LAUSD Old Fashioned Coffee Cake Recipe (1954) (2024)

LAUSD Old Fashioned Coffee Cake Recipe (1954) (1)

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Everyone has a favorite food that they remember from their childhood. One of our favorites were Haribo liquorice allsorts. We bought them with purloined change from the candy store around the store from our school. The (very smart) shopkeeper sold individual pieces of candy for 1 cent apiece and made a (very small) fortune. For graduates of LAUSD schools, the old fashioned coffee cake recipe (1954) from the school cafeteria was just that.

How Did You Get Your Hands On This Old-Fashioned Coffee Cake Recipe?

There were universal cheers when Superintendent Austin Beutner tweeted this recipe in 2018. Sceptics accused him of using the recipe to distract from an impending strike. But, we’ll take the bait! Who wouldn’t want a recipe for a soft cake with a crunchy cinnamon streusel that comes together in about 45 minutes? We have slightly modernized the mimeographed original recipe card that Beutner tweeted. We’ll spare you the terse and slightly cryptic instructions.

1954 – Year of the Best Coffee Cake Recipes

1954 was the year of coffee cakes. LAUSD introducing its world famous version. A 15-year-old girl from Chicago named Renny Powell won second place in the junior division of the Pillsbury Grand Bake-Off. She named her blueberry coffee cake recipe “blueberry boy bait”. Judges complimented Renny on the “darling name” of her cake and asked where it came from. According to Renny, she and her best friend would bake the cake in the hope that it would attract “nice young men” to take them out on dates. So, if you are on the hunt for a teenage boy, Renny’s tender blueberry coffee cake may be the one for you.

A Short History of Coffee Cakes and Coffee Chats

Coffee arrived in Europe in the 17th century. Eastern and Northern Europe already had a deep tradition of sweet yeasted breads (known as kuchen or kugelhopf, and the perfect compliment to bitter coffee). A passion for coffee spread quickly in those regions. By the end of the 18th century, coffee was more popular than any other beverage – including beer! Immigrants from Germany (inventors of the kaffeeklatsch, or coffee chat), Holland, and Sweden brought coffee cake to the United States. American versions of coffee cake typically use chemical leaveners, rather than yeast, and incorporate sour cream or buttermilk, resulting in a moist cake-like texture.

Variations on a Coffee Cake Theme

Love coffee cake? So do we! here are a few more coffee cakes.

LAUSD Old Fashioned Coffee Cake Recipe (1954) (2)
LAUSD Old Fashioned Coffee Cake Recipe (1954) (3)
LAUSD Old Fashioned Coffee Cake Recipe (1954) (4)

Looking For More Breakfast Ideas?

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LAUSD Old Fashioned Coffee Cake Recipe (1954) (5)
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LAUSD Old Fashioned Coffee Cake Recipe (1954) (8)

LAUSD Old Fashioned Coffee Cake Recipe (1954) (9)

Old Fashioned Coffee Cake Recipe (1954)

This old fashioned coffee cake recipe comes to us from the Los Angeles Unified School District, where it has been beloved by generations of students since the 1950s.

4.43 from 7 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 24 minutes mins

Course Breakfast

Cuisine American

Servings 15 servings

Equipment

  • 9 x 13 inch pan

  • parchment paper

Ingredients

  • 2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
  • 1 cup brown sugar, packed
  • 1 cup sugar
  • 1 tsp salt
  • 1 tsp nutmeg
  • 3/4 cup vegetable oil
  • 1/2 tsp cinnamon
  • 1 tsp baking soda
  • 1 tsp baking powder
  • 1 large egg, at room temperature
  • 1 cup buttermilk

Instructions

  • Preheat oven to 350 F and grease a 9 x 13-inch cake pan with butter. Line with parchment paper.

  • In a large bowl, mix flour, granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, nutmeg, and vegetable oil. Stir with a rubber spatula until crumbly. Set 1/2 cup aside in a small bowl, and combine with cinnamon.

  • Add the remaining ingredients into the the large bowl and stir to combine.

  • Pour the coffee cake batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top of the batter. Scatter the streusel mixture over the top of the cake batter, ensuring that there are some big crumbs for extra crunch.

  • Bake the cake on an oven rack in the center of the oven for 25 to 30 minutes until golden brown and a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.

  • Remove to a wire rack to cool for 5 minutes.

  • Remove the crumb cake from the pan and cut the cake into 15 slices and sprinkle the top of the warm cake with confectioners sugar.

Keyword cinnamon, streusel

Tried this recipe?Let us know how it was!

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LAUSD Old Fashioned Coffee Cake Recipe (1954) (2024)

FAQs

Who made the first coffee cake? ›

The first coffee cake likely originated in Germany, specifically in Dresden. However, the Danish came up with the earliest version of eating a type of sweet bread while drinking coffee, so coffee cakes really evolved from many different cultural traditions. We do know that coffee was introduced to Europe in the 1600s.

What is the history of sour cream coffee cake? ›

Fast forward to 1950, when a group of Jewish women in Minnesota wanted to bring back some of the old Jewish coffee cake recipes. The women, thinking the European yeasted cakes were too time-consuming, transformed them into a more American pound cake style, and the sour cream coffee cake, as we now know it, was born.

What is another name for coffee cake? ›

American Coffee cake—also referred to as gugelhupf or Austrian German: kaffekuchen—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.

What makes it a coffee cake? ›

Sometimes cake, sometimes bread, maybe with coffee but always sweet, the only real defining trait of a coffee cake is that it is meant to be served alongside a cup of coffee.

What was the first birthday cake ever made? ›

Germany introduced a birthday cake during the 15th century at the festival Kinderfest, which was a celebration of children's birthdays. The cakes during this time were bread-like and very coarse.

Who was the first person to have a birthday cake? ›

The Germans were the first to start the birthday cake celebration tradition. During the 18th century, they participated in a celebration called Kinderfeste. Kinderfeste was a party to celebrate a child's day of birth. These cakes were bread-like products with the same texture and likeness as a muffin.

What is a substitute for sour cream in coffee cake? ›

Yogurt is your best substitute for sour cream. Whether you're baking or making a dip or sauce, yogurt is a 1:1 sub. That means if your recipe calls for 1 cup of sour cream, you can replace it with 1 cup of yogurt.

Why is my sour cream coffee cake so dense? ›

There's a big chance your butter and sugar will over-cream, meaning the butter will trap more air than it should. As the batter bakes, that extra air will deflate and leave you with an overly dense cake. It's all science! For best results, cream butter and sugar together for about 1-2 minutes.

When did coffee cake start? ›

Food historians agree that the tradition of coffee cake originated in Northern Central Europe sometime in the 17th century, marrying the introduction of coffee to Europe with an already-rich history of cake and pastry-baking.

Why is a coffee cake called a buckle? ›

A buckle is a funny name for an old fashioned fruit studded coffee cake. Like many other desserts in the extended cobbler family buckles take their name from their appearance—grunts grunt as they cook, slumps slump when served, buckles—you guessed it—buckle.

Is a king cake a coffee cake? ›

The name “king cake” comes from the Biblical story of the three kings who bring gifts to Baby Jesus. A blend of coffee cake and cinnamon roll, king cake is usually iced in yellow, green and purple – the colors of Mardi Gras -- and is frequently packed with fruit fillings and decadent cream cheeses.

What coffee is best in cake? ›

A dark roast or robust espresso will give rich, hearty treats plenty of depth, while a lighter, fruitier variety won't overpower a delicate dessert. Follow the recipe's instructions for coffee temperature, too.

What makes coffee cake taste like coffee cake? ›

No, coffee cake does not taste like coffee. There is no coffee or caffeine in this cake despite its name. This streusel cake tastes like a lightly sweetened cake and oftentimes has spices like cinnamon and nutmeg.

Why does my coffee cake not taste like coffee? ›

Basically, it's a case of not looking at coffee exclusively as a dry ingredient - try adding it to your cake mix in its liquid form. And don't be afraid to keep it nice and punchy, as the rest of the ingredients will dilute the flavor significantly.

How do you keep coffee cake moist? ›

Melted butter is key for moist coffee cake, but this dessert tends to get drier over time. If you want to prevent coffee cake from getting stale for as long as possible, storing it in an airtight Tupperware is your best bet.

When was coffee cake invented? ›

According to Food Timeline, the history of coffee cake is not as straightforward as we might think. The modern take on this cake is believed to have evolved from honey cakes that were commonly baked in northern and Central Europe during the 17th century.

Who made the first cake and why? ›

First Cake FAQ

However, the ancient Egyptians are thought to have created the first cake. Egyptians often made honey-sweetened dessert breads, which were likely the earliest version of cakes.

Why do Americans call it coffee cake? ›

Coffee Cake is a staple in coffee shops and delis because it pairs well with coffee. It's called coffee cake because it goes well with coffee. This delightful cake is delicious on its own but even better when it's paired with a coffee drink like coffee, espresso, and lattes, or tea.

When was the first cup cake made? ›

Who invented the cupcake? Amelia Simmons invented the cupcake in 1796 when he wrote a recipe called “a light cake to bake in small cups” in her book named “American Cookery”.

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