Frank Sinatra's Favorite Dessert Can Still Be Found In Your Local Grocery Store Today

Frank Sinatra's voice was legendary, and his rise to stardom was symbolic of the American dream and what it means to be a self-made man. Even after becoming Hollywood royalty, the "Fly Me to the Moon" crooner was just a boy from Hoboken, New Jersey, who liked his comfort foods, including Entenmann's classic crumb coffee cake. This humble dessert was among Sinatra's favorite dishes and drinks. He ordered it regularly and had it shipped to his home in Palm Springs. But why this store-bought version?

Entenmann's baked goods are moist and delicious, and this rectangular cinnamon coffee cake, topped with crunchy cinnamon crumbles and powdered sugar, is no exception. The yellow cake's texture is soft and tender, falling somewhere between the dense texture of a pound cake and the airy texture of an angel food cake. The cinnamon-flavored crumb is thick and slightly crispy, clumpy, and sweet. 

Entenmann's also has strong ties to the "City that Never Sleeps" and may have reminded Sinatra of his boyhood stomping grounds. Entenmann's brick-and-mortar bakery first opened in 1898 in Brooklyn, and its baked goods were delivered to the likes of the Vanderbilts and the Morgans via horse-drawn wagons. Entenmann's continued its home delivery services until 1951. It was at this juncture that it started supplying grocery stores and still does so today.

The chances that you won't find Entenmann's in your local grocery store are slim, but if you can't seem to locate these baked goods in your area and want to experience a cake with a huge crumb, be mindful of the ratio of crumb to cake. New Jersey crumb cakes tend to contain a mix of about half cake and half crumb, while New Yorkers generally like a little cake to a lot of crumbs. This classic streusel-topped cake can elicit some real regional pride among folks in New Jersey and New York, where it remains popular. But before New York and New Jersey took ownership of this baked good, it belonged to Europeans.

The origin story of the crumb cake itself echoes that of the Rat Pack member's rise to fame. The crumb cake (Streuselkuchen) is likely a German creation that gained popularity in the 17th century and quickly became a favorite celebratory dessert, often served at weddings and on other special occasions, with bakers frequently adding seasonal fruit. Later, when German immigrants made their way to America and brought the crumb cake with them, it became an emblem of community and comfort.

While it was originally made with yeast dough and still is sometimes, it eventually became acceptable to use a cake batter. However, if you want to avoid food fights altogether, stick with a store-bought crumb cake like Entenmann's. If it was good enough for Ol' Blue Eyes, it's good enough for everyone else.