This dark chocolate raspberry coffee cake is soft and moist with a buttery almond streusel on top. Dotted with juicy raspberries and filled with chocolate chips, this breakfast cake is a treat! We love it on Christmas morning, but it’s welcome year-round. There’s plenty of different size baking pans you can use, so review my recipe notes before beginning.
I’m so excited to bring my dark chocolate raspberry coffee cake back into the spotlight! Originally published a few years ago and one of my favorite recipes, this breakfast cake has been a Christmas morning tradition for over a decade.
Whoever is hosting, we have a large Christmas brunch after spending the morning opening gifts. We sip coffee and snack on this fabulous cake to tide us over. Gift opening takes longer these days with a toddler, so we’re especially hungry as we unwrap. 🙂
Though enjoyed throughout the year (who can resist this all the time), it tastes most special on December 25th. Have you had the chance to try it yet?
This Dark Chocolate Raspberry Coffee Cake Is:
- Soft, buttery, + moist
- Simple to make
- Studded with juicy raspberries
- Filled with chocolate chips
- Topped with sweet almond streusel
- Perfect for making ahead or freezing
Before I forget. (Because I get this question a lot!) The term “coffee cake” refers to a breakfast cake here in the US. There can be coffee IN the cake, but it’s really just our way of saying cake to enjoy with coffee. There’s no coffee in this recipe…or in my classic coffee cake either!
My original instructions were from 2013 and a little confusing to read. Though I haven’t changed the recipe, I simplified the method. We’re using the traditional creaming method as the base of this cake, so you’re automatically guaranteed a fluffy foundation.
How to Make Dark Chocolate Raspberry Coffee Cake
- Mix the streusel ingredients together. Like my traditional New York-style crumb cake, I make the streusel first so it’s ready to go. For the streusel you need flour, sugar, butter, and sliced or slivered almonds. Make sure the butter is cold and work it in with a fork or pastry cutter.
- Mix the cake’s dry ingredients together. You need flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Beat the wet ingredient’s together. You need butter, sugar, 1 egg, and vanilla extract. This cake is so buttery, but there’s only 1/4 cup in the base recipe. We get a lot of that buttery goodness from the streusel and buttermilk.
- Mix in the buttermilk. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, then slowly mix in the buttermilk. If you don’t have buttermilk, you can use whole milk instead. Since we’re lifting the cake with baking powder and not baking soda, you don’t need the acidity from buttermilk—it’s really more for the tang.
- Fold in the extras. Add the chocolate chips, then fold in the raspberries. You can use fresh or frozen raspberries. The raspberries will break, so mix them in slowly and carefully.
- Transfer to a greased baking pan and bake.
It’s incredible served warm, but you can let it cool to room temperature before serving if needed. It’s also excellent as a breakfast cake, snack cake, dessert cake, or midnight snack cake. (–> yes!) Don’t limit yourself to only enjoying this in the morning; I love it as a quick & easy dessert. This is definitely a low maintenance treat, especially if you skip the streusel and just add the sliced almonds right on top of the batter.
(I make it that way when I don’t feel like making the streusel!)
Which Size Baking Pan?
The options are endless. This cake is NOT picky!
You can bake it in a standard 9-inch square baking pan or 9-inch pie dish. An 11×7-inch baking pan works as well and if you have an oval baker that’s about 9-10 inches long, that works too. I’ve made this cake as a quick bread in a loaf pan and as muffins, too. These days, I use my 11×7-inch casserole dish. (Pictured—it’s from Crate & Barrel a few years ago, but I can’t find it on their site anymore!)
For a larger 9×13-inch cake, double the recipe.
Anything that holds 8-10 cups of batter works, which is extra convenient if you’re using specific pans for other recipes at the time. The bake time obviously changes, so it’s best to have a toothpick handy to check for doneness.
With the almonds, dark chocolate, and raspberries, there is no shortage of flavor or texture! It reminds me of my raspberry almond crumb cake, but today’s recipe swaps cinnamon and brown sugar for chocolate.
Everyone NEEDS to try this. But let me warn you—you will keep slicing off slivers of this cake. Cutting into pieces to serve? Slice off a sliver for yourself. Walking by? Slice off a sliver for yourself. In bed? Go into the kitchen and slice off a sliver for yourself.
If you can’t get enough of those sweet raspberries, try my raspberry sweet rolls next!
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Dark Chocolate Raspberry Coffee Cake
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Cook Time: 50 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour, 30 minutes
- Yield: serves 12
- Category: Cake
- Method: Baking
- Cuisine: American
Description
This dark chocolate raspberry coffee cake is soft and moist with a buttery almond streusel on top. There’s plenty of different size baking pans you can use, so review my recipe notes before beginning.
Ingredients
Streusel
- 1/4 cup (50g) granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup (31g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 3 Tablespoons (43g) unsalted butter, cold
- 1/2 cup (64g) sliced or slivered almonds
Cake
- 2 cups (250g) all-purpose flour (spooned & leveled)
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup (4 Tbsp; 56g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
- 3/4 cup (150g) granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 cup (240ml) buttermilk or whole milk
- 1 cup (180g) dark chocolate chips*
- 1 and 1/2 cups fresh or frozen (do not thaw) raspberries
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F (177°C). Spray a 9-inch baking pan* (see recipe note) with nonstick spray.
- Make the streusel first: Mix the sugar and flour together. Using a pastry cutter or fork, work the butter into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs. This takes a few minutes. Fold in the almonds. Set aside to use in step 4.
- Make the cake: Whisk the flour, baking powder, and salt together in a medium bowl. Set aside. In a large bowl using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and sugar together on medium-high speed until combined and creamy, about 1-2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. Add the egg and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Add the dry ingredients and begin beating on low speed. With the mixer running, slowly pour in the buttermilk. Finally, add the chocolate chips. Beat on low until everything is combined. Avoid over-mixing. Using a large spoon or silicone spatula, gently fold in the raspberries. They’ll break a little bit, but try to be extra careful.
- Spread the batter into the prepared baking pan. Top with the streusel. If you have any extras, dot the top of the cake with a few raspberries and chocolate chips.
- Bake for about 45-46 minutes if using an 8-inch or 9-inch baking pan, though that time changes if you used a different size baking pan. That time is a guideline; the cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the middle comes out clean. If the cake is browning too quickly on top, loosely tent with aluminum foil as it bakes.
- Remove from the oven and allow to cool for at least 10 minutes before slicing and serving. You can also let the cake cool completely before slicing and serving.
- Cover leftovers tightly and store at room temperature for 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 1 week.
Notes
- Freezing Instructions: Freeze baked and cooled cake for up to 3 months. Thaw in the refrigerator or at room temperature before serving.
- Special Tools (affiliate links): 9-inch Square Baking Pan, 9-inch Pie Dish, 11×7-inch Baking Pan, or any similar 8- to 10-cup capacity baking dish | Glass Mixing Bowls | Pastry Cutter | Whisk | Electric Mixer (Handheld or Stand) | Silicone Spatula
- Cake Pan Sizes: You can bake this cake in a 9-inch square baking pan, a 9-inch pie dish, an 11×7-inch baking pan, or an oval baker that’s about 9-10 inches long. Anything that holds 8-10 cups of batter works. The bake time slightly changes, so keep your eye on the cake after about 42 minutes and have a toothpick handy to check for doneness. For a 9×5-inch loaf pan, bake for at least 60-65 minutes. For muffins, follow the same baking instructions as my blueberry streusel muffins. For a larger 9×13-inch cake, double the recipe. The bake time will be a little longer, but use a toothpick to test for doneness.
- Chocolate Chips: You can use milk chocolate, white chocolate, semi-sweet, or dark/bittersweet chocolate chips.
- Buttermilk: You can substitute whole milk for buttermilk if desired. Acidic buttermilk isn’t needed in order for the cake to rise since we’re using baking powder. However if you’d like the tangy flavor, you can make your own sour milk substitute. Add 2 teaspoons of white vinegar or lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup. Then add enough whole milk to the same measuring cup until it reaches 1 cup. (In a pinch, lower fat or nondairy milks work for this soured milk, but the cake won’t taste as rich.) Stir it around and let sit for 5 minutes. The homemade “buttermilk” will be somewhat curdled and ready to use in the recipe.
Wondering if yogurt can be substituted for the buttermilk?
Hi LK, You can use sour cream/yogurt instead of buttermilk in this coffee cake recipe, but the cake will be denser since sour cream/yogurt is heavier than buttermilk. The cake may not take quite as long to bake, either. Also to note– the batter will be very thick.
One of the best things I have ever made.
I used a 9 inch deep pie pan that worked well.
I just made this recipe for the 2nd time, first time I made it was for Christmas morning and everyone loved it. I just made it again because it is so good! Quickly became my favorite coffee cake!
Can you make this cake in a normal bundt pan? If so, do I have to double recipe? What would the amount if time be. Thanjs.
Hi Wendy, there isn’t enough batter as written for a Bundt pan, but you could try making 2 batches of batter. If there is any leftover, you can make a few muffins on the side. We’re unsure of the exact bake time, but it will be much longer. Let us know if you try it!
I love this recipe! Made as directed but used a 9 inch springform. My husband loved so much I’m sure we have a new Christmas dessert added to our holiday baking traditions!
I wanted to try a new coffee cake, something with some holiday red in it, to take to our family’s Christmas gathering. This recipe fit the bill. I appreciate Sally’s recommendation on pan sizes. I used a 9 x 13 so I doubled the recipe. It turned out great, but it rose quite high, so I think I would just do 1.5x the recipe next time I make it in a 9 x 13. (It didn’t spill over in the pan, I just think the cut pieces didn’t need to be quite so tall.) Personally, I’m not a fan of mixing chocolate and fruit, but a lot of people are, and sure enough, people seemed to really enjoy this combination of raspberry and dark chocolate in a coffee cake.
Can the almonds be left off or replaced with something non-tree nut? Thanks
Hi Diane! The almonds can be left out.
hi Sally, I was wondering if you could substitute raspberry cake filling for the fresh raspberries?
Hi Cookie, that would take a bit of recipe testing to properly incorporate, since it would act more like a wet ingredient than an add-in (like the fresh raspberries). We’d recommend sticking with fresh raspberries for best results!
Can I bake this in mini loaf pans? I have made a few of your quick bread reciepes in the mini loaves and have turned out great but never a cake.
Absolutely!
YummmmmmmmO!!! I made a double batch, SO much I shared with 4 neighbors. I was unsure if it was done so judging by the “a bit browned bottom” I may have over baked it just a tad. I love my thermapen thermometer, any chance of adding an internal done temp? Still, it was just delicious!
Hi Stephanie! We don’t usually gauge cakes by internal temperature, but for most cakes, the centre should be around 98°C/210°F when done. We usually use the toothpick test!
Could you make this with a cream cheese + granulated sugar layer like in your Blackberry Cream Cheese Crumb Cake? I made the blackberry coffee cake and loved it. Thank you for so many great recipes! I always trust your recipes!
Hi Amanda, that sounds great! Let us know how it turns out if you do add this layer.