This Strawberry and Grape Coffee Cake has a little bit of almond meal in the batter and sliced almonds in the crumb topping, bring it to the next level! (Jump directly to the recipe.)

There?s a saying that gay breakfast is actually just brunch. Ok, I?m not sure if that?s really a saying or I just made that up. But what is NOT made up is that fact that gay men LOVE brunch. I?m not sure why it?s a thing. But it is, and as a gay man, I have to admit, I fall into this stereotype. HARD.

That said, I rarely have a chance to host brunch at my place because I live in a tiny one-bedroom apartment with my partner AJ. We love it here, but it?s also EXTREMELY small and hence, makes it difficult for us to entertain. Which is sad because I love to cook and entertain.
So when my friend Betsy asked me if I wanted to come over and do a personal photo project with her on the topic of breakfast and brunch I was ALL. IN. Betsy is an amazing food stylist, and I?ve been wanting to work with her forever. She makes everything look gorgeous and my favorite thing in the world is to work with talented people and learn from them. So, I got my butt in gear and drove over to Oakland to her awesome home, and shot for most of the day, making magic with all her props and beautiful food.

Of course, before I did that, I baked up a storm, making scones, muffins, morning buns, kouigns amann, and a coffee cake because I was in charge of sweets (she provided the savory side of things). And since she?s a pro...