Name: Chocolate-Rye Crumb Cake
Prep time: 10 min
Cook time: 50 min
Total time: 60 min
Yield: 1 9-inch cake
Ingredients: ¾ cup all-purpose flour; ¾ cup rye flour; ½ cup unsweetened cocoa powder; 1 teaspoon baking powder; ¾ teaspoon baking soda; ¾ teaspoon kosher salt; ¾ cup 1½ sticks unsalted butter, room temperature; ½ cup granulated sugar; 1/3 cup packed light brown sugar; 2 large eggs; 1 teaspoon vanilla extract; ¾ cup buttermilk; ¼ cup plain whole-milk Greek yogurt; 1/3 cup granulated sugar; ¼ cup all-purpose flour; ¼ cup rye flour; 3 tablespoons cacao nibs; 2 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder; ¼ teaspoon kosher salt; ¼ cup chilled unsalted butter (cut into pieces)

overhead image of chocolate rye crumb cake

What do you do when you friend gives you a bag of cacao nibs? You rack your brain trying to remember a a chocolate-rye crumb cake that incorporated them? Well, that’s what I do! I knew I came across this chocolate-rye crumb cake. The problem was trying to remember in which of dozens of magazines it was in?

I knew it was around here somewhere and it just was a matter of checking my different magazine files. I have made it a goal this year to organize better my different magazines. Every month or so, my husband and daughter remind me that it is time to say goodbye to a few. A few? How do you choose which of your beloved cooking magazines to give away? It really doesn’t seem fair! It’s truly the only vice I have. Well, that and collecting cookbooks. I did purge the cookbooks at the end of last year. I came home one day to find they betrayed me.

My cookbook therapists took all the books off of all the shelves and had them in piles. The piles snaked around the circumference of our dining room table and trickled out into the living room. I had to hop over one part of the pile to the other to get to the core of the bookshelves and see what they were really doing with my beloved books. They had some also in boxes and I think I shed a tear or two. they promised me they weren’t taking any thing away until I decided to part with something. But it was very convenient that they already started the packing process. They knew it was something I wouldn’t be able to accomplish without their subtle push (or rather, shove!). With the process already started, it was time to honestly assess my feelings for book after book that I was sure I couldn’t live without. I set aside some for a few special friends (that I still need to ship off!!! Another goal to accomplish this coming week).

It really wasn’t as bad as I thought it would be. Once the process was started and I had a chance to compose myself, I realized that some of the books were really not a part of my life. Maybe at one point I thought they would be, but if I haven’t even cracked open its pages in years and even attempted one recipe, it may have been just an impulse purchase, and it was time to say good bye.

I think I’ve babbled enough about my magazine and cookbook problem. Let’s move onto this fabulous cake! Back to the cacao nibs…and what are cacao nibs, you may be wondering? I found this on nuts:

What are cacao nibs?

“Cacao nibs are simply chocolate in its purest form, before anything else is added. They are dried and fermented bits of cacao beans. The texture of our raw organic cacao nibs is similar to that of roasted coffee beans. They have a deep chocolate flavor which can be described as slightly bitter and nutty. Raw cacao nibs are the less processed version of chocolate with no unhealthy additives, so they preserve all the nutrients of the natural cacao bean. Cacao nibs are an excellent source of antioxidants, fiber, iron and magnesium. These crunchy cacao bits are often used to play up the chocolate flavor in sweets and other dishes.”

How do you use raw cacao nibs?

Cacao nibs are perfect to use in baking, to add to granola. You could grind a bit and add it to your smoothie. I know those that eat them right out of the bag. For my taste, it’s a little too bitter to eat right out of the bag, but maybe it’s an acquired taste!

some notes on this recipe:

I happened to have rye flour. It’s my new favorite flour that I like to sneak into different breads. And yes, even cakes! In a cake that is full of chocolate cake such as this one, it’s hard to tell that you added a little rye flour to the batter. As for the cacao nibs in the topping, I think you should be brave and give them a try! They sell them on Amazon (of course)and even Wal-Mart! I was actually out of Greek yogurt and I subbed in some creme fraiche that my mom got at Trader Joe’s. The cake was super moist and decadent. I think you will get similar results using the Greek yogurt.

I had every intention of sharing this before Valentine’s Day to give you a cool and different cake to make for your sweet heart. But guess what? Surprise them this week and bake this wonderful cake!

From Bon Appetit

Print Recipe