Just when we thought we couldn’t possibly inhale one more local quarantine pastry in the city, we discovered Frannie Franks Coffee Cakes—an impossibly decadent creation from local baker/owner Jill McEnroe. Her deliciously dense coffee cakes were born back in 2011 when “looking through my mother’s dusty, handwritten recipe book with ingredient-stained notecards, I came across her coffee-cake recipe and thought I’d try my hand at it,” she says.
McEnroe’s gourmet cakes are definitely old school meets new school. “I have childhood memories of Frannie standing in the kitchen wearing pearls, polka dots, and heels while baking and humming to Patsy Cline on the radio with the sweet smell of cinnamon in the air,” she says. McEnroe’s first batch went to her boss, and the rest to her husband’s office. They were such an immediate hit; a baking behemoth was born. Since then, McEnroe’s wares have become an addictive brunch staple—and even became a Shark Tank semi-finalist.
The small-batch cakes freeze well in case you need to keep one handy—you know, for emergencies. ($8-$24). Plus, every cake is handmade with no nuts, no saturated fats, no corn syrup and no dairy. “And absolutely no calories,” she says. “Just kidding.”
Here’s a quick rundown of Frannie Franks varieties:
Cinnamon
Toffee
Chocolate Chip
Coconut Cream
Lemon Drop
Blueberry Buckle
Apple Crumb
Fudge Marble
Cherry Cheesecake
Lemon Blueberry
S’mores
Chocolate Caramel
Raspberry Cheesecake
Strawberry Shortcake
Gluten-Free also available
Purchase online at franniefranks.com. They ship, deliver and cater. (And will even whip up tiered wedding-cake coffee cakes!) You can also find McEnroe every Saturday at Overland Park Farmer’s Market from 7:30 a.m. – 1 p.m. (and at special events posted on social media.)