Double Graet Coffee Cake recipe

Legend has it that Graeter’s bakery in Cincinnati, Ohio has the gooiest delectable coffee cake available for purchase and years ago my mother’s aunt wrote the Cincinnati Enquirer for the recipe. A recipe called “Double Butter Coffee Cake” was soon published in the paper and my immediate family has since prepared it on Christmas and had it for breakfast, it being too rich and delicious for consumption more than once a year. The recipe makes two cakes and we give one away as a gesture of goodwill. Since I went vegan, we simply veganized the recipe wholesale and it weathered the transition without a bump.  Since Double Butter is a bit of a misnomer for something relying on margarine, I’ve renamed it to be Double Graet as an homage to its origins of inspiration at Graeter’s bakery. Without further ado:

Double Graet Coffee Cake recipe

Crust

1/4 cup sugar

1/4 cup shortening

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 unit egg replacer (powder available in health food store or applesauce)

1 package active dry yeast

1/2 cup warm soy milk

2 1/2 cups flour

1 teaspoon vanilla

Filling

2 1/2 cups sugar

1 cup vegan margerine

Dash salt

2 units egg replacer (powder available in health food store or applesauce)

1/4 cups light corn syrup

2 1/2 cups flour

1/4 cup soy milk

1 tablespoon vanilla

1 teaspoon almond extract

1 teaspoon ground nutmeg

Directions

Cream sugar with shortening and salt. Add egg replacer and blend well. Dissolve yeast in soy milk. Add, along with flour and vanilla to sugar mixture. Beat until blended. Knead on a floured board about 10 minutes. Place in lightly greased bowl. Cover and let rise in a warm place about an hour until doubled

Meanwhile, make filling. Combine sugar, vegan margarine and salt; cream well. Add egg replacer and syrup, mixing well. Add flour alternately with soy milk, vanilla, almond extract and nutmeg. End with soy milk and mix well. Divide dough in half. Pat each half into a greased 9 by 9 inch pan, pressing edges of dough halfway up sides of pans to hold filling. Prick holes in dough. Pour filling over dough and let stand 20-30 minutes. Bake in a 375º F over 30 minutes. Do not over bake. When cool, dust with powdered sugar and addition nutmeg if desired. Makes two cakes. These freeze well but should be served at room temperature (or even warmed up for maximum gooiness).

0 thoughts on “Double Graet Coffee Cake recipe”

  1. Hey, I’ve tried this recipe twice now and have gotten nowhere with it. In both cases, all I could taste was raw flour and extract — are you sure about the measurements in the filling? Before baking, mine had the consistency of an ultra-dense muffin batter. I couldn’t pour it into the crust as the recipe asks; I had to scoop it and spread it. After baking, the consistency was not gooey, but doughy like an undercooked pretzel.

    I appreciate you posting the recipe and the above pictures do resemble the Graeter’s cake quite a bit. I’m just having a real hard time seeing how mine could ever turn out like yours with these proportions.

    Anyway, thanks in advance if you choose to reply.

    1. So sorry that you have had trouble with the recipe! We’ve made it 20 times or so without trouble. I did transcribe it from notes for this blogpost however, so let me check the proportions and see if the filling is somehow off.

  2. Cool. I know this isn’t really a cooking site, but yours is the only recipe I’ve found that even seems in the ballpark. If you’re sure about the amounts, I’ll give it another shot. Maybe third time will be a charm. Thanks again.

  3. I have recently viewed your vegan Double Graet Coffee cake recipe. you mentioned that there was an original recipe that your Mother’s aunt got from the Cincinnati Enquirer. Could you find and email me back with the ORIGINAL recipe? Please and thanks! Dana Miller

    1. sorry! I cook/bake vegan for ethical reasons and don’t have it on hand. I will double check the proportions of this recipe per another commenter but I can assure you people didn’t know the difference in the cruelty free version and the ingredients are available at any average grocery store.

  4. Is there any alternative to the soy component? Both of my children have severe allergies to soy and almond milk. What would you suggest as an alternative ingredient?

    1. sure, there are a lot of alternative milks, you could try hemp milk, coconut milk, hazelnut milk, or more. if an alternative milk to soy really works well, please post as I’m sure others will be interested.

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