Frank Sinatra Liked This Grocery Store Cake So Much He Ordered It Weekly

Frank Sinatra is remembered for many things. His dapper style. Those signature blue eyes. For being a member of the iconic Rat Pack. For topping charts as one of the world’s best-selling musicians (with more than 150 million records sold) and for being an award-winning actor. For asking us to believe that the "Best is Yet to Come."

In the 25 years since he passed in 1998, we’re also learning more and more about his behind-the-scenes preferences and habits. Recently, we filled you in about Sinatra’s two-ingredient signature cocktail, which he helped to popularize in the 1950s. And after diving deep into the internet archives, we’ve discovered what seemed to be one of his favorite desserts on earth.

Frank Sinatra’s Favorite Grocery Store Cake

Many of Ol’ Blue Eyes’ preferences were inspired by his Italian-American heritage. During his time in "New York, New York," Sinatra is said to have frequently ordered dishes like eggplant Parmesan with spaghetti marinara, veal Milanese, and meatballs.

One of his beloved desserts was—and is—widely available in grocery stores today. Sinatra was apparently a superfan of Entenmann’s, a company whose flagship bakery in Bayshore, Long Island was not far from Sinatra’s Hoboken, N.J. home. We’re not sure if that geographic proximity was the seed that grew into Sinatra’s devotion to the brand, however, it’s very clear that their creations had a special spot in the singer’s heart.

Today, 125-years-strong Entenmann’s is known for its donuts, cookies, pies, pastries, brownies, and most recently, donut cakes, which are available at supermarkets across the country as well as through online retailers. But back then, the bakery was on a much smaller scale. To ensure he didn’t miss his confection before they sold out, the crooner had a standing weekly order for a delivery of the Crumb Coffee Cake so he could have a constant supply, according to Entenmann's website.

What Makes Entenmann’s Crumb Coffee Cake So Good?

Entenmann’s is now owned by Bimbo Bakeries USA, which also has household names like Sara Lee, Thomas’ English Muffins, Ball Park Buns, and Boboli pizza crusts under its umbrella. But it was originally a family-owned small bake shop, hence the name.

William Entenmann launched the brand in Brooklyn in 1898, and it later moved to Long Island. At the time, the treats were delivered via horse and carriage, and home delivery was a large part of their business.

In 1951, William died, and his three sons and wife, Martha, took over. That decade was a big one for Entenmann’s. In addition to it being the era in which Sinatra’s standing weekly coffee cake order started, the '50s was also when Entenmann’s introduced supermarket sales and debuted their notable see-through cake box that allowed people to easily peek inside. (This was Martha’s invention and one that significantly boosted sales.)

Martha Entenmann’s 1996 obituary in The New York Times celebrated her legacy as the co-founder of the company, as the one who deserves credit for the innovative box, and singled her out as not being the person to blame for the company’s "light" formula shift in the '90s.

"This is important to know: Mrs. Entenmann cannot be blamed for the current fascination with 'fat-free' baked goods. One wonders if Frank Sinatra would have been quite so obsessed with Entenmann's crumb cake—for years he had them shipped to his home in Palm Springs—if there was absolutely nothing to feel guilty about," The Times explained, clueing us in that the weekly order sometimes involved quite a bit of mileage. "Memories of coffee cakes and Bundts have much more to do with comfort and pleasure than with abstinence. I like to think Mrs. Entenmann knew that."

As far as the Crumb Coffee Cake goes, we can see why it was a hit with Sinatra. It starts with a moist and dense yellow cake and is crowned with a cinnamon-scented crumb topping as well as a light dusting of powdered sugar. (It sounds a lot like our fan-favorite Make-Ahead Sour Cream Coffee Cake!)

Sinatra is far from the only fan. Not only is his cherished Crumb Coffee Cake still available, but Entenmann’s has also expanded its crumb cake line to include single-serving cakes, mini crumb cakes, French crumb cakes, and New York-style crumb cakes.

In our deep dive into all things Entenmann’s, we discovered that the brand released a cookbook in 2011. In "Entenmann’s Big Book of Baking," Kathleen Robbins, one of the brand’s master bakers, coaches readers through how to make new recipes inspired by the brand as well as their supermarket classics. The recipes hiding inside include Banana Crunch Cake, Chocolate Cake Donuts, and (you guessed it!) Cinnamon Crumb Cake.

That means that if you’d like to follow in Sinatra’s red carpet-strolling footsteps, you can either make Entenmann’s Crumb Coffee Cake a recurring order as part of our online grocery list or you can invest in a copy of that cookbook and say you "did it my way.”