The Term “Coffee Cake” Became Popular In 1879

Coffee cake is a cake that is intended to be eaten while enjoying a cup of coffee, maybe for breakfast or during a coffee break.  One may choose to serve this cake to guests around their coffee table.

The coffee cake itself does not contain any coffee.  They are usually single layer cakes made in square, rectangle or ring-shaped pans.  Coffee cakes are often flavored with cinnamon or other spices, seeds, nuts and fruits, such as blueberries or apples. Typically they have a crumb topping or a glaze drizzle.

1. Coffee cake was not invented, rather it evolved from a variety of different types of cakes.
2. Cakes in their various forms have been around since biblical times, the simplest varieties made from honey or dates and other fruits.
3. The Danish came up with the earliest versions of coffee cake.  Around the 17th century in Europe, it became the custom to enjoy a delicious sweet and yeasty type of bread when drinking coffee beverages.
4. There are many available combinations, everything from blueberry coffee cakes to cinnamon walnut coffee cake and more.
5. The hole in the center of most coffee cakes is a relatively recent innovation—it became popular in the 1950’s.  This “bundt pan” was invented to allow heavier batters to get cooked all the way through without any dough left unbaked in the center.
6. The first coffee cakes are thought to have originated in Germany. These were more like sweet breads than cakes.
7. According to the book Listening to America, Stuart Berg Flexner, it wasn’t until 1879 that the term “coffee cake” became a common term.
8. In Hungary, a type of coffee cake is aranygaluska, which utilizes cinnamon.

Sources:

National Day Calendar

Foodimentary