Cookbooks flood the market every season, offering endless themes and global flavors. While a famous name or a coveted Michelin star helps a title stand out, the most enduring books often rely on something deeper: a genuine connection to the reader through storytelling.
Mary Schoenlein, the creative force behind the sorely missed East Hampton shop Mary’s Marvelous, understands this well. For years, she has shared her journey with Southforker readers as a frequent recipe contributor to “Cook This Now” with the recipes that made her shop a local institution. Schoenlein is, indeed, working toward her own tome based on her time in the kitchen — but for her, it’s more than just a collection of recipes. It’s the stories behind those ingredients and measurements that are just as compelling as the final delicious result from the oven.
As part of her process in recording and meting out a lifetime of recipes, Mary turned to Substack—the online platform that allows creators to build communities and share work directly with subscribers.
“It has become a digital kitchen for me,” Mary explains. “When I ran the shop, I rarely had time to linger. Now, I can finally tell the stories about the cooks, books, ingredients and places that shaped me. It gives me space to explore what truly feeds us beyond what sits on the plate.”
For Mary, this transition feels like a natural next chapter. This week, we are proud to share an excerpt from her latest story, which connects her famous sour cream coffee cake to her childhood in Bermuda. Below is a first-time excerpt to whet both your imagination and appetite:
Kites and Coffee Cake
When I think of Easter, my mind goes straight to Bermuda. I don’t think of formal meals or elaborate spreads, but rather the vivid traditions that defined the day: Good Friday codfish cakes—golden, crisp-edged, and soft within—and the new Easter outfits my grandfather shipped from New York, hats included.
Most of all, I remember the kites.
In Bermuda, people know Good Friday as “Kite Day.” Islanders carry handmade kites, built from slender wooden sticks and brilliant tissue paper, to beaches, rooftops, and hillsides. By late morning, the sky fills with color. Kites dip and pull, their long tails swaying through the air. You can still hear the unmistakable rip and hum of the wind catching the paper—all that vibrant color suspended over Bermuda’s blue-green water.
I loved it as a child. It was pure, unmistakable joy. That feeling of fresh air and homemade celebration stayed with me.
At Mary’s Marvelous, our Sour Cream Coffee Cake became part of that same rhythm. It remained a constant on the counter for twenty years. Buttery, tender, and layered with cinnamon and walnuts, its aroma drifted from the shop out onto the street.
We mixed the batter by hand and baked it in large loaf pans, five at a time. Customers knew to ask for thick slices, and regulars always had their preferences—the crunchy end pieces, the moist center cuts, or a whole cake to take home. The cake eventually found its way into our family traditions, too; my husband Pat’s grandmother had her own version, and a variation of this cake still appears on his cousin’s Easter table today.
When you make this coffee cake at home, a few small details make the difference:
- Use full-fat sour cream for its richness and tenderness.
- Mix the batter just until it comes together to keep the crumb light.
- Be generous with the cinnamon and walnuts—you want a distinct ribbon running through every single slice.
Let it cool, then slice it thick.
Mary Schoenlein’s Sour Cream Coffee Cake
Ingredients
For the batter:
- 1/2 lb (2 sticks) unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 cup sour cream
- 2 eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking powder
- 1 tsp salt
For the topping/swirl:
- 1 cup walnuts
- 2 tbsp dark brown sugar
- 2 tbsp cinnamon
Directions
- Preheat your oven to 350°F. Butter and flour a 10-inch springform or tube pan to ensure easy release.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the melted butter, granulated sugar, eggs, sour cream, and vanilla extract. Mix until well combined.
- In a separate bowl, stir together the flour, baking powder, and salt.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Stir just until combined; do not overmix.
- In a small bowl, combine the finely chopped walnuts, dark brown sugar, and cinnamon.
- Spread one-third of the batter into the bottom of the prepared pan and sprinkle with one-third of the walnut topping. Repeat this process two more times, finishing with the remaining topping spread evenly across the top.
- Place in the center of the oven and bake for about 1 hour. The cake is done when a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean.
- Allow the cake to cool in the pan. Run a sharp knife along the sides to release it before opening the springform.
