Anyone that knows me well, knows of my love for all things Gilmore Girls. I have watched the show all the way through more times than I can count, and have made it through the dreaded musical in the Netflix revival thrice. It is soothing at this point and as strange as this sounds, has gotten me through many hard times. The banter is quick, the characters are quirky, and the pop culture references go deep. I’d move to Stars Hollow in a heartbeat [if only Mark Zuckerberg would A. create a real town emulating it and B. open an office there].
This cookbook was really difficult. For something related to a show that revolves around food, the recipes are very rudimentary. The writer doesn’t seem to be a chef (or have any food background) and seems to have gotten recipes from random people. Indeed, for Al’s Pancake House’s storied Chicken Chow Mein Sandwich, the first step is “Call or use a food-ordering app to contact a local Chinese restaurant and order two orders of Chicken Chow Mein. Wait until it arrives.” I decided to do breakfast, but her coffee cake recipe looked dry and lifeless. I went with Hot Chocolate (aka Ho-Cho) from the book and made Sally’s Baking Addiction’s Crumb Coffee Cake (let’s be honest, because it has as much crumb topping as cake).
Ingredients:
Ho-cho:
½ c. Semisweet/60% cacao chocolate chips or bar
½ c. Strongly brewed coffee
1 T maple syrup [preferably NY state in our house]
1 ½ c. Half-and-half
[I added a pinch of salt since all sweet things need salt to shine]
Crumb Coffee Cake: [from Sally’s Baking Addiction]
Crumb Topping:
1 cup (200g) packed light or dark brown sugar
1/2 cup (100g) granulated sugar
1 Tablespoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup (2 sticks; 230g) unsalted butter, melted
2 and 1/2 cups (313g) all-purpose flour
Cake:
2 and 1/2 cups (313g) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup (1.5 sticks; 170g) unsalted butter, softened to room temperature
1 cup (200g) granulated sugar
3 large eggs, at room temperature
1 cup (240g) full-fat sour cream, at room temperature*
2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
optional: confectioners’ sugar for topping
Note on timing: Plan ahead (unlike me). The coffee cake bakes for 45 minutes and then needs to cool for ~30...it was not the quick breakfast food that I was expecting! If you decide to fully sugar up, make the ho-cho while the cake bakes. Also, I always used to turn my nose up at bringing ingredients to room temperature, but I started last week with chocolate chip cookies and they were completely different than my usual - I brought the butter, sour cream, and eggs to room temp here.
Preheat the oven to 350°F (177°C) and grease a 9×13 inch baking pan or line with parchment paper. Set pan aside.
Make the crumb topping: Mix the brown sugar, granulated sugar, cinnamon, and salt together in a medium bowl. Stir in the melted butter, then gently mix the flour using a fork. Keep the mixture as large crumbles, do not over-mix. If over-mixed, this will turn into a thick paste. Set aside.
Make the cake: Whisk the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt together. Set aside.
Using a handheld or stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, beat the butter and granulated sugar together on high speed until smooth and creamy, about 2 minutes. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl with a rubber spatula as needed. Add the eggs, sour cream, and the vanilla. Beat on medium-high speed until combined. The mixture may look curdled; that’s ok. Scrape down the sides and up the bottom of the bowl as needed. With the mixer on low speed, mix in the dry ingredients until smooth. Do not over-mix. The batter will be thick, creamy, and sticky.
Spread the batter evenly into prepared baking pan. Top with crumb topping. Using a rubber spatula or the back of a large spoon, press the crumb topping tightly down into the cake so it sticks.
Bake for 45-55 minutes. Baking times vary, so keep an eye on yours and begin checking at 45 minutes. The cake is done when a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean. If you find the top or edges of the cake is/are browning too quickly in the oven, loosely cover it with aluminum foil. Remove the cake from the oven and set on a wire rack. Allow to slightly cool for at least 30-45 minutes before cutting. If desired, dust with confectioners’ sugar before slicing and serving. Use a sifter/fine mesh sieve.
Make the hot chocolate: Prep ingredients first, things move fast. Measure out chocolate, coffee, and maple syrup. [Unlike the Gilmore Girls, we don't drink coffee, so I had to use instant - don't judge! Also, ignore the amount in the Pyrex...I mis-measured and had to pour some out...into my Mom's cup!]
Heat the half-and-half in a medium saucepan to a rumbling boil, stirring occasionally with a wire whisk. Watch it closely [unlike me - mine exploded all over my stovetop] - just as the milk begins to bubble up and rise to the edge of the pan, add the chocolate. Whisk until chocolate is melted and mixture takes on a smooth consistency. Bring to a boil. Add coffee and maple syrup. Whisk until fully blended.
Immediately remove from heat and pour into cups before chocolate starts to cool. Serve.
⚠️ Warning ⚠️ In true Gilmore Girls fashion, I am now more caffeinated than I've been in quite some time...all from a small amount of coffee mixed in with copious amounts of dark chocolate. The hot chocolate was thick, rich, and super chocolatey (without a strong coffee flavor), but my old standard recipe on the side of the Hershey's cocoa box (with 3 Dove Promises and a pinch of salt added) is just as good and way less effort. The coffee cake is really good. The cake is light with some zing from the sour cream. The crumb topping was a bit floury for my taste - next time I'd reduce the flour to 2 cups and add a bit more cinnamon and brown sugar.
Ratings:
Hot Chocolate - Great
Coffee Cake - Great (would be Excellent with crumb topping tweaks)
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