Cake intended to be eaten with, or flavored with, coffee
Coffee cake
Coffee cake
|
Type
| Cake
, sweet bread
|
---|
Course
| Snack, breakfast,
coffee break
|
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|
Coffee cake
or
coffeecake
is a sweet bread common in the
United States
, so called because it is typically served with coffee.
[1]
[2]
Leavenings can include yeast, baking soda, or baking powder. The modern dish typically contains no coffee.
Outside of the US, the term is generally understood to mean a cake flavored with coffee.
History
[
edit
]
American Coffee cake evolved from other sweet dishes from
Vienna
. In the 17th century, Northern/Central Europeans are thought to have come up with the idea of eating sweet cakes while drinking coffee.
[3]
[4]
As the region's countries were already known for their sweet yeast breads, the introduction of coffee in Europe led to the understanding that cakes were a great complement to the beverage. Immigrants from countries such as Germany and Scandinavia adjusted their recipes to their own liking and brought them to America. Though the cakes varied, they all contained ingredients such as yeast, flour, dried fruit, and sweet spices. However, over time, the coffee cake recipes have changed as cheese, sugared fruit, yogurt, soured cream, have been used, leading to a denser, more cake-like structure. In the 19th century, American cooks also used coffee as an ingredient to thriftily use up leftovers, reducing waste, and flavor the cake.
[5]
The invention of pasteurization in America following World War I
[6]
also led to the creation of a new kind of coffee cake, called sour cream coffee cake.
[7]
Coffee cake is referenced in literary material as early as 1850
[8]
with references to gugelhupf going back to 1763.
[9]
The dish became common in areas with high rates of immigration from Germany.
Cincinnati
, Ohio, has been called the 'coffeecake capital of the world' by multiple food writers.
[10]
[11]
[12]
Description
[
edit
]
American coffee cakes are typically presented in a single layer, flavoured with either
fruit
or
cinnamon
, and leavened with either
baking soda
or
baking powder
, which results in a more cake-like texture, or with
yeast
, for a more bread-like texture. They may be loaf-shaped or baked in a
Bundt
or tube pan. They may also feature a
streusel
or simple glaze topping, if any.
[13]
Streusel is German for "sprinkle" or "strew" and refers to the popular crumbly topping of
butter
,
flour
,
sugar
.
[13]
Sour cream
is also sometimes used in traditional American coffee cakes to both add a tart flavor and activate
baking soda
used as a leavening agent.
[7]
American coffee cakes may have originated from the concept of
kaffeeklatsch
[14]
brought by German immigrants. Indeed, a variety of crumb cake containing flour, sugar, butter,
cinnamon
, and sometimes
oats
or
nuts
sprinkled over the coffee cake batter before it is baked,
[13]
[15]
is sometimes eaten with coffee and bears resemblance to the German
Streuselkuchen
.
- Coffee cake varieties
-
Cranberry coffeecake
-
Coffeecake topped with streusel
-
Applesauce American coffee cake slices on a plate
-
Commercially-produced coffeecake
-
Blueberry coffeecake
Variations and similar dishes
[
edit
]
Dishes with similar names
[
edit
]
Outside the United States, the term "coffee cake" is generally understood to be a
sponge cake
flavored with coffee, often presented as a
layer cake
with
frosting
.
[21]
See also
[
edit
]
References
[
edit
]
- ^
Brennan, G. (2015).
Brunch: Recipes for Cozy Weekend Mornings
.
Weldon Owen
. p. PT 83.
ISBN
978-1-61628-987-4
.
- ^
Fields, D. (2000).
Debbi Fields' Great American Desserts: 100 Mouthwatering Easytoprepare Recipes
.
Simon & Schuster
. p. 236.
ISBN
978-0-7432-0205-3
.
- ^
"History - National Coffee Cake Day, April 7"
.
American Civil War Forums
. Retrieved
2019-08-01
.
- ^
Olver, Lynne
.
"The Food Timeline: cake history notes"
.
The Food Timeline
. Retrieved
30 October
2018
.
- ^
"The Food Timeline: cake history notes"
.
www.foodtimeline.org
. Retrieved
2019-12-04
.
- ^
"American Cakes Throughout History | The History Kitchen"
.
PBS Food
.
Public Broadcasting System
. 2015-07-08
. Retrieved
2019-08-01
.
- ^
a
b
Marks, Gil (18 May 2018).
"American Cakes - Sour Cream Coffeecake History & Recipe"
.
Tori Avey
. Retrieved
2019-08-01
.
- ^
The Gift
. Pioneer Drama Service, Inc. 1850.
- ^
Die dramatische Unterhaltung unter guten Freunden. Ein Lustspiel von 1 Aufz
(in German). Kurtzbock. 1763.
- ^
Campbell, Polly (7 April 2017).
"How Cincinnati became the capital of coffeecake"
.
The Cincinnati Enquirer
. Retrieved
2023-11-24
.
- ^
Fehribach, Paul (2023).
Midwestern Food
.
University of Chicago Press
.
ISBN
978-0226819495
.
- ^
Pandolfi, Keith (23 November 2023).
"8 reasons why Cincinnati is the coffeecake capital of the world"
.
The Cincinnati Enquirer
. Retrieved
2023-11-24
.
- ^
a
b
c
"Coffee Questions"
.
HowStuffWorks
.
HowStuffWorks
. 2007-11-12
. Retrieved
2019-12-02
.
- ^
Jones, Evan (1993).
American Food: The Gastronomic Story
.
Random House Value Publishing
.
ISBN
978-0517092651
.
- ^
Maxespresso (April 30, 2016).
"The story of coffee cake"
. Retrieved
October 9,
2017
.
- ^
Clarkson, Potter;
Martha Stewart
's Cakes' (September 24, 2013).
"Recipe: Applesauce Coffee Cake"
.
San Jose Mercury News
. Retrieved
September 28,
2015
.
- ^
Brownetone, Cecily (October 10, 1969).
"Cooking Is Fun"
.
Spokane Daily Chronicle
. Retrieved
28 September
2015
.
- ^
"Applesauce Coffee Cake Recipes | Food Network Canada"
.
foodnetwork.ca
.
Food Network (Canadian TV channel)
. Retrieved
2019-12-02
.
- ^
Hafalia, Liz (8 January 2018).
"Clementine Cake"
.
San Francisco Chronicle
.
- ^
Barry, Ann (1989-04-19).
"A Butter Cake That Sticks to the Gums"
.
The New York Times
.
ISSN
0362-4331
. Retrieved
2024-03-06
.
- ^
Pipunic, Ana (2022-04-21).
"What is coffee cake?"
.
Perfect Daily Grind
. Retrieved
2024-03-06
.
Further reading
[
edit
]
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History
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Types
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Religious dietary laws and related terms
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Chefs
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Religious foods
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Ashkenazi breads
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Sephardi and Mizrahi breads
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Ethiopian Jewish breads
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