Peanut Butter Coffee Cake with Chocolate Chip Streusel

I’m sure it’s no surprise to regular readers that Jesse and I have a thing for the chocolate/peanut butter combination. Yes, it is a true love affair. So, when Jesse asked me to bake something a few weekends ago and I asked, “Like what?” it’s not that surprising that his answer was, “Something with chocolate and peanut butter.” Referring back to all of those links I just shared, I have a lot of chocolate/peanut butter recipes under my belt. Which is awesome when I want a tried and true recipe to quickly whip up, but when I’m wanting something new I can share on here, it makes things a bit more challenging.

At this point, coming up with new chocolate/peanut butter combinations is challenging. So I sat and pondered. I thought of cookies, and cupcakes, and brownies… Then I started to think of Jesse’s other favorite sweet treats. Towards the top of his list of favorites is Cinnamon Crumb Cake. When I tell him I’m making crumb cake he gets a look in his eyes, like a kid hearing the faint music of an ice cream truck. So I wondered if there were a way for me to combine the chocolate/peanut butter combo with a crumb cake of sorts. After a bit of researching I found something that looked inspiring. She put chocolate chips right in the crumb topping?! Perfect! Of course, I am a huge fan of the recipe I always use (something about that mile high, truly crumby, crumb topping!), so I used her idea as base to adapt my usual recipe.

Trying not to brag here, but the results were AMAZING! The cake had a nice moist and tender crumb with just the right density (even though I was slightly worried it could be too dense with the addition of peanut butter). The crumb topping was thick and warm with just the hint of cinnamon that was perfectly paired with the chocolate chips. I liked mine drizzled with just a little bit of chocolate syrup, Jesse said it didn’t need it. He declared that it was one of the best baked goods I’ve ever made. And I think he might be right!

Peanut Butter Coffee Cake with Chocolate Chip Streusel

Ingredients

Crumb Topping
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp cinnamon
6 Tbsp butter, cubed
~1/2 cup chocolate chips

Cake
1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp kosher salt
3 Tbsp butter, softened
3 Tbsp peanut butter
1/2 cup sugar
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 egg
2/3 cup yogurt
1/2 tsp vanilla
Chocolate syrup for serving, optional

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and prepare a glass/ceramic baking dish with butter (not a 9×13, but a smaller oval dish or 9×9).

Mix together all of the dry crumb topping ingredients (flour through cinnamon). Drop cubes of butter into the mix. Start by using a pastry cutter, or two knives, to cut in the butter. When the butter is evenly distributed, use hands to squeeze it together then break it into crumbs. Do this until it seems well combined and you are making crumbs that are mostly about the size of peanuts. Mix in the chocolate chips. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, sift together the flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

In the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with a paddle, cream the butter and peanut butter. Add the sugars and beat until light and fluffy. Add the egg and beat until fully incorporated. Add the yogurt and vanilla and beat until combined. Finally, add the dry ingredients in 3 additions, beating just until combined without lumps.

Pour the batter into the prepared baking dish and smooth with a spatula. Scoop up the crumb topping with your fist and drop clumps of it onto the the batter until all of the crumb topping is used. It will seem like a LOT of crumb topping.

Bake for 35-45 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean and the middle of the cake seems solid. If the edges seem to be baking a lot faster, turn the oven temperature down to 325 degrees and continue baking until center is done.

Cool on a wire rack for 30 minutes before serving. If you like, serve with chocolate syrup. And you’ll definitely want a big glass of cold milk with this treat!

Inspired by Crazy for Crust, Adapted from here