Helen Carnes' "Coffee Cake" & a World-Famous ☘️ Irish Coffee

A tender cinnamon-sugar bread, simple old-fashioned biscuits, and a taste of Irish Coffee history from San Francisco’s foggy Buena Vista Café

Pull up a chair at The Dinner Bell—where family recipes evolve, surprise, and bring history to life in today's kitchens.

This week, I set out to make Great Grandma's Coffee Cake—but what emerged was something entirely different, yet just as delicious. Instead of a classic coffee cake, I found myself with a soft, cinnamon swirl bread—perfect on its own, even better toasted and paired with an Irish Coffee.

100 years ago, 'coffee cake' wasn't just cake—it was any morning treat meant to be enjoyed with coffee, whether bread, pastry, or cake. And this recipe holds more than one surprise—it delivers both a tender bread and old-fashioned biscuits.

A Dish Rooted in Gathering & Connection

Long before coffee shops, women gathered for what was essentially the original social hour—coffee, conversation, and something sweet from the kitchen. These gatherings weren't just about the food; they were a time for sharing stories, catching up on family news, and strengthening community ties.

This tradition is where our modern idea of 'coffee cake' comes from—less about the cake itself, more about the experience of sharing it with a cup of coffee and good company.

Helen Carnes' grandparents take us back to German and Austrian households and coffee salons, where 'coffee cake' wasn't a single recipe but rather any baked treat meant to be served with coffee. Cakes, breads, pastries, and biscuits—all fell under this category. It makes sense why Mom Carnes called this recipe 'coffee cake' even though it more closely resembles a sweet morning bread and savory biscuits.

These coffee gatherings, known as kaffeeklatsch, were a tradition brought to the U.S. by German immigrants, including Helen Carnes' ancestors from Bavaria and Prussia. Coffee klatches became a way for women—mothers, grandmothers, and friends—to connect in the afternoon, usually between lunch and dinner (before the dinner bell rang). And as the name suggests, there was plenty of 'klatsch' (chatter and gossip) to go around.

Whether you call it kaffeeklatsch, fika (as they do in Sweden), or simply a coffee break, these traditions remind us that food is about more than sustenance. It's about slowing down, sharing, and keeping the stories of the past alive—one slice at a time.

At first glance, this might sound like a tea party, and in many ways, it was. But in today's world, coffee culture has evolved beyond the home. With Starbucks and modern coffeehouses leading the way, coffee with sweets now draws men and women of all ages to gather, share, chat, and, yes, gossip—much like the kaffeeklatsches of the past.

Starbucks didn't invent the coffee break—they just found a way to turn an age-old tradition into a global phenomenon.

When life ebbs and flows, and you find yourself in a deep economic depression, you learn to create family recipes using what’s available and what’s affordable. Many of my grandparents’ recipes are simple, easy to make, yet still delicious and filling.

This ‘coffee cake’ recipe is one of those. It relies on the basics found in most pantries—or root cellars of the time—flour, sugar, milk/cream, salt, eggs, and water. My grandparents lived through the Great Depression—they had to make do. Kitchen tools were reduced to spoons, whisks, hands, and bowls. Stand mixers and dough hooks didn’t exist, and even if they had, they wouldn’t have been affordable.

The ingredients are similar to those used to make coffee cake. The main difference? The preparation and presentation. Traditional coffee cake often features a crumble topping, streusel, or a cinnamon swirl, while some versions have frosting or glaze.

This simple bread and biscuit recipe is a reminder that great food doesn’t require extravagant ingredients—just a little creativity and a connection to the past.

As we approach St. Patrick's Day, I couldn't help but wonder how Mom Carnes' creation might pair with a traditional Irish Coffee. The cinnamon-sugar-kissed bread, lightly toasted, creates a perfect companion to the warmth of whiskey-laced coffee topped with cream. This pairing transforms a humble family recipe into something celebratory—honoring both my family's German coffee traditions and the Irish holiday that's just around the corner.