C.F.W. Walther German Coffee Cake

History

As one of the newer additions to the Church’s sanctoral calendar, the commemoration of C. F. W. Walther naturally doesn’t have centuries-old traditions associated with it yet. But we have to start somewhere! In that spirit, we’d like to propose a new tradition with this St. Walther’s Day recipe.

Since Walther’s steadfast confession of the faith compelled him to join the Saxon immigration to Missouri, we were inspired to learn more about the culinary traditions of the Saxon immigrants to Perry County.

We are thankful to the Rev. Dr. Daniel Harmelink of Concordia Historical Institute, who helped us in our research by providing us with a copy of Heritage of Cooking: A Collection of Recipes from East Perry County, Missouri. The book contains a variety of recipes from the descendants of those Saxon immigrants together with a brief history of the culinary traditions of Germans in Perry County.

And so to celebrate this confessor whose faith brought him from his native Germany to adapt to life in the New World, we’d like to share with you one of the recipes that the Germans brought to Missouri and adapted to the local ingredients of Perry County.

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Perry County Coffee Cake

Coffee cake has been a feature of the Lutheran lands of Northern and Central Europe since the seventeenth century. The dish has taken many forms over the years, but no matter what the recipe, the point was to have something sweet to munch on while enjoying a cup of coffee.

The Saxon immigrants brought this dish with them to the New World, where the writings of German immigrants record recurring coffee breaks, doubtless often accompanied by some form of coffee cake.

Various nuts and berries have historically been used as toppings for coffee cakes. Heritage of Cooking provides a recipe for coffee cake topped with apples, a fruit that the historical section of the cookbook indicates was once grown in abundance in the area where Walther and the other Saxons founded a Lutheran settlement on the Mississippi.

As a tribute, then, to a Missourian saint with German origins, we present this Perry County take on an old German recipe. Perhaps it can become a new tradition for a new celebration!

Coffee Cake Recipe

Ingredients

Coffee Cake

1 cup milk, scalded

1 cup sugar

¾ cup butter

2 eggs, beaten

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon salt

2 cups water

1 package yeast

10-11 cup flour

Apple Cinnamon Topping

2 apples, sliced

1/2 cup sugar

2 tablespoons butter, melted

½ teaspoon cinnamon

Cinnamon Drizzle

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon cinnamon

2 cups confectioners’ sugar

Instructions

1. Mix together 1 cup milk, 1 cup sugar, 3/4 cup butter, and 2 eggs. Add 1 tablespoon of vanilla extract and 1 tablespoon of salt when cool or lukewarm.
2. In a large bowl place 1 cup lukewarm water and 1 package dry yeast (2 packages if you want a fast-rising dough). Stir and let set for five minutes. Add the other cup of water.
3. Stir milk mixture into the yeast mixture. Add about 6 cups of flour, stirring into mixture. Add 4-5 cups more and turn out on floured surface to knead. Knead well and put into 2 large greased bowls. Cover and let rise until doubled in size. Turn out on floured surface and let rest for 10 minutes. Grease 3 cookie sheets and 1 small 8″ pan. Divide dough into 3½ parts and spread in pans. Let rise until doubled in bulk. 
4. Pare 2 apples and slice thinly. Mix together the 2 tablespoons of melted butter, 1/2 cup of sugar, and 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon and toss with apples.
5. Once cake is doubled in size, top with apples, arranging in rows and slightly overlapping slices. Bake in 350° oven for 20-30 min or until golden brown.
6. Combine drizzle ingredients (1 tablespoon vanilla, 1 tablespoon cinnamon, and 2 cups confectioners’ sugar) and drizzle over coffee cake once cooled.

References:
1. Heritage of Cooking: A Collection of Recipes from East Perry County, Missouri published by Concordia Historical Institute
2. “As Thou Leadest Me”: Emilie Lohmann Koenig 1829-1854 published by Concordia Historical Institute