Chocolate Chai Coffee Cake

March 20, 2026
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My husband and I love coffee cake. We are huge fans. I have two great recipes here on the blog – my classic coffee cake and this pumpkin coffee cake – but, I wanted a chocolate version and I came up with this magnificent chocolate chai coffee cake recipe. I can’t wait to share this one with you…

I have always been a fan of the combination of chocolate and chai spices. They work so well together and while you can make this cake without the spices, they really do add something special. The richness and subtle bitter notes in the chocolate pairs beautifully with the warmth of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves and cardamom making this coffee cake one of the best things I have baked in a long time.

Let’s get started…

Begin by whisking 2/3 cup of a neutral oil with 2 large eggs, 1/2 cup of milk, 1/2 cup of sour cream or Greek yogurt and 2 teaspoons of pure vanilla extract until smooth. Add a cup of tightly packed brown sugar and vigorously whisk until the mixture is thick and creamy.

For the dry ingredients, we are going to combine 2 cups of all purpose flour with 1/4 cup of natural unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 tablespoon of espresso powder, 1 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon of nutmeg, 1/2 teaspoon of ground ginger, 1/4 teaspoon of cloves, 1/4 teaspoon of cardamom, 1 teaspoon of baking powder, 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda and 1/2 teaspoon of salt in a separate bowl and then add it to the wet ingredients.

Mix until the batter is just combined and set it aside for now.

To make the streusel, whisk 3/4 cup of all purpose flour with 2 tablespoons of natural unsweetened cocoa powder, 1 teaspoon of espresso powder, 1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon, a pinch of salt and 3/4 cup of brown sugar in a small bowl and then add 5 tablespoons of melted butter and mix until you get this wet sand consistency.

The only thing you need now is about 1/3 cup of roughly chopped chocolate or some chocolate chips and it is time to assemble this cake…

You can bake this cake in a 9″ round cake pan, an 8″x8″ square cake pan, a 7″x11″ baking dish or a 9″ springform pan, which is my favorite choice for coffee cake.

Generously grease the pan and line the bottom with parchment paper. If you are using a springform pan, cut your parchment paper a little larger than the base of the pan and trap it in between the base and sides to help seal that transition tightly like in the photo above.

Pour the cake batter into the pan and spread the streusel evenly over the entire cake. I like to very gently press down a bit on the streusel to help it bond with the cake batter, so it stays attached as the cake bakes.

Sprinkle your chopped chocolate over the streusel and bake the cake in a 350 degree oven for 48-52 minutes or until the center feels set and a toothpick will come out of the middle mostly clean.

This cake has shot straight up to the top of my list. It is not just a basic chocolate cake with a crumble on top (which is not a bad thing either, but...), it is a chocolate version of that classic crumbly coffee cake with flavors and espresso and warm chai spices and then that deliciousness is topped with a rich chocolatey streusel and then a little more melty chocolate to round things out perfectly.

Whenever I am recipe developing and one turns out really well, we usually slice it up and freeze it, but this one stayed on the counter… well not for long, but we loved it so much that we didn’t even bother freezing it.

If you love coffee cake and also love chocolate then you will have to give this chocolate chai coffee cake a try.

If this cake makes you love the combination of chocolate and chai spices then give my chocolate chai cupcake, these chocolate spice cookies and this chocolate chai protein granola a try.

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