Kugelhopf, seen in every bakery in Alsace, is the regional special-occasion cake par excellence. The marvelous nineteenth-century illustration by Alphonse Lévy shows how this tea cake, which he calls baba, was also revered by the Jews of Alsace. Kugel means “ball” in German, and hopf means “cake” in Alsatian. This cake is found all over Germany, Austria, Hungary, and parts of Poland. According to food historians Philip and Mary Hyman, a Kugelhopf is first mentioned in German texts in the 1730s, where it is described as a cake baked in a mold shaped like a turban. I suspect that this cake went back and forth throughout the Austro-Hungarian Empire with travelers and cooks, and possibly came back to Lorraine as baba, also a turbaned cake in its original form. Sometimes kugelhopf is raised with yeast; some later versions use baking powder. It may contain raisins, or a combination of raisins and almonds. Kugelhopf molds are as varied as the myriad recipes. You can easily find kugelhopf molds at fine kitchen-supply stores, or you can use a small-capacity Bundt pan. Be careful to watch the cake as it cooks, since baking time will vary depending on the size and material of your pan, and you do not want to let the cake dry out.
Recipe information
Yield
10 to 12 servings
Ingredients
Preparation
Step 1
Put the yeast and the milk in the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with a dough hook. When the yeast has dissolved, add the flour and salt, and mix on low speed. The dough will not come together at this point. Add the eggs, one at a time, then pour in the granulated sugar, and continue to mix on low speed for about 7 minutes.
Step 2
Add the butter bit by bit, making sure to incorporate each piece before adding the next. Increase the mixer speed to medium, and mix for 10 minutes, scraping down the bowl every 2 minutes. Transfer the dough to a clean, greased bowl, cover with plastic wrap, and let rise for 2 hours at room temperature.
Step 3
Gently punch down the dough, and incorporate the raisins.
Step 4
Butter an 8-cup kugelhopf mold or Bundt pan. Place the almonds in the crevices of the pan. Form the dough into a 20-inch log, and then lay it in a ring on top of the almonds. Cover the pan with a piece of plastic wrap, and let the dough rise for 3 hours at room temperature.
Step 5
Preheat the oven to 375 degrees, remove the wrap, and bake for 35 to 45 minutes, or until golden brown.
Step 6
When cool, unmold onto a cooling rack. Just before serving, dust with confectioners’ sugar.
