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The cursive writing at the top of the tattered 3×5 card says, “Cafe Beaujolais’ Coffeecake,” but I’ve only known it as delicious.
This classic coffee cake recipe comes from my mother-in-law, Maria, who grew up in Los Angeles. Curiously, the Los Angeles Times has this Coffeecake recipe in their database. There are similarities, and indeed, my mother-in-law is a lifelong LA Times subscriber. On careful inspection, however, a few alterations are revealed and you can see she’s made it her own. But still no actual coffee in the ingredients.
This is a time-tested breakfast favorite in my family, and I hope it becomes one in yours as well. For added instruction and entertainment, watch the Top Secret Coffee Cake Video!
Ingredients for Top Secret Coffee Cake:
2 1/2 cups flour
1 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp ginger
3/4 cup corn oil
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1 egg
1 cup buttermilk
NOTES: This recipe makes one 13 x 9″ pan. The original Cafe Beaujolais’ Coffeecake calls for one cup sliced almonds added to the crumb topping mixture. Maria has always omitted the almonds. Serves 8-10.
Mix together 2 1/4 cups flour, white and brown sugars, 1 tsp cinnamon, salt and ginger.
Blend in oil until well combined. Remove 3/4 cup of mixture and set aside.
To remaining flour mix add baking soda, baking powder, egg and buttermilk. Blend until smooth.
Pour into greased 13×9″ pan.
To 3/4 cup reserved mix, add 1/4 cup flour and 1 tsp cinnamon.
Sprinkle over batter and bake in a 350 (F) oven for 35-40 minutes.
Serve warm or at room temperature. This coffee cake freezes well.
Search terms: classic coffee cake recipe, how to make coffee cake, how to make crumb topping, top secret family recipe, cafe beaujolais’ coffeecake, buttermilk coffee cake recipe, cinnamon coffee cake recipe, easy coffee cake recipe
I love coffee cake, although I haven’t had it in a while. Guess I should make a pot of coffee for this special day ;)
Angie, you are the best :) You know… I must admit – I had no idea it was National Coffee Day today!! But, I’m just going to play along like I did. It will be our little secret ;)
Betty,
Looks like the secret is out now! This is one great coffee cake.
Bon appetit!
CCR
=:~)
Aww, I know my secret is safe with you, Chef Ryan! <3 Thanks for dropping by!
That looks so delicious! I’ll make it and keep it a secret for myself, HA!
Thank you, Chef Renee! The only thing hard about making this coffee cake and trying to keep it a secret is that it smells *so* good while it’s baking… I think the whole neighborhood may know!
It looks so yummy
You are gorgeous and funny.. Would you be my wife ?
I like coffee, I like cake, and I like coffee cake-
It is so sweet and delicious. However, I might gain a little weight because of that.
So.. I have a question.
Just baked this for my BF’s mom’s birthday. We took a bite while it was still hot, and it didn’t taste like coffee.
Is this just cake that you have on the side while you drink coffee or will it taste more like coffee when it’s cooled down—
I was wondering why there wasn’t any coffee powder or anything in the ingredients list-
Thanks!
Ama – you are very sweet :) Maybe I should ask my mother-in-law and husband if it would be OK? LOL
Hi Chef Peter! I may have gained a little weight with all the coffee cake Iíve been throwing back lately :) Thank goodness for exercise!
Hi kloeyy :)
Iím sorry if I confused you – and I really hope this hasnít disrupted your Momís Birthday (Happy Bday, Mom!).
But, there is no coffee in the recipe and this cake doesnít taste like coffee. It wonít taste like coffee after it has cooled.
From wikipedia: “Coffee Cake – A class of cakes intended to be served with coffee or for similar breaks and snacks. Under this definition, a coffee cake does not need to contain coffee. They are typically single layer cakes that may be square or rectangular like a Stollen. Coffee cakes are typically flavored with cinnamon, nuts, and fruits. These cakes sometimes have a crumbly or crumb topping called Streusel and/or a light glaze drizzle. Some similarity to teacakes may be found, though teacakes are often smaller individual items served with tea.”
Next time I would search for a “coffee flavored cake recipe” if you want a cake with coffee in it and a coffee taste.
Hope you still enjoyed the cinnamon – ginger flavor of this cake and the moist texture :)
Thanks for trying my recipe!
Great cake and very easy to make. I did use my electric hand mixer and added some sliced almonds on top. After serving this cake, my husband tells me I am way above average Betty!!
Will keep this recipe as a favorite!!
YAY! Thanks, Betty! Glad you and your husband enjoyed the coffee cake and no doubt YOU are an above-average-betty! xoxo
Don’t tell them.. It will be our little secret.. lol…
I like your recipe very much. I hope you will reveal more secret recipes like this…
Light Brown Sugar or Dark Brown Sugar?
LOL, Ama :)
Hi Jeff,
That’s light brown sugar, but I’m sure either would be fine, depending on your preference :) I hope you try this recipe… let me know how it turns out.
Betty…thank you for showing us that tattered recipe card…brought back cherished memories of my ‘Nonna’. All her cards have mysteriously disappeared! Maybe one day we’ll be surprised by them again…here’s wishing real hard.
Coffecake…I too always wondered why the coffee ingredient was nowhere to be found until I woke up and realized that it was a cake to have with coffee. LOL
First time on your culinary space…very nice visit indeed ;o)
Flavourful wishes,
Claudia
I made it yesterday and brought it into work for my coworkers this morning. It was inhaled. Personally, I really enjoyed the little bit of ginger. And I added about a 1/3 cup chopped pecans to the topping, because you can never have too much topping on a coffee cake. Thanks for the recipe, Betty!
Hi Foodessa! Thanks for dropping by my site and the sweet words. I keep all the miscellaneous cards I’ve been given over the years in plastic… they are like valuable photographs to me now :)
Jenna!!! I am so excited to hear that the coffee cake was INHALED lol! Love the addition of the pecans to the topping – and I’m guessing you watched the video too (because of your reference to the ginger!) Thank you!! xoxo
IT looks soo delicious
I wanted to make it but we don’t have buttermilik in our country
if I can replase it with something else PLEASE tell cause I’m dying to
make it .. thank u soo much
I have the Margaret Fox cookkbook, “Morning Food”, that was published in the 1980′s when she was the owner of Cafe Beaujolais. The recipe is in that book.
It’s an excellent recipe, and the cookbook has a whole collection of great stuff!
Hi Betty, i can’t find buttermilk in my country can i just replaced with plain yogurt?
Hi Jasmine,
If you try the plain yogurt, I’d love to know how it turns out; I’ve never tried it. You can also “make” buttermilk by mixing one tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice with one cup of milk. Let stand for five minutes and use.
I have also heard that they make buttermilk in a powdered “just add water” form – so you might like to keep an eye out for that as well. I hope this helps! Let me know what you end up doing :)
How to make Buttermilk
Ingredients:
Milk (just under one cup)
1 Tablespoon white vinegar or lemon juice
Preparation:
1. Place a Tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup.
2. Add enough milk to bring the liquid up to the one-cup line.
3. Let stand for five minutes. Then, use as much as your recipe calls for.
Everyone loved this cake!
thank you so much for sharing !!
I’ve done some experiments with the recipe and here are the results :
1. The NUT : I tried almonds, peanuts, cashews
and PEANUTS were the perfect match for me
2. The LIQUID : I tried buttermilk, sourcream, plain yogurt
and it was defenitely BUTTERMILK !
(the cake got too moist with the other liquids)
Hope my little experiments helped :)
Raina! Thank you so much for trying the recipe and thanks sharing the results of all your experiments :) So cool of you… YAY Buttermilk!!!
Hey Betty
I’m only sixteen and I’ve just started cooking, but this coffee cake turned out amazing! For once my parents actually had seconds of the food I made XD
Thanks for the great recipe ^.^
WooHoo! That is so awesome, Nancy! Congratulations on a successful Coffee Cake :) Hope you’ll share more of your baking adventures.
Can you substitute the oil with butter?
I don’t know… I’ve never tried it.
Hi Betty!
The recipe was awesome I thought. I did a trial run before i make this as one of the desserts for my husband’s birthday this Saturday. He thought it wasn’t sweet enough but I think that’s what I really liked about it. It was light and fluffy!!
Great, Jan! Glad to hear it turned out so light and fluffy :) I think this coffee cake is very sweet — we usually eat this as a breakfast treat, so stacked against a regular chocolate cake I guess it may not seem as sweet.
Hi Betty!
I would like to ask, the flour that you used, is it Self-rising flour?
Hi Calleigh! Nope – not self rising flour, just all-purpose. All of my recipes use unbleached, all-purpose flour unless otherwise noted :) Hope you give the Coffee Cake a try, it really is delicious :)
Hi Betty, thanks for sharing. Your secret has flown over to Singapore!! it smelt and tasted good! :)
i loove u!! u r funny
Awesome, Clare! So glad you enjoyed the Top Secret Coffee Cake all the way in Singapore. Guess it’s safe to say, the secret is out! :)
Hi Betty! ….and hi Clare from Singapore!! I’m from Singapore too but lives in Italy and I confirm that Betty’s coffee cake is the best I’ve ever tried!Mae it 3 times!!! My husband loves it and a piece each morning ain’t enough!!!Thanks Betty!
Very good recipe ,Happy with this but there is no coffee in recipe
Glad you liked the recipe :) The general understanding is that it is called coffee cake because it is to be enjoyed WITH coffee. If you want cake that has coffee in it — search the internet for “coffee flavored cake.” Good luck !
Hello Average Betty! I just discovered yesterday your blog and videos (by Chef John from Foodwishes) and I must tell you that you re-give me the taste to cook. It’s been a few days or weeks that i don’t want to cook or don’t know what to cook, no inspiration… But i just looked at your site and now i want to cook tons of recipes!!!
This recipe looks amazing, but i don’t have buttermilk in my house right now. Do you thing it will work with just milk or maybe sour cream?
Thanks for all and have a nice day!
Kisses for Belgium!!!
Hello Aurélie! How nice of you to drop by via Foodwishes :) I love that Chef John… And I am so happy you are inspired to cook. Start slowly and before you know it, you’ll be right back at it! There is a substitute you can use for the buttermilk. I’ve never done it, but I know people who have a lot of success with this buttermilk substitute:
1. Place a Tablespoon of white vinegar or lemon juice in a liquid measuring cup.
2. Add enough milk to bring the liquid up to the one-cup line.
3. Let stand for five minutes and use in the recipe.
Let me know how it goes!!
dear betty
i am from pakistan
we made this cake and all of our family did really enjoyed this cake
thanks for sharing this
regards
omer
Couldn’t be happier to hear, omer :) Thanks so much for letting me know — I’ll be sure to tell my mother-in-law she’s a hit in Pakistan!
Hi Betty,
I can’t wait to try this recipe. I don’t generally use corn oil. How much of a difference does it make if you substitute another other light vegetable oil (obviously not olive oil)? Thanks for sharing.
Mike
Sure thing, Mike — You will love this recipe and any kind of light, flavorless vegetable oil will be fine :) Let me know how it goes!
Hi Betty,
Is that 1 cup of packed brown sugar?
Hi Teresa, Yes… lightly packed :)
Thank you! I had never had coffee cake before, so I halved the recipe to make an 8×8 and it came out great!
I’ve got my eye on that grilled steak burrito to try next…
I have never even thought of making coffee cake myself, but tonight I found myself with an evil craving. Needless to say I made this coffee cake and it was amazing.I am officially a happy fat kid. Thank you so much :)