I’m currently drinking a big glass of iced coffee. I try not to drink more than a glass or two a day, lest I get particularly jittery, but it’s safe to say that coffee is a regular part of my life. But this was not always the case—I made it all the way through college, despite countless all nighters and hungover mornings—without ever touching the stuff. It took having a production assistant job with long hours, lots of stress, and free coffee always available, to get me hooked.
But the same cannot be said about coffee’s frequent companion, coffee cake. I’ve loved coffee cake ever since I was a kid. Given the chance I would still polish off a couple pieces right this second. But was I secretly ingesting coffee all this time? Is there coffee in coffee cake? What is coffee cake anyway? Let’s find out.
What is coffee cake?
Coffee cake is a sweet bread—or, really, some sort of strange midpoint between bread and cake—popular in the U.S. It’s a sugary, cinnamony baked good that often has a crumbly topping known as streusel.
You can trace coffee cake’s origins to Vienna, Austria, where the introduction of coffee led them to realize that having a sweet treat alongside the beverage was a brilliant idea. Immigrants to the U.S. brought the recipes with them, and over time the coffee cake evolved into the treat we know today.
Now, keep in mind, if you are located outside of the U.S., “coffee cake” often refers to a cake that has been flavored with coffee. But this is not generally what we’re talking about when we talk about coffee cake here in America.
Does coffee cake have coffee in it?
It would make sense that coffee cake would have coffee in it, right? It’s right there in the name. And, in fact, at earlier points in the cake’s origin, people may have snuck some coffee into their coffee cakes. But typically, no, there is no coffee in coffee cake.
Why is coffee cake called coffee cake?
So, why is it called coffee cake if there’s no coffee in it? The answer to this question is as boring as it is straightforward: It is a cake made to be enjoyed with coffee. Of course, there’s no rule saying that you have to be drinking a cup of java alongside your coffee cake, but the two have a strong association. And, let’s be honest, the rich, sweet cinnamon flavors are indeed a great counterpoint to the bitterness of the coffee.
What is in coffee cake?
If not coffee, what is in this delicious treat? Simply Recipes has a delicious-looking recipe that breaks down all the components of a coffee cake, but, essentially, the ingredients are flour, sugar, cinnamon, eggs, butter, baking powder, and salt. This is the most common type of coffee cake, but there are numerous variations—some include yogurt and some add fruit like berries to the mixture.
Does coffee cake have caffeine?
There is no caffeine in a classic, cinnamon coffee cake, unless something very strange is going on with the cows you get your milk from. But do keep in mind that ingredients can vary from cakemaker to cakemaker. So, for example, there are several recipes online for coffee cake with chocolate chips—these would contain a small amount of caffeine, due to the presence of chocolate.
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