Cake Monday: Toll House Crumb Cake

I got rave reviews for the last coffee cake I made so instead of trying something with the esoteric name Orange Glow Chiffon Cake, I decided to make another coffee cake. Why be fancy? But I adapted the method from The Cake Bible. Unlike the stubborn frustrating butter cakes, this method works just fine for this cake, resulting in a moist, tender crumb.

Toll House Crumb Cake

Topping:
1 tablespoon all purpose flour
1/2 cup brown sugar, packed and sifted
2 tablespoons butter, softened
1/2 cup chopped almonds
1/2 cup semi-sweet mini chocolate chips

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar and butter. Use two knives or a pastry cutter to cut in the butter until it is the size of peas. Mix in the nuts and chocolate chips by hand. Set aside.

Cake:
2 cups all purpose flour
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup (8 tablespoons) unsalted butter, softened
3 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup sour cream of plain lowfat yogurt
1 1/2 cups semi-sweet mini chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350˚F. Butter a 9x13 inch rectangular pan. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, lightly combine eggs, vanilla, and sour cream/yogurt. Set aside

In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Mix on low speed for 30 seconds. Add the butter and half the egg mixture. Mix on low speed until dry ingredients are just moistened. Scrape down the sides. Increase speed to medium and beat until just combined. Scrape down the sides. Add the remaining egg mixture in 3 batches until just combined. Scrape down the sides. Fold in the chocolate chips by hand.

Scrape the batter into the prepared pan. Smooth the top with a spatula. Cover the batter with the topping. Be generous. Bake 45-50 minutes or until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature.