency. Staring at a stand mixer in the dark while wearing mismatched slippers carries a deeply humbling quality, though the result made every bit of it worth it.

Forgetting the baking powder ruins early morning baking more often than not, but this time the universe cooperated completely. Anyone who ever needed a valid excuse to eat chocolate and coffee for breakfast has found that moment here. Here is exactly how I do it.

Why You’ll Love This Recipe

• Double caffeine hit. Sometimes simply drinking morning coffee just is not enough to get through the day.
• The streusel ratio. Nobody skimps on the crumb topping here, since a weak crumb layer counts as a baking crime.
• Forgiving batter. A slight overmix while distracted by a podcast still bakes up incredibly soft and tender.
• Breakfast loophole. Having “coffee” in the name makes serving chocolate cake at 8 AM socially acceptable.

Tools You’ll Need

Nothing fancy, I promise.

• 9×9 inch baking pan I use a metal one, but glass works too if you keep a close eye on the baking time.
• Mixing bowls. Two of these keep the streusel and batter components separate.
• Whisk. This handles the dry ingredients, though a fork works fine too.

Ingredients

For the Streusel

• 1/2 cup packed brown sugar – Pack it in there tightly to get the right moisture level.
• 1/2 cup all-purpose flour – Spoon and level it, or don’t, we are not running a professional bakery.
• 1/4 cup baking cocoa – Use the good stuff if you have it hiding in the pantry.
• 1/4 cup cold butter – Cut it into little cubes so it actually cuts into the dry mix without turning into a paste.
• 1 tablespoon instant espresso powder – This is what makes it an authentic espresso coffee cake, do not skip it.

For the Cake

• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour – The structural foundation of our questionable breakfast choices.
• 3/4 cup granulated sugar – Just enough sweetness to balance the bitter coffee notes.
• 2 teaspoons baking powder – Check the expiration date, seriously, flat cake is sad cake.
• 1/2 teaspoon salt – Essential for balancing out the sweet and bitter flavors.
• 3/4 cup milk – Whole milk is best, but use whatever is currently sitting in the fridge.
• 1/3 cup vegetable oil – Keeps the crumb incredibly moist for days on the counter.
• 1 large egg – Room temperature if you remember, straight from the cold fridge if you are me.
• 1/4 cup strong brewed coffee – Cooled down completely so it does not scramble your egg.

How To Make Mocha Coffee Cake

Preheat your oven and prepare to make your entire kitchen smell like an overpriced downtown café.

1. Prep the pan: Preheat oven to 350°F and grease your 9-inch square pan. If you forget to grease the pan, you will be eating this straight out of the tin with a spoon, which I have done and frankly do not regret.
2. Make the streusel: In a small bowl, mix the brown sugar, 1/2 cup flour, cocoa, and espresso powder, then cut in the cold butter until it looks like coarse crumbs. If a few stubborn butter chunks survive, that is between you and the pastry blender, nobody else needs to know.
3. Mix the dry ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the 1 1/2 cups flour, granulated sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make sure the baking powder is fully dispersed so you don’t get a random bitter bite.
4. Add the wet ingredients: Stir in the milk, oil, egg, and cooled brewed coffee just until combined. Do not overmix this coffee flavored coffee cake batter unless you want it to have the dense texture of a rubber tire.
5. Layer it up: Spread half the batter into the prepared pan, sprinkle with half the streusel, add the remaining batter, and top with the rest of the streusel. Spreading the top layer of batter over the middle streusel is annoying, just do your best, it bakes up fine even if it looks messy.
6. Bake and cool: Bake for 30 to 35 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out mostly clean. Let it cool before cutting, or risk burning the roof of your mouth on molten chocolate streusel.

Make it yours

• Chocolate chip version. You fold mini chocolate chips into the batter for an extra dose of chocolate alongside the espresso streusel.
• Cinnamon version. You add a half teaspoon of cinnamon to the streusel for a warmer, spiced take on this coffee flavored coffee cake.

Perfect pairings

This mocha crumb cake suits two specific pairings particularly well.

• A cold glass of milk works for the kids while the caffeinated baked goods get hoarded elsewhere.
• A brunch potluck needs exactly this kind of bake to look like far more effort went into it.

Mocha Coffee Cake

This mocha coffee cake proves that a sleepless toddler morning can still produce a genuinely impressive breakfast bake with almost no advance planning. This mocha coffee cake recipe layers a double chocolate espresso streusel around a tender, coffee-infused crumb, delivering everything a proper mocha crumb cake should taste like. Whether served at a brunch potluck or sliced for a quiet Wednesday afternoon slump, this espresso coffee cake earns a permanent spot in the regular rotation.

Print Recipe Pin Recipe

Prep Time 25 minutes mins

Total Time 2 hours hrs 30 minutes mins

Servings: 12 servings

Course: Coffee Cake

Cuisine: American

Calories: 480

Ingredients Equipment Method Notes

Ingredients

  

• 2/3 cup miniature semisweet chocolate chips
• 1/2 cup chopped pecans
• 1/3 cup packed brown sugar
• 2 tablespoons Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
• 1 tablespoon instant coffee granules or crystals
• 2 3/4 cups Gold Medal™ all-purpose flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 1 cup granulated sugar
• 1 cup butter or margarine softened
• 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
• 3 eggs
• 1 container (8 oz) sour cream

Equipment

• 9×9 inch baking pan
• Mixing bowls
• Whisk

Method

 

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 10-inch angel food (tube) cake pan with removable bottom with cooking spray. In small bowl, mix all streusel ingredients; set aside.
2. In another small bowl, mix 2 3/4 cups flour, the baking powder, cinnamon, baking soda and salt; set aside.
3. In large bowl, beat granulated sugar and butter with electric mixer on medium speed, scraping bowl constantly, until light and fluffy. Beat in almond extract. Add eggs, one at a time, beating well after each addition.

   Add half of the flour mixture; beat on low speed just until combined. Beat in sour cream until well blended. Beat in remaining flour mixture.
4. Spoon half of the batter into pan; spread evenly. Sprinkle with half of the streusel. Top with remaining batter and streusel.
5. Bake 55 to 65 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool upright in pan on cooling rack 1 hour. Remove cake from pan.

Recipe Notes

Instant espresso powder: I always use this in the streusel, since it gives a much stronger coffee punch than brewed coffee alone.

Brewed coffee: I always let mine cool completely before adding it to the batter, since hot coffee scrambles the egg.

Butter: I keep mine cold for the streusel, since warm butter melts into a paste instead of crumbs.

Cocoa powder: I use good quality cocoa in the streusel, since it makes a real difference in the chocolate flavor.

Flour: I always spoon and level mine into the measuring cup to avoid a dry, dense cake.