I’m thrilled to share the recipe for the Miette graham crackers from Pastry Chef and Owner Meg Ray. The San Francisco patisserie has been around since 2001 and truly no other shop is quite as charming. Whenever I pass by the Ferry Building location, I can’t help but look at the latest curation of candies, all perfectly packaged, but my sweet fix for candy seems to have gone away in my adulthood. Instead, I opt to go to the stand-alone freezer for one of the ice cream sandwiches, specifically the graham cracker with creme fraiche ice cream.

I was first introduced to Blum’s Coffee Crunch Cake in pastry school. It was my assigned recipe during Cake Week. I had never heard of it before then, but it is a beloved treat that originated in San Francisco. It was invented in the 1940’s by Ernest Weil at Blum’s confectionery shop in Union Square, the first of several locations. A staff member overcooked some candy and Ernest smashed it into pieces to decorate the sponge cakes. And thus, the Koffee Krunch Cake (original spelling) was born.

My friend Alison, whom I met in pastry school, invited me to bake with her and we had fun reminiscing about class while baking the cake. After graduating, Alison had a gelato truck and honeycomb was one of the flavors so she’s made a lot of the confection since then. Her tips are included below. Many recipes say the cake is best eaten the day-of, but personally, I liked how the coffee crunch absorbed into the cream, the next day, and got a bit syrupy.

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