Skip to content

Have a Fling with Summer Fling Coffee Cake

Credit: Corynn Coscia/Zingerman’s Bakehouse

June special at the Bakehouse!

One of my favorite items from the Bakehouse pastry kitchen, Summer Fling Coffee Cake is available daily all June long! That’s right—if you want some of this super scrumptious cake, come by this month. Because it freezes so well, it would be a wise and wonderful move to buy a bunch and then bring them out when you need a bit of culinary sunshine as the days grow shorter later in the season.  

What makes this special coffee cake so marvelous? Lime and coconut are, I think, a compelling combination, and the quality of the ingredients—sour cream, coconut paste, flaked dried coconut, eggs, vanilla, and a good dose of lime oil—makes a big difference as well. Long, slow toasting of the coconut helps to seal the deal. Amy Emberling, co-managing partner of the Bakehouse and co-author of Zingerman’s Bakehouse, says, 

The Summer Fling is one of our most versatile products—great with coffee or tea in the morning, lovely for a sweet afternoon snack, excellent after dinner. I love the texture of this cake. It’s moist and dense. I particularly love the name, reminding me of the distinctively different feel of summer socializing—more carefree and adventurous, disconnected from the real part of life, with a predetermined end date, making unorthodox choices less risky.

The flavor lingers long and lovingly on your palate, so a little of this cake goes a long way! It’s great with Zingerman’s gelato or fried up very lightly in a well-buttered skillet. (Brad Hedeman from Mail Order would spread it lavishly with some room-temperature Vermont Creamery Cultured Butter.) It probably would make an awesome milkshake, too, now that I think about it. Personally, I’d add a spoonful of lemon curd or apricot jam on the side. Whatever you want to try, you can’t go wrong! 

Bring a Summer Fling to your next meeting and turn work that day into a bit of a party, or give one as an end-of-school-year gift to bus drivers, teachers, principals, or anyone else you appreciate. 

Order your coffee cake