Chocolate Chip Coffee Cake Squares
Ahhhh…a comforting piece of warm chocolate chip cake will chase just about any blues away, right? The original cake was a treasured family recipe which I carefully tweaked with healthier ingredients so we could indulge more often. I hope you will enjoy this scrumptious snack cake as much as we do!
Servings: 18 to 24
Ingredients
- Olive oil spray
Topping
- 1/2 cup coconut palm sugar see MPM Mini-Bites
- 1 cup chocolate chips semi-sweet or milk chocolate
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
Dry Ingredients
- 2 cups whole wheat pastry flour sifted (see MPM Mini-Bites)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 4 ounces butter softened (1 stick)
- 1 cup coconut palm sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup plain Greek yogurt or sour cream low-fat or full fat
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly coat the bottom and sides of a 9 x 11-inch baking pan with olive oil spray. (Do not use a bigger pan as there won’t be enough batter.)
- In a medium bowl, stir together all topping ingredients. Set aside.
- In a medium bowl, sift together all dry ingredients.
- Using an electric mixer, cream together butter and coconut palm sugar on medium-high speed until creamy, about 1 minute.
- On medium speed, beat in eggs. Beat in Greek yogurt (or sour cream) and vanilla extract until smooth, about 1 minute.
- On low speed, beat in dry ingredients, mixing just until smooth, about 1 minute.
- With a spatula or butter knife, carefully spread 1/2 of the batter into a thin layer in prepared pan. (Batter will be sticky and thick. Make sure batter reaches all margins of pan).
- Sprinkle 1/2 of the topping over batter.
- Drop spoonfuls of remaining batter over topping. With a butter knife (easier than a spatula) carefully spread, batter, reaching all edges.
- Sprinkle remaining topping over batter.
- Bake for about 25 minutes or until a toothpick inserted onto the center comes clean. (Do not over-bake or cake will be dry.)
- Place on a rack; allow to cool for about 10 minutes before cutting into squares.
Notes
Make Ahead and Storage Tips: may be stored, covered in the refrigerator for up to 1 week or frozen for up to 4 months.
Coconut Palm Sugar: read more about this healthier sweetener here. If you like, you may replace with an equal amount of cane sugar.
Whole Wheat Pastry Flour: although it takes a bit of extra effort, sifting whole wheat pastry flour is important as it helps create a light texture for your baked goods. Additional tips for using whole wheat pastry flour can be found here.