Recreating the Legendary Blum’s Coffee Crunch Cake: A Homemade Copycat Recipe

The name Blum’s instantly conjures images of a bygone era for many, evoking cherished memories of a beloved confectionery and soda fountain chain. While Blum’s may no longer grace our high streets, its legacy lives on, primarily through the indelible mark it left on the hearts (and palates) of its patrons. When people reminisce about Blum’s, they don’t just speak of the delectable treats; they often describe an entire experience – an atmosphere characterized by a charming pink and white color scheme, attentive counter service alongside cozy tables, and an “overall elegance” that made every visit feel special. It’s truly remarkable how many lasting impressions this establishment created, solidifying its place in culinary history and inspiring generations of home bakers.

Beyond the ambiance, Blum’s was celebrated for a variety of interesting menu items. However, what truly cemented its fame was its exquisite range of candies, luxurious ice creams, and, most notably, its signature desserts. Among these, the Blum’s Coffee Crunch Cake stood out as a true icon. This legendary cake wasn’t just a dessert; it was a sensory experience, offering a delightful interplay of textures and flavors that made it unforgettable. For those who remember it, or for new fans discovering its charm through modern interpretations, the Coffee Crunch Cake remains a culinary masterpiece, a testament to Blum’s innovative spirit in the world of sweets.

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The Story Behind Blum’s Coffee Crunch Cake

The original Blum’s Coffee Crunch Cake was an engineering marvel in dessert form. It featured a delicate, lightly lemon-flavored cake, generously filled and topped with a cloud of coffee-infused whipped cream. The true star, however, was the “crunch” – irregular, glistening chunks of a crispy, honeycomb-like candy. This ingenious creation is attributed to Ernest Weil, Blum’s operations manager at the time, whose aversion to waste led to a culinary breakthrough. The story goes that an employee had produced an overly chewy batch of candy, deemed unusable for its intended purpose. Rather than discarding it, Mr. Weil, with a stroke of genius, decided to repurpose it. He smashed the imperfect candy into pieces and liberally scattered it over a cream-covered layer cake. Little did he know, this moment of improvisation would birth one of Blum’s most iconic and beloved desserts.

Ernest Weil’s talent wasn’t limited to this serendipitous invention. He later went on to establish his own successful pastry business and even authored a cookbook titled “Love To Bake,” which reportedly contained some of his most famous recipes. While an authentic version of his original Coffee Crunch Cake recipe would be a treasure, finding it can be quite challenging today. In its absence, numerous talented bakers have sought to recreate this legendary treat, with Flo Braker’s Coffee Crunch Cake often cited as one of the most popular and influential copycat versions. Her interpretation features a lemon sponge cake, blanketed in vanilla-flavored cream, and adorned with coffee crunch. It’s notable for having a subtler coffee flavor compared to many other copycats. My rendition, however, embraces the coffee aspect more intensely, primarily through the liberal use of espresso powder, ensuring a rich, pronounced coffee flavor that aficionados will adore. If you are sensitive to caffeine, a slice before noon might be a wise choice to avoid an evening buzz!

The enduring popularity of the Coffee Crunch Cake speaks volumes about its unique appeal. It’s a testament to how simple yet innovative combinations of textures and tastes can create a dessert that transcends generations. Recreating this cake at home is not just about baking; it’s about connecting with a piece of culinary history and experiencing a taste that delighted countless people in its heyday.

The Cake Base: A Doctored Yellow Cake Mix with Pears

My version of the Blum’s Coffee Crunch Cake takes a slightly different approach to the cake base compared to Flo Braker’s traditional sponge. While I deeply respect the artistry and effort involved in baking scratch sponge or chiffon cakes, my recent life, filled with the delightful chaos of a “rowdy dog” and a busy schedule, demanded a more practical solution. The thought of meticulously measuring ingredients for a delicate scratch sponge just didn’t align with my available patience or time. This led me to recall an old, ingenious trick from the Pillsbury Bake-Off contests: using canned fruit to transform a simple cake mix into something extraordinary. I specifically remembered the award-winning Chocolate Macadamia Torte, which famously incorporated canned pears into a chocolate cake mix. If pears could work wonders with chocolate, why not with a classic yellow cake mix?

This curiosity wasn’t unfounded. I had previously experimented with mandarin oranges in cake mixes with fantastic results, proving that fruit can be a secret weapon for enhancing boxed mixes. So, I grabbed a can of pears and a box of yellow cake mix, eager to see if this shortcut could deliver a moist, tender cake suitable for our Blum’s copycat. The result was genuinely surprising and utterly delightful. The pears, once blended, almost completely disappeared into the batter, leaving no discernible pear flavor. Instead, they contributed a remarkable level of moisture and tenderness to the cake. Combined with an extra egg and additional oil beyond what the box typically calls for, the pears also subtly reduced the cake mix’s inherent sweetness, creating a more balanced and refined flavor profile that perfectly complements the coffee elements. Therefore, in this recipe, you won’t follow the box instructions. Instead, you’ll simply combine the yellow cake mix with one can of pears (undrained), four large eggs, and ¾ cup of neutral-flavored vegetable oil. This “doctored” cake mix method is a fantastic way to achieve a semi-homemade cake that tastes incredibly close to scratch-made with minimal effort, making it ideal for busy bakers who don’t want to compromise on flavor or texture.

Crafting the Irresistible Coffee Crunch Candy

One of the primary reasons I opted for a doctored cake mix was to save time and energy for other crucial components, particularly the star of the show: the Coffee Crunch Candy. But fear not, aspiring bakers, for this candy, despite its impressive appearance, is surprisingly easy to make and comes together in mere minutes, requiring minimal fuss. Unlike some candies that demand constant stirring and meticulous attention, this coffee crunch is quite forgiving.

To create this delightful crunchy element, you’ll need sugar, light corn syrup, brewed coffee, and a dash of espresso powder for an intensified coffee flavor. These ingredients are combined in a heavy-bottomed 2-quart saucepan. The mixture is then brought to a boil and cooked without stirring until it reaches precisely 300°F (150°C) on a candy thermometer. Accuracy here is key for the perfect texture. Once it hits the target temperature, quickly remove the saucepan from the heat and stir in the baking soda. This is where the magic happens! The baking soda reacts with the hot sugar mixture, releasing carbon dioxide bubbles that cause the candy to dramatically puff up, creating its signature aerated, honeycomb-like structure. Immediately after stirring, pour the puffed mixture onto a parchment-lined baking sheet. Resist the urge to flatten it; simply let it form a natural blob. As it cools, this blob will miraculously transform into a brittle, crunchy candy. It might take anywhere from 10 minutes to an hour to harden completely, but if you hit the 300°F mark, it should solidify quite rapidly.

While the coffee crunch candy tastes perfectly fine on its own, offering a delightful coffee-infused brittle, its true purpose and brilliance are revealed when it’s paired with the cream cake. When it softens slightly from the moisture of the whipped cream, it retains just enough of its crunch to provide that essential textural contrast, making each bite an exquisite experience. For those who want to experiment, you can adjust the coffee intensity or even add other flavorings. For instance, in a second batch I made, depicted in the photo below, I omitted the espresso powder and instead used hot water, a pinch of salt, and the fragrant seeds from half a vanilla bean, yielding a lighter, yet equally delicious crunch.

The Velvety Coffee Flavored Whipped Cream

The final crucial component of this extraordinary dessert is the luscious Coffee Flavored Whipped Cream. When researching various Blum’s Coffee Crunch Cake copycats, I noticed a wide range in the proportions of heavy whipping cream, sugar, and coffee used. To strike the perfect balance for my family’s preferences, and what I believe offers a harmonious flavor profile for this specific cake, I settled on a combination of 2 cups of heavy whipping cream, 4 tablespoons of granulated sugar, and 1 tablespoon of instant espresso powder. These quantities deliver a rich coffee flavor without being overwhelming, perfectly complementing the cake and the crunch.

For future iterations, I anticipate sticking with these amounts, perhaps even incorporating a touch of vanilla extract to add another layer of aromatic complexity. A common question when making whipped cream frosting is whether to use granulated or powdered sugar. Many recipes opt for powdered sugar, often due to its finely milled texture which is believed to contribute to a more stable whipped cream. While it’s true that a whipped cream frosting made with powdered sugar might maintain its structure for a slightly longer period, I found that using granulated sugar worked perfectly fine for this recipe. The cake, even with granulated sugar whipped cream, held up beautifully overnight in the refrigerator, maintaining its creamy texture and shape. For any leftovers, moving them to the freezer is an excellent way to preserve the cake’s quality and enjoy it at a later time.

The beauty of this coffee-infused whipped cream lies not only in its delightful taste but also in its versatility. It’s robust enough to be spread generously between cake layers and elegantly piped or smoothed over the entire cake, providing a perfect canvas for the coffee crunch. The subtle bitterness of the espresso powder cuts through the sweetness of the sugar and the richness of the cream, creating a sophisticated flavor that elevates the entire dessert. This component truly ties all the elements of the Blum’s Coffee Crunch Cake together, making it a cohesive and memorable treat.

My journey in recreating Blum’s Coffee Crunch Cake has been incredibly rewarding. It’s more than just a recipe; it’s a delightful dive into culinary history and a testament to the joy of home baking. I genuinely can’t wait to make it again! While this doctored cake mix version proved to be a fantastic shortcut, I’m already looking forward to the challenge of trying it with a scratch-made sponge cake in the future, to experience an even closer rendition to the original. Beyond this specific recipe, I’m also excited to explore more possibilities with easy doctored cake mix cakes using canned pears, as this experiment proved just how versatile and delicious such a simple hack can be. Happy baking!

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Blum’s Coffee Crunch Cake Recipe