Cooking Lesson #596: Blum's Coffee Crunch Cake

…from the Perspectives’ Kitchen

How you doin’? Growing up in SoCal and loving sweets I had three favorite places where I liked to get special treats—C.C. Browns, Hollywood (the inventors of the hot fudge sundae), Will Wright’s, Beverly Hills (the richest and bestest ice cream in town—20% butterfat) and Blum’s, West Los Angeles (Coffee Crunch Cake—recipe below). These sweet shops best represent my happy years, high styles and wonderful youthful memories.
 
Once I got my driver’s license and I was the treator, I was no longer dependent on a parent to drive me to one of these places. I had mobility and quickly discovered that my 16- and 17-year-old dates love these places and desserts, too! But with all these choices my all-time favorite was Blum's and their Coffee Crunch Cake.
 
In San Francisco there were two Blum’s… one on Union Square and a second one in the basement of the Fairmont Hotel. It turned out these were places where people wanted to meet on a regular basis to eat. While they had an old-fashioned café menu the one reason that so many of us remember Blum's with such fondness is their Coffee Crunch Cake. It was the perfect special occasion cake or as a mid-afternoon treat.
 
When Blum's closed all their locations in the 1970’s, everyone thought the recipe for Coffee Crunch Cake—a well-kept secret—was lost forever. But as often happens, someone was able to reconstruct the secret formulation and wanted to share it with a new generation. Today you can share my sweet memories with your loved ones right in your own kitchen.
 
The cake is a simple, light sponge cake (chiffon-style) flavored with a touch of lemon and pure vanilla. It is frosted with a rich heavy whipped cream spread thinly between the layers and on the sides and top. The pièce de resistance… it’s covered with crushed bittersweet coffee crunch candy (honeycomb confection). The blend of textures of soft cake, silky frosting and crunchy confection are fantastic, proving the whole is better than the sum of its parts. It will be an instant classic on your table.
 
The directions are a bit long. Don’t let this put you off, the result is well worth the effort. If you allow enough time and follow the step-by-step directions, you will have a yummy winner every time—it’s failure-proof. Remember, a party without cake is just another meeting.
 
Prep time:  45 minutes
Bake time:  50 to 55 minutes
Cool time:  45 to 55 minutes, plus 1 hour (for the crunch)
Assemble time:  20 minutes
Refrigerate time:  1 hour
Yield:  12 servings
 
Ingredients 
For the cake
1-1/4 cups cake flour, sifted
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar, divided
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
6 large egg yolks
1/4 cup water
7 to 8 large egg whites (about 1 cup)
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
1 tablespoon fresh lemon juice
1 teaspoon freshly-grated lemon zest
 
For the coffee crunch
Unflavored vegetable oil
1 tablespoon baking soda, sifted
1/4 cup strong brewed coffee
1-1/2 cups granulated sugar
1/4 cup light corn syrup
 
For the frosting
2 cups heavy cream
3 tablespoons confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
 
Directions
To make the cake

1. Adjust a rack in lower third of oven and preheat an oven to 350˚F.
2. Sift the flour with 3/4 cup granulated sugar and salt onto a sheet of wax or parchment paper; set aside.
3. Using an electric mixer, beat the egg yolks with 1/4 cup granulated sugar until thick and pale yellow.
4. Add the water and beat until thickened, about 4 minutes.
5. Whisk the egg whites in bowl of a heavy-duty mixer just until frothy.
6. Add cream of tartar and whisk until soft peaks form.
7. Add the remaining 1/2 cup granulated sugar in a steady stream, whisking until thick, stiff, glossy peaks form, about 2 to 3 minutes.
8. Whisk in the vanilla, lemon juice and lemon zest.
9. Pour the yolk mixture over the egg whites. Fold together with a rubber spatula.
10. Using a metal spatula, scoop up a third of the flour mixture and sprinkle over mixture the egg mixture, fold in with a rubber spatula.
11. Repeat two more times just until ingredients are incorporated.
12. Gently pour the batter into an ungreased 10- inch round tube pan with removable bottom (like an angel food pan). Level the top of the better with a rubber spatula.
13. Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until the top springs back slightly when lightly touched.
14. Remove from oven and invert the pan over a long-necked bottle to cool for about 45 minutes.
15. To remove the cake from pan, slip a flexible metal spatula down one side of the pan; slowly go around the perimeter to release the cake. When sides are free, push up on bottom to release the cake.
16. Tilt the cake, with removable bottom still attached, and gently tap the bottom against the counter to loosen the cake. Rotate the cake, tapping a few more times, until it appears free. Cover the cake with a wire rack, and invert; remove the bottom of pan.

To make the fabulous coffee crunch topping

1. Generously oil a large-rimmed sheet pan.
2. Sift the baking soda onto a sheet of parchment paper; set aside.
3. Combine the coffee, sugar and corn syrup in a heavy, 4-quart saucepan.
4. Place over medium-low heat, stirring occasionally, until sugar dissolves. When the mixture is clear and begins to boil, increase the heat to medium-high and cook until mixture reaches 290⁰ F on a candy thermometer. Toward the end of cooking (around 270⁰-280⁰ F), stir occasionally to prevent mixture from scorching and becoming too foamy). Remove from heat and stir in baking soda (mixture will foam up fiercely).
5.  While still foaming, pour the mixture out onto the oiled baking sheet. Do not spread.
6. Let the crunch cool undisturbed for at least 1 hour.
7. After the crunch has cooled, crush into very small chunks. (Place between 2 sheets of parchment paper and tap or roll with rolling pin.)
8. Store in an airtight container.

To make the frosting

1. In a large mixer bowl, combine the cream, confectioners’ sugar and vanilla.
2. Beat the cream mixture until it holds soft peaks.

To assemble the cake

1. Slice the cooled cake horizontally into 3 equal layers using a serrated knife.
2. Spread the whipped cream between each layer, carefully stacking layers.
3. Spread the remaining whipped cream over the top and sides of cake.
4. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
5. Just before serving, place a sheet of parchment paper on a baking sheet, and generously sprinkle top and sides with the coffee crunch allowing the excess to fall onto the parchment paper so you don’t lose any.
6. Cover and store any uneaten cake in the refrigerator.

ChefSecret:  Chiffon cakes can be a bit finnicky. When you review the recipe, you’ll find there is not any leavening—baking powder or baking soda. The rise is strictly predicated on the whipped eggs whites and yolks which makes the cake susceptible to falling if they are disturbed during the baking or cooling process. Don’t make too much noise. Don’t be heavy footed and create vibrations and don’t open the oven door to see how it’s doing. Follow these precautions and you will have a light, fluffy and delicious sponge cake ready to frost and CRUNCH.

Quip of the Day: “Cake never asks me dumb questions—cake understands me.”
 
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Do you have a question or comment?  Send your thoughts to ed@perspectives-la.com. All recipes and cooking tips are posted on our website https://www.perspectives-la.com/covid-19-survival-guide.
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To you and everyone dear to you, be strong, be positive, stay well, stay safe and be kind. Take a breath and count your blessings, and if you have a little extra to share with others, please consider donating to Feeding America and/or American Red Cross.

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