For those of us who love Grape-Nuts we already know there are many ways to enjoy this hearty wheat cereal. Cold, hot, or even baked into a custard. A select few might even remember Grape-Nuts coffee cake, a dense and sweet breakfast cake that pairs perfectly with tea or coffee in the morning. While this cereal was first produced in 1897, this recipe for Grape-Nuts coffee cake didn’t become popular until the 1950s and 1960s, when shortcuts in the kitchen were extremely popular among housewives.
This one isn’t too sweet and doesn’t require a lot of technical ability to make. But, the result is a satisfying coffee cake with a wonderful bite to it.
To make this coffee cake you’ll need to combine the wet ingredients along with the cereal in one bowl and then fold in the dry ingredients.
Then pour part of the batter into the pan, followed by dollops of apricot jam. You can use another variety of jam or jelly if you prefer, but apricot is the gold standard in baking since it doesn’t alter the color of baked goods much and the mild flavor blends right into whatever flavors it mingles with. Repeat the process until there are 2 layers of jam and 3 layers of batter (ending with batter on top).
Once this is baked up and cooled off the final touch is a glaze made with a bit of cream cheese. If you love Grape-Nuts then you’ll love the subtle sweetness and slight crunch of this vintage recipe coffee cake.
Grape-Nuts Coffee Cake
Diet: Vegetarian
For the cake:
- 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
- 1/4 cup butter, melted
- 2 eggs
- 1 cup brown sugar, packed
- 1 3/4 cups Grape-Nuts cereal
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1/2 cup apricot or peach preserves, divided
For the glaze:
- 2 oz cream cheese, softened
- 1/2 cup powdered sugar
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
For the cake:
- Preheat oven to 325˚F. Combine buttermilk, butter, eggs, brown sugar, and cereal. In a separate bowl combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Add half the dry ingredients to the wet and stir. Repeat, mixing only until mixture is just combined.
- Pour 1/3 of the batter into a 9”x13” baking dish. Spread half the preserves on top of batter. Repeat process ending with batter on top. Bake for 35-45 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Allow to cool for 1 hour before glazing.
For the glaze:
- Combine all glaze ingredients in a large bowl and use an electric mixer to blend. Glaze should be drizzling consistency so add a bit more milk if too dry or a bit more powdered sugar if too runny. Use a fork to drizzle over cake. Allow glaze to set for 1 hour before cutting into 16 squares and serving.
Recipe adapted from Good and Treasured Memories.