I love coffeecake. I have eaten many different types of coffeecake, and have made many. But this is the ultimate coffeecake recipe. Chocolate Chip Streusel Coffeecake is the best I have ever had. (Well I guess it would have to fight it out with Norwegian Tea Log)

It’s not just that there’s tons of chocolate chips (Guittard is the best) in the cake. It’s not that the streusel is crunchy and sweet and slightly grainy, as all streusel should be. It’s that the cake is like the richest pound cake you have ever had, rippled with that fabulous streusel and delicious chocolate. What could he better?

Well, it’s better if you make it ahead of time, which makes it perfect for breakfast during the week, brunch on weekends, a snack anytime, and a special occasion. Something about the texture of the cake becomes so meltingly tender when it sits overnight. It’s like magic!

This is a big coffeecake too, which is good, because it won’t last very long. If you are going to go to the effort to make a cake from scratch, there should be enough of it so you get at least two pieces!

This cake is made in an angel food cake pan, which isn’t greased. To get the cake out of the pan, run a long thin knife between the sides of the cake and the pan with a long knife, then lift the cake out using the center stem. Then run your knife carefully around the center hole and along the bottom of the pan, then pull the pan out of the cake. You can use a well greased and floured bundt pan instead, but I have found the texture just isn’t the same in that type of pan.

And even though the cake is simply superb, it’s made with the dump and blend method. No folding in egg whites, no adding the flour and liquid separately. Once you have made the batter and the streusel, you just layer them in an angel food cake pan, bake it, let it cool, then store it overnight and you have created something really wonderful: Chocolate Chip Streusel Coffeecake.

How to make the best Chocolate Chip Streusel Coffeecake

• Really, restrain yourself and let the coffeecake stand overnight before you cut into it for the best texture, although it’s still really good eaten after it cools.
• As long as you measure the flour correctly, the cake will be delicious.
• And don’t make a mistake I once made, which was picking up the unbaked cake by the center stem. The pan comes apart and you have batter all over the counter. Pick it up by the sides of the pan. That pan has a loose bottom too, so avoid pushing up on it before the cake is baked.
• Despite what every television food show host says, you don’t need to have the eggs, milk, and cream at room temperature for baking. I have never done this and my baking always works. I’m also uncomfortable leaving perishable products at room temperature longer than an hour. We didn’t do that at Pillsbury in the test kitchens, and that should be the final word on the subject.

Why this recipe works

• The melting cake texture, crunchy and grainy streusel, and rich chocolate combine to make the best coffeecake ever.