I never see crumb cakes with chocolate crumb topping or streusel. Why? Is it too much chocolate? Doubtful.
I'm not sure why I procrastinated; it's just a matter of adding cocoa powder to a standard crumb cake recipe. I'm glad I finally did it. Like most crumb cakes, it's good company to a cup of coffee.
The optional dulce de leche is made in the microwave, too. It's made in a fraction of the time it takes on the stove top.
Chocolate Streusel Cake
Text and Photo by Jac Kyles Baker
Makes one 6 inch cake
Ingredients
For the cake:
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup packed light brown sugar
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
3 TB unsalted butter, melted
2 TB vegetable oil
1/4 cup cocoa powder
3 TB sour cream
1 large egg, lightly beaten
1 tsp whiskey or vanilla extract
For the chocolate streusel topping:
2 TB unsalted butter, melted
2 1/2 TB light brown sugar
2 TB cocoa powder
1/4 tsp almond extract
1/4 tsp salt
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 TB sliced almonds, crushed (optional)
Dulce de leche or melted caramels (optional)
Preparation
Make streusel topping:
Add flour and almonds, if using, to a bowl.
In a separate bowl: stir melted butter, cocoa powder, brown sugar and salt together. Stir into flour. Press the mixture into large and small clumps with your fingers. Place crumb topping in refrigerator while making cake.
Make cake:
Butter a 6 x 2 inch round microwave safe pan. Line the pan with parchment paper cut to fit the pan’s bottom.
Whisk flour and baking powder in a large bowl.
In a separate bowl: whisk cocoa powder, butter, sour cream, oil, salt, sugar and whiskey or vanilla extract. Whisk in egg.
Make a well in the center of the flour. Add a third of the liquid mixture into the well. Stir in about a third of the flour. Repeat until all the liquid is used. Stir until cake batter is smooth. Do not overmix.
Microwave on 80% power (MED/HIGH) for 1 minute 30 seconds. Remove cake from cake from microwave. Cover cake evenly with streusel. Microwave at 80% power (MED/HIGH) for 45 seconds.
Cool cake in pan on a wire rack for five minutes. Remove from pan. Continue to cool on wire rack.
Drizzle top of cooled cake with dulce de leche, if desired.
Store cake covered in pan or in an airtight container.