In this house, we have chocolate cake for breakfast… and we never bother with silly things like bedtimes or brushing our teeth.– Frances & Bridget Owens, Practical Magic
Why you’ll love this chocolate coffee cake
To celebrate the release of Practical Magic 2 this week, I’ll be sharing a few recipes that are inspired or featured in the movie – and books. We’ve been making our midnight margaritas for years, and I knew we would obviously need a chocolate cake for breakfast, too.
But, a full on layer cake with frosting seemed like a bit much. Mostly because it’s a lot of work, and way too much sugar for the morning.
The reverse creaming method that we’re using in this chocolate coffee cake makes the cake light and fluffy, rather than dense and moist like a traditional chocolate cake creating the perfect balance between dessert and an actual breakfast option
So, if you’re celebrating this week, or you’re just feeling up for a special breakfast treat, this chocolate coffee cake will be the perfect thing.
→ If you like this recipe, you should try these: chocolate banana muffins / dairy free cinnamon rolls / lavender blackberry scones / cornbread pancakes
Ingredient notes:
- Cocoa powder – For this recipe, you’ll want Dutch processed cocoa powder – or Dutched cocoa. It’s been treated with an alkalizing agent to change the acidity, which also makes it darker and more intense. Hershey’s Special Dark is our usual go-to, but any brand of treated cocoa will work.
- Instant espresso – This enhances the chocolate flavor, but it isn’t 100% needed to make the cake work out. If you don’t have it, feel free to leave it out. Don’t substitute it with espresso grounds.
- Dairy free butter – We like to use Earth Balance buttery sticks, but any brand of dairy free butter will work in this recipe. Just make sure you’re using a stick so you get the right water content.
- Dairy free milk – Any dairy free milk will work in this recipe (or regular milk if that works for you), but you want to choose an unsweetened, plain option. We typically use oat milk for baking, but we’ve also successfully used almond and flax milk.
- Apple cider vinegar – This is really important to get the proper chemical reaction in the cake – and that Dutch-processed cocoa powder. Don’t skip it, but you could swap it for plain white vinegar if you don’t have apple cider vinegar.
Making changes to a recipe can result in recipe failure. Any substitutions listed are simple changes that I believe will work in this recipe, but results are not guaranteed.
Melissa’s tips & tricks
- Get the perfect butter temp: Take the butter out of the fridge when you start your oven. Use the topping’s portion straight from the fridge because it will be nice and cold, and as you prep the rest, the butter for your layers will be just right!
- Keep mixing the batter! Don’t skip the final minute of mixing. This final mix incorporates the proper amount of air into the batter giving you that perfectly fluffy texture.
- Don’t want to add caffeine? You can use decaf coffee as the liquid and leave the instant espresso out. You could also swap the brewed coffee with water if you don’t want to use any coffee at all.
- Use cake baking strips! To get a nice flat cake layer, I recommend using baking strips to keep the outside of the pan from cooking faster than the inside. They get soaked in water and wrapped around the outside of the pan, secured with velcro. It’s a super easy extra step that gives you a better cake overall.
Frequently asked questions
No. I like to use one because it has higher sides, but you can also use a 9-inch square pan or a tube pan.
Chocolate Coffee Cake
Ingredients
For the crumb topping:
- 3/4 cup all-purpose flour, 95g
- 6 tablespoons sugar, 75g
- 3 tablespoons cocoa powder, 18g
- 2 tablespoons powdered sugar, 14g
- 1/4 teaspoon instant espresso
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
- 6 tablespoons dairy free butter, cubed
- 1/4 cup chopped semi-sweet chocolate chips, 50g
- Chocolate chips for garnish
For the cake:
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour, 210g
- 3/4 cup sugar, 150g
- 6 tablespoons cocoa powder, 36g
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon instant espresso
- 1/4 teaspoon coarse salt
- 10 tablespoons dairy free butter, (141g) cubed
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs, about 110g
- 1/2 cup unsweetened dairy free milk
- 1/2 cup brewed coffee, cooled to room temp
- 1 tablespoon apple cider vinegar
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips, 100g
Instructions
- Mise en place. Preheat oven to 350˚F and grease a 9-inch round springform pan. Set aside. Then, prepare and measure out your ingredients before you begin.
- Make the crumb topping: Whisk the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa, powdered sugar, espresso and salt) together in a mixing bowl until combined. Using a fork, pastry cutter or clean hands, cut the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture has darkened and resembled the texture of peas/sand. Then, stir in the chopped chocolate and set side.
- Make the batter: In a large bowl with an electric mixer, mix the dry ingredients (flour, sugar, cocoa, baking powder, baking soda, espresso and salt).Then, add the butter and mix at a low speed until it has fully incorporated and the flour mixture has begun to form a paste.Next, mix in the eggs and vanilla until combined. Then, slowly add the milk, coffee and apple cider vinegar. Mix until the batter is smooth.Then, continue to beat the mixture at a low speed for a full minute. When the batter is fully mixed, stir in the chocolate chips.
- Bake the cake. Transfer the batter to your prepared cake pan and top with the crumb topping and some additional chocolate chips for garnish.Then, bake the cake for 45-50 minutes, or until an inserted skewer comes out clean.Remove the cake and allow it to cool in the pan for at least 20 minutes before removing the outer ring. Then, allow the cake to cool to room temperature before serving.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
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