COFFEE CAKE & CULTURE: An Arts for Health Programme for Older

Adults Living with Dementia

Abstract
Arts for health programmes and initiatives are being rolled out in museums and galleries in a number of
countries, with networks and partnerships developing between museums and galleries and the health care
sector. As Museums and galleries continue to strive to improve access to their collections and provide
programmes that promote wellbeing through engagement, evidence is beginning to emerge of the benefits to
peoples health, wellbeing and quality of life with participation in cultural activities.
Coffee, Cake & Culture is devised and delivered by the Manchester Museum and Whitworth Art Gallery for
people living with dementia and their carers. It is a monthly programme of activities for older adults living
in care homes, supported housing communities and participants in community support groups. The
programme provides a forum dialogue through museums exhibitions and collections and gallery artworks.
People with dementia need cognitive stimulation, along with opportunities to interact meaningfully with
their physical and social environments on a regular basis. Museum and gallery staff and artists, through a
partnership with the Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation trust and the dementia and
ageing research team at the University of Manchester, are working in collaboration with advanced nursing
practitioners to pilot activities in the Museum and Gallery and in acute hospital settings as well as in
community venues.
Keywords: Dementia, arts, health, museums, galleries

Introduction
Manchester Museum and the Whitworth Art Gallery Cultural Assets of the University of Manchester, offer
programmes for people with dementia in clinical, community and museum settings. Activities in all of these
setting have shown to have positively influenced the wellbeing of patients and their social inclusion into
society, but do so to a different degree. The Museum and Gallery are working closely with our colleagues in
the Dementia Ageing Research and Training Centre at the University of Manchester to look at the impact
such programmes have on the quality of life and care for people with dementia.
With steadily rising life expectancy in developed countries such as the UK, prevalence of dementia increases
and the illness becomes more relevant every year. Not only medical research addressing early diagnosis and
treatment but also research into the social aspects of the disease is moving into most governments focus.
Various museums and art galleries introduced programmes directed at older people in general or at dementia
patients throughout the last decade (Robers, Camic, & Springham, 2011). However, the focus of each
programme is different and can range from singing projects to art based activities (e.g. Chatterjee,
2008). The scientific evaluation of such programmes is still in its infancy, but a growing number of museums
include different types of evaluation approaches in their programmes.

Dementia an overview
Dementia, as an umbrella term, is used to describe the condition of a person suffering from severe progressive
cognitive impairment. There are multiple forms of dementia, the largest proportion and therefore the best-
know being Alzheimerss disease (society, A n.d). Alzheimers is estimated to account for up to 70 percent
of all dementia cases and is for this often falsely used interchangeably with dementia in general (Rosenberg,
Parsa, Humble and McGee, 2009). The second most common type is vascular dementia followed by
dementia with Lewy Bodies and Fronto-temporal dementia. There are more forms of dementia and it also
has to be emphasized that each individual disease can either entail a rather unique set of symptoms. However,
there is a range of symptoms that characterize all types but are facultative in the sense that a diagnosis can be
made without each of them. Memory loss as the best know hallmark of the disease shows most often in
deficient retrieval of recently learned information. Moreover, everyday life tasks and routines cannot be
performed anymore, such as cooking or brushing the teeth. A disturbance of language often manifests itself
in uncommon descriptions for objects as substitutes for their actual name (e.g. that thing for cutting for a
knife). Reduced spatial orientation ability can show through disorientation and getting lost in familiar
surroundings or through misplaced possessions. Poor judgment not only makes patients more likely to be
victims of deception but also often shows in inadequate everyday decisions, such as the choice of appropriate
clothes for the current weather conditions, (Wallesch & Frst, 2005). More hallmarks of the disease, which
are often reported to be amongst the most disturbing ones by relatives, are sudden changes in mood and
alternation of personality. A general loss of initiative can be explained through reduced physical mobility
and loss in cognitive abilities on the one hand. On the other hand it is agreed that social factors and the
stigmatization of patients suffering from the disease play an important role in the patients passivity.
Alzheimers disease causes loss of memory of recent experiences because the hypothalamus has been damaged
and can no longer retain these experiences. Older memories are retained in the brain until much later in the
diseases progression and so memories are available even in the later stages of the disease. Because the area of
the brain that stores memories long term is affected later in the disease, the affected person will know more
about life when they were young than they know about what has happened this week.
Reminiscing activities involve reaching memories that are still residing in these viable parts of the
brain. There are many ways to encourage these memories through specifically focusing on provoking past
memories of life experiences around touch, smell also provokes very powerful memories. According to the
Alzheimers Society, there are 80,000 people with dementia in the UK, and with an aging population these
figures will double in the next 40 years. There are 850,000 carers involved in caring for those with this
illness (A prospectus for arts and health, 2007).

Coffee, Cake and Culture

Museums and art galleries are full of objects and artworks of historical, social and personal
significance. Coffee, Cake and Culture has been devised by the Manchester Museum and Whitworth Art
Gallery to use the Museum and Gallery spaces and their collections to focus upon imagination, creativity and
learning. The programme of supported visits to the Museum and Gallery is aimed at groups with dementia,
be they from a care home, hospital setting or supported housing community. The aim is for the resident and
carer to visit the museum and gallery and enjoy a social experience within the gallery spaces, with sensory
based activities, fully supported and facilitated by Gallery and Museum Staff.
The programme developed from a pilot and feasibility study carried out over a six month period in
2012. This in turn followed a programme of outreach and in-reach activities, to promote access to the
collections and participation in cultural activities in a socially engaging way. During the pilot study the
Museum and Gallery worked with residents, with early on-set dementia, from a residential care setting and a
supported housing venue. The programme comprised of fully supported and facilitated monthly visits for
the residents and their carers or family members. The programme focused on creativity rather than
reminiscence, memory or recall. The aim of the pilot study was to identify the potential impact of
participation in cultural activities on the health and wellbeing of the residents. The study also aimed to assess
if there were benefits for the carers when engaging with the residents. At total of 17 residents, 10 care staff
and one family member attended the sessions.
The visits consist of several stages. Visitors and carers were met on arrival at the door and welcomed to the
Museum. This was followed by a guided tour of an exhibition or gallery. The third stage was a creative
activity followed by refreshments and discussion. Final stage was departure and farewell. Each stage of the
visit was considered important to support care staff and make all visitors feel welcomed and relaxed. The
needs of the visitors were accommodated, extra staff were available to support the groups movement around
the building and additional seating was made available where required.

Benefits of participation
Professor Brenda Roe of The University of Manchester carried out a feasibility study of the Coffee, Cake
and Culture pilot programme. Prof. Roe concluded that the study demonstrated that the Coffee, Cake and
Culture programme is feasible and facilitates older people from care homes and supported living communities
to access public museums and galleries. The programme encouraged creative arts, cultural appreciation and
social engagement which promote wellbeing, quality of life and social inclusion. (Roe, McCormick, Lucas,
Gallagher, Winn, Elkin 2014)
It was noted that the exhibits and activities did encourage visitors engagement with their personal and shared
history. The programmed prompted them to discuss their history and shared experiences as well as learning
new information and participating in creative activities, making art works they could take home with
them. They love it, getting out and being in normal society, being in hustle and bustle, seeing other people
was goodThe enjoyed the learning, all really listened and their attention increased over the weeks, as they
knew what to expect.(Supported Housing Manger). I speak for all at the homethis has been the highlight
of the last few months. (Residential Home Activity Coordinator).
Prof. Roe noted further research is warranted to establish the ongoing benefits of such programmes, involving
project teams comprised of researchers, arts for health managers and curators, artists, care staff and older
people as partners and participants. Such research could identify the benefits for older people not only during
the visits but also between sessions in terms of their behaviour, mood, communication and social interaction
when they return to the care home. (Roe, McCormick, Lucas, Gallagher, Winn, Elkin 2014)

Health and Culture Programme

Coffee, Cake and Culture is now part of the wider Health and Culture progamme at the Manchester Museum
and Whitworth Art Gallery. It was originally designed to target older adults with dementia in care settings,
but has now extended to include any group that require additional support to visit the museum and gallery.
The Museum and Gallery have been working in close partnership with Manchester hospitals and health
professionals since 2008 often with impressive results, whether for patients or healthcare professionals
themselves. The Museum and Whitworth won two awards from The Royal Society of Public Health for
innovative and outstanding contributions to arts and health research and practice.
Engaging patients with dementia is an important strand of our hospital partnership work. Artists visit
hospital wards on weekly basis, taking with them a box full of cultural goodies, inviting patients with
dementia to participate in montessori based activities. With these resources we hope to reduce the number
of Deprivation of Liberty Safeguards issued to patients with challenging behavior.
We share our arts and health work with the wider hospital community through an annual week long Culture
Shots advocacy event at Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. Culture Shots
events offer health professionals a chance to find out why culture works and how they can use the expertise
within Manchesters museums and galleries to improve their professional practice as well as their patients
health and wellbeing Museums and galleries from across Manchester, led by the Whitworth Art Gallery
and Manchester Museum, take over Central Manchester, Trafford, Altrincham and Stretford Hospitals. We
target staff and offer a taste of what we do from object handling to performances. The aims of Culture Shots
are (i) to promote the proven contribution to health and wellbeing that engagement with museums can bring
about. (ii) To enhance the wellbeing and satisfaction of hospital staff through informative and enjoyable
activities. (iii) To promote the work of museums and galleries in Greater Manchester to staff, patients and
visitors. (iv) to identify further opportunities for collaborative work between the hospital and museums and
galleries throughout Greater Manchester.
Conclusion
Both the Manchester Museum and Whitworth Art Gallery has a long and successful history of working with
hospitals, local communities, such as community centres in surrounding wards, older people in residential
and care homes, and adults with mental health problems. We believe we have an important role to play in
establishing the conditions that support peoples general wellbeing, especially mental health. Much of this
work has arisen out of a better understanding of our context, including aligning ourselves with Greater
Manchesters JSNA (Joint Strategic Needs Assessments) and conversations with local community leaders,
charities, council and NHS staff.
Making partnerships work effectively is one of the toughest challenges facing public sector managers.
Partnership working can also be costly, and partnerships can be justified only when their achievements
outweigh the resources that they consume. Many fail to achieve their full objectives, or are partnerships in
name only.
Strong partnerships are at the heart of our learning and engagement work. They take time and effort, however,
there is a huge collaborative advantage in joining together. Our top three tips for successful partnership
working would be to ensure all partners are actively involved, to agree on priorities for action and to respect
each others area of expertise.

Bibliography
Arts Council England. (2007a). The Arts, Health and Wellbeing. London: Arts Council England
Chatterjee, H. J. (2008). Touch in Museums: Policy and Practice in Object Handling (English Ed.). BERG.
Roberts, S., Camic, P.M., & Springham, N. (2011). New roles for art galleries: Art-viewing as community
intervention for family carers of people with mental health problems. Arts & Health, 3(2), 146-159.
Roe B, McCormick S, Lucas T, Gallagher W, Winn A, Elkin S, (2014)
Wallesch, C.-W., & Frstl, H. (2005). Demenzen (1.,. 85 Abbildungen, 108 Tabellen.). Thieme Georg
Verlag.

Source: http://www.healthandculture.org.uk/publications/coffee-cake-and-culture-2/
 Literary Recipes: Walt Whitmans Cranberry Coffee Cake
By Nicole Villeneuve

For a transcendentalist, Walt Whitman was a bit of a hoarder. Just take a look at his daybooks, and
youll see a list of the scraps he saved over the years: photos, receipts, weather reports, news
articles, classified ads, and dozens of press mentions of Whitman himself. He meticulously
monitored the papers, carefully cataloging his presence in the world. If he were around today, you
just know he would be a chronic self-Googler, or maybe a habitual lurker in the comments section
of New York magazine.
Among Whitmans collection of papers from the 1880s are the few recipes he liked enough to
preserve: one for doughnuts and one for coffee cake, making him a man after my own (pastry-
clogged) heart. He regularly gave coffee cakes as gifts, probably because he wanted to receive
them himself. In a letter from 1877, he wrote, I was foolish enough to take a good strong drink,
& eat a couple of slices of rich cake late at night & I shant do any thing of the kind again.
Yeah, Ive heard that one before. Its what I tell myself before checking to see if the ice cream
place down the street delivers (the beauty of New York is that it does).
That year, Whitman was recovering from a stroke and had moved to New Jersey under the care of
his brother. But I am pretty well, he wrote, & feel more able & sassy every day. More than
anything in Leaves of Grass, these letters from Whitman have inspired my new personal
philosophy: Live every day with sass, and with several slices of cake.
Everyone has their own take on coffee cake. My familys version has streusel topping and
blueberries. Paula Deens involves frozen dinner rolls and butterscotch pudding mix. Although the
NYU editions of Whitmans daybooks dont include his recipes in full, typical coffee cake recipes
from 1880s New England are fairly consistent. My favorite is in the delightfully named What Shall
I Eat? The Housewifes Manual (the unwitting predecessor to sites like this).
Unlike the streusel and sour cream cakes, which are meant to be eaten with coffee, these are called
coffee cakes because theyre made with coffee. With a dose of molasses and a helping of dried
fruit, they taste more like a spice cake but are still perfect with a cup of joe. Most recipes of the
period call for raisins, but I prefer cranberries a little wink to Whitman, who lived on Brooklyns
Cranberry Street.
(Adapted from The Home Cook Book and Food52s Prune Coffee Cake)
3/4 cup dried cranberries
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon nutmeg
1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cream of tartar
1/2 teaspoon salt
4 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature
1 cup sugar
1 egg
1/2 cup cold coffee
1/4 cup molasses
1/2 cup milk
Powdered sugar for dusting (optional)
1. Soak dried cranberries in hot water 20 minutes. Meanwhile, butter and flour a 10-inch circular
cake or springform pan. Preheat oven to 350F.
2. In a medium bowl, sift together flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda, cream of tartar,
and salt.
3. In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugar. Add egg, coffee, and molasses. Stir until
mixture is smooth with no lumps (it will be very wet).
4. Add dry ingredients and milk alternatingly to butter mixture, stirring until combined. Drain
cranberries and fold into batter.
5. Pour batter into prepared pan and bake 30 to 35 minutes. Let cool 10 minutes, sprinkle with
powdered sugar, and serve warm.
Originally posted on Paper and Salt, which recreates more literary recipes

Source: https://www.huffingtonpost.com/nicole-villeneuve/coffee-cake-walt-whitman_b_1473989.html
 COFFEE CAKE

Coffee cake (also sometimes known as Kuchen or Gugelhupf) was not invented. It evolved...from ancient
honey cakes to simple French galettes to medieval fruitcakes to sweet yeast rolls to Danish, cakes made
with coffee to mass-produced pre-packaged treats.
Food historians generally agree the concept of coffee cake [eating sweet cakes with coffee] most likely
originated in Northern/Central Europe sometime in the 17th century. Why this place and time? These
countries were already known for their traditional for sweet yeast breads. When coffee was introduced
to Europe these cakes were a natural accompaniment. German, Dutch, and Scandinavian immigrants
brought their coffee cake recipes with them to America.
The first coffee cake-type foods were more like bread than cake. They were enriched breads composed of
yeast, flour, eggs, sugar, nuts, dried fruit and sweet spices. Streusel and crumb toppings were not
uncommon. Over time, coffee cake recipes changed. Sugared fruit, cheese, yogurt and other creamy fillings
(think: Danish) are often used in today's American coffee cake recipes. 19th century American coffee cakes
may surprise you. Coffee was an ingredient, not a serving suggestion. Some of these recipes were thrifty
ways to use leftover coffee; others employed fresh brewed, or coffee extract.
Early USA print references connecting coffee cake and coffee drinking are scant. One newspaper circa 1876
mentions dunking coffee cake in coffee. Cookbooks group the recipe in bread and/or cake sections,
depending on the formula. An early Philadelphia source mentions shaping coffee cake as pretzels, perhaps
confirming a connection with the Pennsylvania Dutch (German) heritage. World War I (aka The Great War)
era cook books are the first to direct Americans to serve German Coffee Cake with coffee. By the 1920s
"Coffee Cake" achieves distinct genre status, meriting seprate index headings and chapters. In 2013, The
Library of Congress "coffee cake" subject heading lists 9 books on the topic, from 1967 forwards.

Where did the habit come from?

"Much of the American appetite for sweet rolls and cakes comes from these specific Germans as well as
from the Holland settlements that had so much influence on early New York, New Jersey, and Delaware. All
of those colonial cooks made fruity, buttery breakfast or coffee cakes from recipes that vary only slightly from
methods used in the twentieth century. They also share some of the responsibility for the national zest for
doughnuts..."
---American Food: The Gastronomic Story, Evan Jones, 2nd edition [Vintage Books:New York] 1981 (p. 91)
"...Scandinavians were perhaps more responsible than anyone else for making America as coffee-break-
conscious as it is, and for perfecting the kind of food that goes well with coffee. German women had already
brough the Kaffeeklatcsh to their frontier communities, but it was in the kitchens where there was always a
pot brewing on the back of the stove that Scandinavian hospitality and coffee became synonymous...The
term coffee klatch became part of the language, and its original meaning--a moment that combined gossip
with coffee drinking--was changed to define the American version of England's tea, a midmorning or
midafternoon gathering at which to imbibe and ingest....Like the cooks from Central Europe, most
Scandinavian cooks have prided themselves on simple forms of pastry making that include so called coffee
breads, coffee cakes, coffee rings, sweet rolls, and buns..."
---ibid (p. 163)
According to the book Listening to America, Stuart Berg Flexner, it wasn't until 1879 that the term "coffee
cake" became a common term. Historic American cook books and newspapers support this claim.
[1875]
"Coffee Cake.
5 cups flour, dried and sifted.
1 cup of butter.
2 cups of sugar.
1 cup of molasses.
1 cup made black coffee--the very best quality.
1/2 pound raisins, seeded and minced.
1/2 pound currants, washed and dried.
1/4 pound citron, chopped fine.
3 eggs, beaten very light.
1/2 teaspoonful cinnamon.
1/2 teaspoonful mace.
1 taspoonful-a full one-of saleratus.
Cream the butter and sugar, warm the molasses slightly, and berate these,w ith the spices hard, five minutes,
until the mixture is very light. Next, put in the yolks, the coffee, and when these are well mixed, the flour, in
turn with the whipped whites. Next, the saleratus, dissolved in hot water, and the fruit, all mixed together and
dredged well with flour. Beat up very thoroughly, and bake in two loaves, or in small round tins. The flavor of
this cake is peculiar, but to most palates very pleasant. Wrap in a thick cloth as soon as it is cold enough to
put away without danger of 'sweating,' and shut within your cake box, as it soon loses the aroma of the coffee
if exposed to the air." ---Breakfast, Luncheon and Tea, Marion Harland [Scribner, Armstrong & Co.: New
York] 1875 (p. 332)

[1876]
"...[Coffee]...particuarly accompanied by a slice or two of German coffee cake. Sift 2 pounds of four into a
large pan; make a hole in the center, into which break four eggs; add three cups of good potato sponge (set
the night before) and a little new milk, warned. If it is cold weather, dip the eggs into hot water before breaking
them. Make this into hard dough. Be careful and not put in too much milk, as you must use no more than 2
pounds of flour. Work it well; set it in a warm place to rise--not too lgiht. Then melt one-half or three-fourths
pound of butter; one teacupful after it is melted is about enough, and work it into the dough with both hands.
Keep at it until it is thorougly blended and very smooth. Work in one and one-half cups white suggar next;
then as many raisins as you lie. (I use nearly one cupful). Use just a little flour to work it into a lump again,
and set it to rise. When very light, turn the pan upside-down on the bread-board for the pupose of not
disturbing the dough more than necessary in getting it out; then take a little piece at a time, enough when
pulled out to half-inch thickness to sit into the baking tin. If the dough is not hard enoguh to roll, do not try to
remedy it by adding flour, but take a piece from the dish to the pan and pat it down with your hand to the
required thickness. When you have it all in tins, beat an egg, and with the pastry brush paint the cases all
over; then dust sugar and cinnamon, mixed, over the top. Let it rise again very light, and bake in not a very
hot oven fifteen minutes, or until they are a golden brown. Let tuem cook in the pans, then slice and dip into
coffee before eating."
---"The Home: Coffee and Coffee-Cake," Mrs. M.E.M., Chicago Daily Tribune, September 2, 1876 (p. 11)
"Coffee Cake. --One and a hlaf cups made coffee; aone and a half cups sugar; one-half cup molasses; one
cup of chopped raisins; one of currants; nearly one cut butter; one tea-spoon soda; one nutmeg; a little citron,
cinnamon, cloves, spices of any kind you have. First stir together sugar, molasses, spices, fruit and butter,
and our on the coffee hot. Add flour to make stiff as fruit cake. It improves with age." ---"Parker House Rolls
and Coffee Cake," Mr.s J.C.H., Chicago Daily Tribune, September 9, 1876 (p. 11)

[1877]
"Coffee Cake.
Two cups brown sugar, one of butter, one of molasses, one of strong coffee as prepared for the table, four
eggs, one tea-spoon saleratus, two of cinnamon, two of cloves, one of grated nutmeg, pound raisins, one of
currants, four cups flour.--Mrs. Wm. Skinner, Battle Creek, Mich.
"Coffee Cake. One cup brown sugar, cup molasses, half cup butter, cup strong coffee, one egg or yolks of
two, four even cups flour, heaping tea-spoon soda in the flour, table-spoon cinnamon, tea-spoon cloves, two
pounds raisins, fourth pound citron, Soften the butter, beat with the sugar, add the egg, spices, molasses
and coffee, then the flour, and lastly the fruit dredged with a little flour. Bake one hour in moderate oven or
make in two small loaves which will bake in a short time. --Mrs. D. Buxton."
---Buckeye Cookery, Estelle Woods Wilcox

[1890]
"Coffee Rolls.
Scald a half pint of milk and our it oer a half pint of flour. Beat a moment, and add four ounces of butter, a
teaspooful of salt, and one of sugar. When lukewarm add a half yeast cake dissoved in four tablespoonfuls
of warm water, or half cup of yeast two eggs well beaten, and sufficient flour to make a soft dough. Knead
lightly, and put the dough into a bowl; cover and put in a warm place until very light. Then roll out, fold it one
half over the other, roll it out again; then cut off in strips, and with as little handling as possible, form into
pretzel shaped cakes. Do not spoil the grain of the dough in the making out. Place them in greased pans,
and when very light bake in a quick oven fifteen minutes. Beat together the white of one egg; a tablespoonful
of sugar, and one of milk; and when the rolls are half done take them out, brush them over with this mixture,
and put them back to brown."
---"Housekeepers Inquiries," Mrs. S.T. Rorer editor Table Talk, April 1890 (p. 135)

[1898]
"Coffee Cake
Take two cupfuls of bread sponge, add one egg well beaten, a half cupful of sugar, a tablespoonful of butter,
and a cupful of tepid water. Mix them well together, then add enough flour to make a thin dough. Let it rise
until double in size. Turn it on a board, and roll it out an inch thick. Place it in a baking-tin, cutting it to fit the
tin, and let it rise afain untiul light. Just before placing it in the oven, spread over the top an egg beaten with
a teaspoonful of sugar. Sprinkle oer this some granulated sugar, and a few split blanched almonds. If
preferred, the dough may be twisted and shaped into rings instead of being bake in sheets. This cake, which
is a kind of bun, is, as well as bath buns, a good luncheon dish to serve in place of cake; or either of them,
served with a cup of chocolate, makes a good light luncheon in itself."
---The Century Cook Book, Mary Arnold [The Century Co.:New York] 1898 (p. 358-359)

[1902]
"Coffee Cake
1 pound of pastry flour
1 tablespoon of sugar
5 eggs (half pound) 4 tablespoonfuls (four ounces) of butter
2 tablespoonfuls of milk
1 compressed cake of yeast
Dissolve the yeast cake in a quarter of a cup of warm water, and then stir in sufficient flour to make a dough.
Knead this into a small biscuit, and with a sharp knife make a cross almost through, and drop it, cut side up,
in a good-sized pitcher, nearly filled with warm water. The bisuit will drop directly to the bottom, but in a few
minutes the warmth and moisture of the water will cause the yeast plants to row, filling the dough with carbon
dioxid, which will make it sufficently light to float. While this is standing, sift the flour into a good-sized bowl,
make a hole or well in the centre, into which put the butter, sugar, milk, and eggs well beaten. Lift the biscuit
with a skimmer and drop it in the mas. Now with the two fingers and thumb work the ingredients to a paste,
taking in gradually the flour. If the flour is of good quality, you will have a soft delicate dough, which can be
manipulated lighly in the bowl. If it is sufficently dry to knead on the board, the cake will be coarse, and
tasteless, and lack the delicacy necessary to this delightful cake. Cover the dough and stand in a warm place
(75 degrees Fahr.) over night or from ten o'clock in the evening until seven o'clock in the morning. Dust the
baking board very lightly with pastry flour; turn out the dough, cut from the mass about two tablespoonfuls,
and roll it out under your hand, the thickness of your little vinger, and at least one and a half yards in length;
make it a little thinner in the centre, fold the two ends together and roll the whole under your hand, thoroughly
twisting it rope-like. Bring the two ends of this roll together, and place the twists in a greased pan, where they
cannot touch each other in the baking. Cover and stand in a warm place until very light, about three quarters
of an hour. Brush with the white of an egg and water beaten together, and bake in a quick oven (400 degrees
Fahr.) for fifteen minutes. Take from the oven, and when they are slightly cold pour over each a little water
icing, or melted sugar. Melted sugar is made by adding a tablepsoonful of hot water to a half pound of
powdered sugar. Stand this over the fire until it is just moist and sufficently soft to pour."

"Coffee Gems

4 eggs
1 cup of granulated sugar
2 teaspoonfuls of coffee extract
1 cup of pastry flour
Beat the eggs in a suacepan; add the coffee extract and then the sugar; beat these rapidly over boiling
water unti the mixture is slightly warm. Take form the fire, and whip continuously for fifteen minutes; then
add slowly the sifted pastry flour. Have ready tiny gem pans brushed with oil or suet and dusted with
granulated sugar; half fill them with the cake mixture. Bake in a quick oven (about 300 degrees Fahr.) for
fifteen minutes, and they are ready to use. These cakes are usually served warm."
---Mrs. Rorer's New Cook Book, Sarah Tyson Rorer [Arnold and Company:Philadelphia] 1902 (p. 620-621)

[1909]
Coffee Cake.
Enough for 2 Cakes.
3 1/2-4 cups of flour, 1 pt. of milk, 1/4 lb of butter, 1/2 grated lemon rind, 1/4 lb of sugar, 3 eggs, 1 cent
yeast.
Preparation: The milk is made lukewarm and stirred to a smooth batter with 1 1/4 cups of flour, then the yeast
dissolved in 1/4 cup of lukewarm milk is mixed in quickly and put in a warm place to rise. After the sponge
has risen well, mix in the melted butter, sugar, grated lemon rind, the eggs and the rest of the flour, stir the
dough a while with a spoon. Butter 2 tins and put in the dough about 1 inch thick, then set to rise, after this
strew on sugar, cinnamon and put on small pieces of butter and some chopped almonds. Bake in medium
hot oven to a nice color.
Related food? Kugelhopf.
Streusel coffee cake
Preparation of the Streusel.
A piece of butter the size of an egg, 1/2 cup of flour, 1 teaspoon of cinnamon, 1 1/4 cups of sugar, 1/2 cup of
ground almonds, yeast dough like No. 8 [above coffee cake].
Preparation: The dough is prepared as given under No. 8, Coffee Cake. Instead of strewing on sugar,
cinnamon and pieces of butter you make sugar crumbs as following: Melt the butter, mix flour, sugar,
cinnamon and almonds with it and rub to crumbs with the hands. Sprinkle over the cakes before baking."
---The Art of German Cooking and Baking, Mrs. Lina Meier [Wetzel Bros.:Milwaukee WI] 1909 (p. 335-6)

[1913]
"German Coffee Cake
To a quart of lukewarm milk use one Fleischmann's yeast cake, flour enough to make stiff sponge (sifting
flour twice before using), knead till batter shows large bubbles, mix in evening; next morning knead again;
put batter about three-quarters high in tins, let raise till twice this size, glaze with melted butter, and sprinkle
with cinnamon and sugar over top (or chopped almonds instead of cinnamon). Bake in medium hot oven.
Serve with coffee."
---The American Home Cook Book, Grace E. Denison [Barse & Hopkins Publishers:New York] 1913 (p. 304)

[1926]
Every Woman's Cook Book, Mrs. Chas. F. Moritz (1926) offers 24 recipes in the Coffee Cake chapter.

Source: http://www.foodtimeline.org/foodcakes.html#coffeecake