Any Swiss/Austrian/Alsatian bakers out there?

'cause you never know.

I was feeling down yesterday so I made a completely frivolous purchase at Williams-Sonoma. It is a high-quality cake mold for a traditional cake called kugelhopf. I've always wanted to try making one, but now I'm wondering if I should return it? Will it spark joy after the first time I use it? Maybe--it's kind of cool to look at, and the price was good.

Anyhow I found a decent recipe online, but was wondering if anyone else here had a tried and true family recipe, or other recommendations. I feel like this wacky compulsive shopper, but I do enjoy occasional baking and cooking challenges for my friends.

Thanks! Here's the current recipe, plus a few pics of the cake pan.

http://eatlittlebird.com/2011/.....ted-syrup/

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9 years ago

SandyG

Veteran

That recipe sounds delicious and the beautiful cookbook would be a WOW. Eye candy! Here's the practical advice: I have a similar mold for fancy pound cakes. They're heavy with fat but can stick and tear when unfolding due to the weight of the cake. I grease the mold generously and unmold in triple-slow motion. It usually works If not it gets diced and drizzled with icing -- still tastes good.

You must bake the kugelhopf and get photos of that labor of love. Just go very slowly on the final unmolding step.

carter

Can't help you with a kugelhopf, but the mould would certainly make any cake beautiful and fancy. I'm thinking lemon poundcake with lemon glaze dribbled over it:-)

L'Abeille

Yes! Keep!

I learned recently what a Bundt cake is: A German family of that name emigrated to the US, couldn't find a Kugelhupf pan anywhere, and therefore patented one under their name. So any Bundt cake recipe you find will also work.

The traditional Kugelhupf is a pound cake, less moist and crumbly so it holds up well in slices eaten by hand with coffee. Popular flavours are raisin-studded, marbled chocolate and vanilla, and chocolate with a chocolate ganache.

I also use mine for our family's favourite Christmas cake with pecans and sultanas. When I had 4 hungry kids at home and baked weekly, I modified a recipe for an oil (not butter) based pound cake that I made regularly with several variations. When I'm not supposed to be working in my garden I will try to dig it up.

Any "loaf cake" recipe will work (or is that just a Maritime label?) 2 loaf pans = 1 Kugelhupf pan your size. Just bake it slower (low and long).

rachylou

That's so interesting! Maybe Bernard will know something...looking online, I see a lot of recipes call for yeast. So kinda more bready.

P.S. I looked up the linked recipe. I've never done a yeast raised one nor do I recall eating one. Maybe that's the Alsatian version? But there's a recipe far down in the comment section for a marble cake version, with oil and baking powder, that sounds familiar. And WAY easier.

Mochi

Thanks, all! The mold was well-priced, and more importantly I have a place to store it in my pantry (next to Herr Bundt's pan, heh).

Thanks for the tip, SandyG. It would be horrible to tear the nice cake...especially since you can't hide this one under frosting.

Great idea, carter. I also saw a really awesome looking recipe for one with prunes and Armagnac. Sounds like a Thanksgiving or Christmas indulgence.

I had read that the traditional molds are ceramic and impart a quintessential crisp bite to the crust. Next time I travel to Alsace-Lorraine....Or if I get that crazed by making kugelhopfs I can probably find one online.

Yes, rachy, let's ask Bernard... : )

That's so interesting about the origin of the name, L'Abeille! And I will definitely check out that recipe. Your post is making me hungry right now.

I guess there are so many variations...but what I'd seen online was mostly recipes that were similar to a brioche, and definitely had yeast in them (rather than a pound cake). Some traditional recipes, I suppose based on the region, gave the cake a final soak in a sugar-orange blossom water syrup. (I really want to try that one first.)

It seems like this mold could really be useful! Next time I use it, I'll post here. : )

Elle

I'm not European but I've used similar kugelhopf pans for many bundt or pound cake recipes. I agree with the advice to grease and flour really well - I use melted butter and a pastry brush. To unmold, I only let it cool for 15-20 minutes, use a rubber spatula around the edges, and then put it upside down over a baking rack. If it doesn't come out easily the first time, I keep trying every 10 minutes or so. This pan will bump up the presentation enormously. Glad you are keeping.

The May issue of Saveur (the France issue) has an article and recipe. It's "The Kugelhopf of Christine Ferber" Two pages of yummy writing and and illustration.

Awesome! I love Saveur recipes and articles. Thanks for the heads-up, SandyG.

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