Here’s a little more about that delicious coffee cake we send out each year, and how you can enjoy it. If you’re lucky enough to get your hands on one.
It’s one of the most wonderful times of year for us at James & Matthew. Like many other business owners, we reflect on what we’re thankful for as the year winds down. We discuss the past year, and we look forward to the coming year and to laying out our goals and plans. Oh, and we send out coffee cakes. Lots and lots of coffee cakes. We’ve been doing this consistently for the last several years.
Every September, we start to construct our coffee cake list. We don’t get too specific with how we decide who’s on the list. There’s only one driving factor: gratitude. If you get a cake, it may mean that we’ve worked together this past year. Maybe we had some meaningful discussions. Perhaps you’ve been a longtime friend of our agency.
You matter and we want to show you with delicious coffee cake.
We also create a custom label for the tin that this delightful cake ships in. We love surprising clients and friends with a freshly branded design each year. It’s always good agency fun thinking about a design and a message for that label and bake up any accompanying content, like this article.
The coffee cake that takes the cake
The coffee cake itself is made right near us in Boston. It’s hand-mixed on-site with fresh ingredients and certified Kosher under Orthodox supervision. There are no artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, or trans fats. While it comes in many different flavors and styles, we go with the original — no walnuts, because, well, nuts. Shelf life is 14 days unrefrigerated and up to 12 months if frozen. This coffee cake is dense, moist, and delicious. It somehow has a quality where you say to yourself, “I’ll just have a small slice,” and find yourself coming back for more. This cake will go quickly if you put it out at the office, an event, or a family gathering. Make sure you grab a slice or two for yourself!
Spreading some butter on this coffee cake would seem like an unnecessary indulgence, but I assure you it’s a match made in heaven. If you’re enjoying this at home, one of our favorite things to do with this coffee cake is to add some butter to each side and toast it in a small frying pan over medium heat until each side is golden brown. Let that buttery cake rest on a paper towel for a few minutes, and then enjoy what can only be described as biting into bliss.
Perfect Pairings
Just like the people who we send these cakes to, this coffee cake needs nothing to accompany it to make it great, butter and pan-toasting aside. That’s why we love it so much. That said, it’s a coffee cake, and it gets that name more for what it’s paired with than for what’s in it. With that in mind, the obvious pairing option is coffee. A light roast with a fruity, sweeter flavor profile will pack the most punch alongside the cake. If you prefer darker roasts, I’d recommend brewing the coffee in a French press to guarantee you retain the most flavor. If you’re a tea drinker, I’ve found that this coffee cake pairs well with the earthier flavored-darker teas. My favorite would be a fermented Pu’er tea to cut the sweetness of this coffee cake. If you want to try something unique and you’re not leaving the house (or holiday get-together) for a while, might this author suggest a glass of nice champagne? This is my sleeper pairing. The champagne serves almost as a palette cleanser, making each new bite a new experience.
This delicious coffee cake that we send out every year is a small token of our appreciation for the people we have the good fortune to know and get to know. It’ll make you the hero at any family gathering or office party where you show up with it under your arm. It’ll also make you quite happy if you decide to keep it all to yourself with a piping hot mug of coffee or tea or a glass of champagne.
Cheers!
Matt Maguy is co-founder at JXM, an advertising agency located in Massachusetts.
