Yield: 9″ hazelnut chocolate chip coffee cake // Total Time: 1 hr. 15 min. // Disclaimer: This post includes affiliate links. // This post is sponsored by Papanicholas coffee. All opinions are my own.
Light, fluffy, moist chocolate chip coffee cake, infused with cinnamon hazelnut espresso, made with two layers of cinnamon hazelnut streusel & an espresso glaze.
hazelnut chocolate chip coffee cake
This coffee cake is seriously so delicious and the perfect brunch treat! Hazelnuts are my absolute favorite and I wish they were in more desserts. While the name coffee cake would suggest that there’s coffee in the cake, coffee cake actually got it’s name because it’s meant to be enjoyed *with* coffee. However – now you can have the best of both worlds and enjoy this cake which has coffee in it with your coffee. The brown sugar cake is *so* light, fluffy, and moist. It’s loaded with chocolate chips and two layers of brown sugar cinnamon hazelnut streusel.
papanicholas coffee
I absolutely love PapaNicholas Coffee and am so honored that I get to work with them! I seriously use their coffee beans every single day and am so happy to be able to spread my love of their coffee to you! Today I partnered up with PapaNicholas Coffee for this hazelnut chocolate chip coffee cake and used their Cinnamon Hazelnut espresso which is warm, toasty, and the perfect balance of cinnamon, hazelnut & sweet cream. I can’t recommend them enough, so please be sure to check them out! You can find their website by clicking here. And if you do end up purchasing their coffee be sure to use code FRESH20 which will get you 20% off any of their coffee!
recipe tips
weigh your ingredients
Weighing your ingredients is important for getting the recipe perfect and getting consistent results. Not weighing your ingredients can lead to adding too much or too little of an ingredient. In a small batch recipe it is especially important to get those correct measurements because there is less room for error. If you haven’t already, I highly recommend purchasing a kitchen scale. This one is super cheap and worked well for me when I was starting out!
line your pan tall with parchment paper!
This cake is not one that you want to flip upside down to get it out of the pan. Butter your pan, and get out a sheet of parchment paper. Crinkle up the parchment paper, then un-crinkle it and place it in your buttered pan, pressing the parchment up the sides of the pan. This will give you a way to lift the cake out of the pan (plus I happen to enjoy the little crinkles it puts in the sides – it’s a little rustic almost!)
mix the batter carefully
It is super important to not overmix the cake batter or you end up with a tough and chewy cake rather than a light and moist cake. When alternating between adding the wet and dry ingredients, be sure to only mix just until the ingredient is fully combined and no more.
room temperature ingredients
It is important for the ingredients to be at room temperature so that they properly incorporate with each other. Take out the egg, butter, and sour cream at least 30 minutes and up to 1 hr 30 min. before starting the recipe. To bring an egg to room temperature quickly, you can place it under hot water for 1 minute. To bring butter to room temperature quickly, slice it, place it on a plate, and microwave it in 5-second intervals. For sour cream, you can also microwave it in 5-second intervals until it’s no longer cold (but not hot!)
ingredients and substitutions
For the coffee cake:
All purpose flour: for structure. I haven’t tried it but a using a 1:1 gluten free flour should work if needed too.
Baking powder: for helping the cake rise.
Salt: for balancing and bringing out the sweetness of the cake.
Unsalted butter: for tenderizing the cake and giving it that classic buttery taste. You can substitute in salted butter, just omit the extra salt from the recipe.
Light brown sugar: for sweetening the cake and keeping it moist. The sugar also helps aerate the butter to give this cake it’s rise and keep it light and fluffy. You could substitute in dark brown sugar (for more flavor), or use granulated sugar here as well.
Eggs: for moisture, structure, and binding the batter together.
Vanilla: I use and love this vanilla extract.
Sour cream: for moisture. I recommend full-fat for the best texture.
Whole milk: for moisture. I recommend whole milk here for the best texture.
Espresso beans: for infusing into the milk! I used PapaNicholas Cinnamon Hazelnut for extra cinnamon and hazelnut flavor throughout.
Chocolate chips: I used mini semi sweet chocolate chips – but you can use dark chocolate or milk chocolate, whichever you prefer!
For the hazelnut streusel:
Unsalted butter: the base of the streusel, really what makes it buttery and delicious. You can use salted butter here as well.
Light brown sugar: sweetens and adds flavor to the streusel.
All purpose flour: adds structure to the streusel.
Ground cinnamon: for flavor.
Hazelnuts: you can buy pre-crushed hazelnuts, or use whole blanched hazelnuts and crush them.
For the espresso glaze:
Powdered sugar & espresso: the icing on the cake!
how to make hazelnut chocolate chip coffee cake
Here are a few images of the steps to making this delicious coffee cake. You can find the full recipe at the end of the post!
- Infuse the milk with the espresso beans.
- Combine all the streusel ingredients together.
- Beat together the butter and brown sugar, followed by the eggs and vanilla.
- Alternate adding in the dry ingredients and sour cream and milk. To use the milk, pour it through a fine mesh sieve over the mixing bowl.
- Alternate adding in 1/2 of the coffee cake batter and 1/2 of the hazelnut streusel, starting with the cake batter.
- Bake, top with the espresso glaze, and enjoy!
hazelnut chocolate chip coffee cake q&a
how to store this coffee cake
This cake will keep well for 3 days in an airtight container at room temperature.
can I double this recipe?
Definitely! Double all the ingredients and bake it between two 9″ cake pans. I especially encourage using grams for the best results if you’re going to double the recipe.
is there a difference between coffee cake and crumb cake?
Coffee cake and crumb cake are very similar to each other and a lot of times colloquially come down to whichever you want to call it. However, the *true* difference is that crumb cake has way more streusel (crumb) topping and it’s on one layer at the top of the cake, while coffee cake has less streusel and sometimes two layers of it (like in this cake!)
why do you measure in grams?
My recipes are all written in grams because it is the most accurate way to bake. When you use a kitchen scale, you ensure that your baked goods turn out as close to the written recipe as possible. Plus, the cleanup is way easier when using a scale! I will provide standard cup measurements but please note that I have not tested the recipe using cup measurements and therefore can not guarantee your recipe will come out how mine did. Here is my favorite kitchen scale.
a note on oven temperature.
Ovens vary and fluctuate in temperature. For example, I always have to set my oven to 330°F if I want it to bake at 350°F. If you love to bake like I do, I highly recommend getting an oven thermometer. They are super helpful for letting you know when your oven might be lying to you. I use this one.
tools and ingredients
You can find all my favorite tools and ingredients that I use on my Amazon Storefront page, here
did you make this hazelnut chocolate chip coffee cake?
If you made this brown sugar hazelnut chocolate chip coffee cake I would love to see it and know your thoughts! Please leave a comment and review down below, and tag me on Instagram @freshbeanbakery. If you have any questions about the recipe I will gladly do my best to answer them in the comments below!
Hazelnut Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake
Ingredients
Espresso Milk
- 135 g whole milk (½ c. + 1 ½ tbsp.)
- 60 g espresso beans (¼ c.) crushed
Hazelnut Streusel
- 150 g crushed hazelnuts (1 c.)
- 113 g unsalted butter (½ c.)
- 200 g light brown sugar (1 c.)
- 150 g all purpose flour (1 ¼ c.)
- 2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake
- 210 g all purpose flour (1 ¾ c.)
- 2 tsp. baking powder
- ½ tsp. salt
- 125 g unsalted butter (9 tbsp.) room temperature
- 175 g light brown sugar (¾ c. + 2 tbsp.)
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 1 ½ tsp. vanilla
- 75 g sour cream (5 tbsp.) room temperature
- 125 g mini chocolate chips (¾ c.)
Espresso Glaze
- 120 g powdered sugar (1 c.)
- 1-2 tbsp. brewed espresso
Instructions
Espresso Milk
- Start by infusing the milk with the espresso beans. Crush up the espresso beans, then add them and the milk into a small saucepan.
- Set the saucepan over medium heat, and ocasionally stir the mixture until it begins to simmer. Let it simmer for 1 minute, then remove it from the heat. Set aside.
Hazelnut Streusel
- Preheat the oven to 350°F / 175°C. Butter a 9” cake pan, and get out a sheet of parchment paper. Crinkle up the parchment paper, then un-crinkle it and place it in your buttered pan, pressing the parchment up the sides of the pan. This will give you a way to lift the cake out of the pan so that no streusel falls off of it.
- Add the crushed hazelnuts to a small saute pan and set it over medium heat. Stir occasionally until the hazelnuts start to turn light brown., then remove them from the heat.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, melt the butter. Add in the brown sugar, flour, cinnamon, and toasted hazelnuts. Use a fork to mix the ingredients together until you have formed little clumps of dough. Set aside.
Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake
- In a small mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set aside.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl with a hand mixer, or in the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together the butter and brown sugar until the mixture is light and fluffy (3-4 min.)
- Add in both eggs and the vanilla. Beat the mixture for 1 minute until well combined.
- Add in half of the flour mixture and gently fold it into the batter just until combined.
- Place a fine mesh sieve over the bowl of cake batter. Pour the espresso milk over the fine mesh sieve into the bowl.
- Add in the sour cream and gently mix until the batter is cohesive. Add in the remaining flour and chocolate chips and fold just until no flour streaks remain.
- Pour half of the batter into your prepared pan. Top it with ½ of the hazelnut streusel. Carefully spread the remaining cake batter over the streusel, then top it all off with the remaining streusel.
- Bake for 40-50 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean. Allow the cake to rest in the pan for at least 30 minutes before transferring it out to a cooling rack.
Espresso Glaze
- In a small bowl, whisk together the powdered sugar with 1 tbsp. of espresso. Add more if desired to get a thinner glaze.
- Once the cake has cooled to room temperature, top it with the glaze. Serve and enjoy!
Nutrition
Please note that the nutrition facts are only an estimate and may vary based on different brands of ingredients and any substitutions made.
This cake is stunning and delicious! Honestly perfect, can’t wait to make again 🙂
Ah thank you so much, I’m so happy you liked it! 🙂