thumb|right|300px|Baumkuchen, with characteristic circular tree ring markings
Baumkuchen () is a kind of spit cake from German cuisine. It is also a popular dessert in Japan. The characteristic rings that appear in its slices resemble tree rings, and give the cake its German name, Baumkuchen, which literally translates to "tree cake" or "log cake".
History
Its prototype is thought to have been an ancient Greek pastry called obelias (Ancient Greek: οβελίας, romanized: ovelías, lit. 'skewer', 'spit stick', 'rotisserie stick'); it got this name from the method of baking, made by wrapping and baking the dough around a wooden stick, an "obelisks" (spits), as it was rotated over the fire (see also Souvla), and because it was sold for an obol (όβολο; a small value coin).
Other theories suggest that Baumkuchen began as a Hungarian wedding cake, or that it was invented by German bakers in the town of Salzwedel. Marx Rumpolt had previously worked as a chef in Hungary and Bohemia.
Characteristics
right|thumb|Baumkuchen baked on a spit. The baker is adding a chocolate coating to the outside of the finished cake.
Traditionally, Baumkuchen is made on a spit by brushing on even layers of batter and then rotating the spit around a heat source. Each layer is allowed to brown before a new layer of batter is poured. When the cake is removed and sliced, each layer is divided from the next by a golden line, resembling the growth rings in a tree cross-section. A typical Baumkuchen is made up of 15 to 20 layers of batter. However, the layering process for making Baumkuchen can continue until the cakes are quite large. Skilled pastry chefs have been known to create cakes with 25 layers and weighing over .
Baumkuchen ingredients are typically butter, eggs, sugar, vanilla, salt, and flour. Baking powder is not considered a traditional ingredient. The ratio of flour, butter and eggs is typically 1:1:2 respectively (i.e., 100 grams of flour, 100 grams of butter and 200 grams of eggs). The recipe can be varied by adding other ingredients, such as ground nuts, honey, marzipan, nougat, and rum or brandy, to the batter or filling. where it is called . It is a popular return present in Japan for wedding guests because of its ring shape. The shape is connected to tree rings, which symbolises longevity and prosperity in Japan.
It was first introduced to Japan by the German Karl Joseph Wilhelm Juchheim. Juchheim was in the Chinese city of Qingdao during World War I, and British and Japanese forces began the Siege of Qingdao. Karl served as a private in the Landsturm. After the fall of Qingdao, Karl was sent to prisoner-of-war camps in Japan. After the war, Juchheim started making and selling the traditional confection at a German exhibition in Hiroshima in 1919. He might have baked Japan's first Baumkuchen before the exhibition on Ninoshima. Continued success allowed him to move to Yokohama and open a bakery-store, but it was destroyed in the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, thus forcing him to move his operations to Kobe, where he stayed until the end of World War II. Some years later, his wife returned to help a Japanese company open a chain of bakeries under the Juchheim name that further helped spread Baumkuchen's popularity in Japan and is still in operation.
See also
- Layer cake
- Šakotis – traditional Lithuanian spit cake
- Bolo de rolo – Brazilian cake with similarly thin layers, rolled instead
References
fr:Gâteau à la broche