Milk Chocolate and Coffee Cake

Serves
serves 8-10
Time
1 hour 45 minutes

MATT TAYLOR-GROSS

This milk chocolate–butter cake is enhanced with a full 2 tbsp. of espresso powder and topped with a brown sugar–almond crumble.

Featured in: 5 Unexpectedly Delicious Ways to Cook with Coffee

WATCH: How to Melt Chocolate in the Microwave

ADVERTISEMENTAD

Ingredients

For the Cake

8 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened, plus more for greasing
2 cups all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting
2 ¹⁄₂ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. kosher salt
1 cup whole milk
2 tbsp. instant espresso powder
2 tsp. vanilla extract
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, lightly beaten
6 oz. milk chocolate, melted and cooled

For the Crumb Topping

1 ¹⁄₂ cups all-purpose flour
¹⁄₂ cup toasted and finely chopped almonds
8 tbsp. unsalted butter, softened
6 tbsp. packed light brown sugar
¹⁄₄ cup granulated sugar
¹⁄₂ tsp. kosher salt

ADVERTISEMENTAD

Instructions

Step 1

Heat the oven to 325° and grease and flour an 8-inch square baking pan. To make the cake, in a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the baking powder and salt. In a large measuring cup, whisk the milk with the espresso powder and vanilla until smooth. In a large bowl, beat the butter with the sugar on medium speed of a hand mixer until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition. Pour the chocolate into the batter and mix until smooth. Working in three batches, alternately add the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients, beginning and ending with the dry, until the batter just comes together. Scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth the top.

Step 2

Make the crumb topping: In a medium bowl, combine the flour with the almonds, butter, both sugars, and salt and use your fingers to rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is evenly combined and crumbly. Sprinkle the crumbs all over the top of the batter and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean and the crumb topping is golden brown, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let the cake cool completely before slicing.

Heat the oven to 325° and grease and flour an 8-inch square baking pan. To make the cake, in a medium bowl, whisk the flour with the baking powder and salt. In a large measuring cup, whisk the milk with the espresso powder and vanilla until smooth. In a large bowl, beat the butter with the sugar on medium speed of a hand mixer until pale and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating well between each addition. Pour the chocolate into the batter and mix until smooth. Working in three batches, alternately add the dry ingredients with the wet ingredients, beginning and ending with the dry, until the batter just comes together. Scrape the batter into the prepared baking pan and smooth the top.
Make the crumb topping: In a medium bowl, combine the flour with the almonds, butter, both sugars, and salt and use your fingers to rub the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture is evenly combined and crumbly. Sprinkle the crumbs all over the top of the batter and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean and the crumb topping is golden brown, about 1 hour and 15 minutes. Let the cake cool completely before slicing.