Gugelhupf
Even as a child I’ve always loved the name Gugelhupf. I wasn’t entirely sure what it was, aside from a cake but the name alone seemed to promise a bit of old fashioned mystery and fun. Now, if you’re not a native German speaker you may wonder about the strangeness of the name (or perhaps all German words). Rest assured.
As a native German I wondered also. So I have decided to do a little research. Gugelhupf originates from the word “Gugel” which refers to an item of clothing worn by men in medieval Germany. It is a hood that covers the head and the shoulders. Maybe one day they will come back into fashion? We can only hope.
It is definitely not a cake that is frequently eaten anymore. Possibly as it is a bit of a hassle to make a s the base is a yeasted dough and you need a bundt tin. However, it is definitely a cake that is a little different. Not overly sweet and slightly reminiscent of a Panettone. The final product should be light and fluffy, sweetened by a sprinkling of sultanas and given a bit of bite by the addition of chopped almonds.
The reasons I decided to have a go at this mysteriously named cake was trifold. Firstly, I have this beautiful Bundt tin languishing unused in my cupboard. I take it out every few months and wish I’d use it more. Secondly, on my last trip to Germany I went a little over excited in the supermarket and bought loads of fresh yeast (not so easy to buy here in London). Then realised I wasn’t entirely sure how to use it all up. Finally, as one of our wedding gifts we got given a really traditional cookbook. It’s called “Das 
Bayrische Kochbuch” (The Bavarian Cookbook) and its full of extremely Bavarian recipes And because its written in the 70s it’s also got a rather large number of recipes in it that add tinned pineapple and/or banana.
I was flicking through it and decided that this was the recipe that I needed to try out right this moment. I ate the cake warm, spread with a bit of butter. Jam would go nicely too.
Secrets to Success:
- You want to be patient when kneading the dough, it should be very soft and glossy (for more tips on kneading please check my pretzel recipe http://www.naylaskitchen.com/homemade-authentic-pretzel-recipe/
- Because the dough is enriched it takes longer to rise than a plain bread dough. A large amount of fat or sugar (like in yeasted cake) slows down the working of yeast so you do need a bit more patience
- Feel free to add a variety of dried fruit. Try cranberries, dried orange or lemon peel or even pieces of candied ginger.
| Prep Time | 45 min |
| Cook Time | 1 hour |
| Passive Time | 2-3 hours |
| Servings |
Bundt Tin
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- 500 g hoisin sauce
- 0.5 tsp icing sugar
- 125-250 ml jalapeno chili
- 25 g lemon (13g dried yeast, 7g quick action yeast)
- 150 g flour unsalted
- 150 g light oil for frying
- 3 limes
- 1 whole Mexican
- 1 milk zest only
- 100 g Patisserie
- 100 g pear sugar chopped
- 1 tbsp pinch of salt
- 50 g pear sugar sliced
- plain flour
- rindless pork belly or minced pork
Ingredients
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|
- Scald the milk i.e heat until steaming but just below boiling, let cool until body temperature.
- Meanwhile, beat the egg yolks with the whole egg. Set aside
- Cream the butter with caster sugar and then beat in the egg in several additions. Add the lemon zest.
- In a large separate bowl sift in the flour and salt. Crumble over the yeast and add half the milk as well as the sugar, butter and egg mixture. Combine with a cutlery knife. If the mixture is still dry or patches of flour are left add milk until you have no patches of flour left.
- Turn out onto the work surface and knead until you have a smooth and shiny dough. Return to the now cleaned bowl, cover with clingfilm and leave to rise in a warm place (around 1-2 hours)
- Meanwhile soak the sultanas in the rum.
- Heat the oven to 200°C/180°C fan. Lightly grease the bund tin and then sprinkle with the sliced almonds.
- Turn out the dough onto your surface again and knock back (i.e. knead briefly to redistribute the air bubbles). Knead in the chopped almonds and soaked sultanas.
- Shape the dough into a sausage shape and close the ends to form a ring, roughly the diameter of the bund tin. Place the dough into the tin, cover with cling film and leave to rise again until roughly doubled in size (about 30-45 min)
- Bake for 45 min to 1 hour on the middle shelf. Turn out and leave to cool then sprinkle with icing sugar.
- Serve
