Espresso Coffeecake with chocolate and cacao nibs + a Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf Giveaway

A delicious Espresso Coffeecake with a chocolate center and crown. If you use cacao nibs, you’ll get a hit of crunch as well.

The other day saw one of the moodiest days I’ve had since the year started; so much so that I felt like I was about to chew some heads off at work. I was feeling particularly drained that day and having to deal with people seemed like such a chore. I sorely needed to get some fuel pumped into my body. (Mostly, what I need is a vacation lol.) It wasn’t until I was chugging my cup of afternoon joe that my mood turned around.

I never quite realized the extent of coffee’s effects on my psyche until that day. I’m sure it’s got nothing to do with the nutritional aspect or the caffeine. I think it was just comforting to sip a hot cup of something familiar when you’re feeling down in the dumps.

In any case, that episode reminded me that I still had this recipe sitting in my archives, waiting to be written about. I had had a brief moment of coffeecake addiction a few months ago and baked way too many of them, but I didn’t want to share them consecutively so was left with this Espresso Coffeecake after writing about the others.

Needless to say it goes particularly well with coffee, but in this Manila heat, I think it’ll be perfect paired with a cup of Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf’s Ice Blended drinks. And you’re in luck because I’m giving away some CBTL GC’s to 3 winners!

As if the 100-peso promo ain’t awesome enough already!

CBTL’s Mondays Made Better promo is back, and you can avail their featured Ice Blended drink of the day every Monday until June 5, 2017 for just Php100. But because I wanted to sweeten up your Monday even more, I’m giving away 3 sets of 500-peso GC’s so you can avail five Ice Blended Monday drinks FOR FREE. CBTL will announce the upcoming featured beverage on their social media every week, after which you can rush to your nearest CBTL to grab ’em!

To join, scroll to the bottom to see what you can do to earn entries. The giveaway is open until May 12, 12AM only so that I can send you the GC’s in time for the following Monday. 🙂

So let’s go back to the cake for a bit here. This cake is actually pretty awesome because of two things: First, the crumb and texture of the cake itself. I always say that I like how cakes made with sour cream turn out and this one is no different. The cake has this sublime, sort of creamy mouthfeel that I can’t quite explain. If you want to make it a little bit “healthier” you can substitute yogurt for the sour cream.

The second reason I love this cake? The combination of cacao nibs and chocolate chips that both run through the middle and crown the cake.

If you’re not a fan of the bitter and earthy cacao nib or just don’t want to purchase them, you can omit them from the recipe and use 170 grams of mini chocolate chips instead. It’s really a matter of personal taste, but for me, the cacao nibs add a contrast to the sweet topping. They also provide some crunch against that melty chocolate chip since they do not change form in any way after being baked.

The scent of the espresso streusel on this cake really gets my mouth watering, and I can’t think of a more coffee-powered morning than pairing this cake with your morning cuppa. Plus, coffee and chocolate are always a welcome combo!

Print Pin Email

Share on Facebook

Espresso Coffee Cake with Chocolate & Cacao Nibs

A delicious coffeecake with a chocolatey center and crown. If you use cacao nibs, you'll get a hit of crunch as well.

Ingredients

For topping and filling

• ⅓ cup 66 grams granulated sugar
• 1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
• 1 tablespoon espresso powder
• 85 grams 3 ounces miniature chocolate chips
• 85 grams 3 ounces cacao nibs*

For the cake

• 2 cups 250 grams all-purpose flour
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• ½ teaspoon salt
• 1 stick, 113 grams butter, room temperature
• ¾ cup 150 grams granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs, room temperature
• 1 cup 228 grams sour cream or plain yogurt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Instructions

• 1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Heavily grease a 10-inch tube or bundt pan and set aside.
• 2. In a small bowl, whisk together the sugar, cinnamon, and espresso powder in a medium bowl. If using cacao nibs, mix it together with the chocolate chips in another bowl. Set aside.
• 
• 3. In a medium bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
• 
• 4. In a large mixing bowl, beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing well after each addition. Mix in the sour cream and vanilla until uniform.
• 
• 5. Gradually fold in the flour mixture until just combined. The batter will be thick.
• 
• 6. Pour half of of the cake batter into the prepared tube pan pan. Sprinkle half of the topping and half of the chocolate over the batter, keeping the filling at the center of the batter to avoid burning as it bakes. Pour the rest of the batter over the top and even it out. Sprinkle with the remaining topping and chocolate, pressing them slightly into the batter to stick.
• 
• 7. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes, or until the cake is lightly browned and a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in pan for 20 minutes before running a knife around the tube pan and transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.

Notes

*Cacao nibs provide an earthy flavour and crunch to the coffee cake, but if you don't like it or don't have it, you can use miniature chocolate chips all the way.

Adapted from The Pastry Affair blog

Now that I’ve talked about this awesome Espresso Coffeecake, let’s go back to the giveaway! There will be THREE WINNERS who will each receive 500-pesos worth of CBTL Mondays Made Better GC’s. They will be randomly drawn by my trusty Rafflecopter below, so the more entries you have, the more chances of winning!

These GC’s will entitle you to avail of the 100-peso CBTL Ice Blended Drink of the Day (regular size only) every Monday until June 5, 2017. This giveaway is open to Metro Manila residents only. Contest will end on 12AM of May 12, 2017. Good luck!

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Enjoyed this post? Follow me on Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for more. If you try this recipe, don’t forget to let me know if you enjoyed these as much as I did! All images and videos on this blog are owned by The Tummy Train and Clarisse Panuelos. Unauthorized use of content, removal of watermark, or edit and reupload is prohibited and will constitute theft.