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Gugelhupf is a sweet, ring-shaped bread/cake made with yeast, eggs, flour, and butter, often served with coffee. It can be baked in a glazed ceramic or cast iron pan, or a bundt pan. Variations include adding raisins, candied fruit, or nuts. It is a popular dessert in Germany and Austria, and is often served at Christmas and other celebrations.
A rich buttery bread, gugelhupf is a sweet dessert that turns a rich mahogany when baked. Though most often thought of as a cake, gugelhupf is technically a bread. It is often served alongside a strong cup of coffee.
Cooked in a skillet-like pan, gugelhupf is ring-shaped. Gugelhupf pans are traditionally made from glazed ceramics, where the pan is often created from cast iron. The lightweight enamel pan is often easier for a baker to work with; however, many people who don’t have a true gugelhupf pan will simply substitute a bundt pan, as both pans produce the unique ring shape.
The ring-shaped bread is also called napfkuchen, bundkuchen, aschkuchen or rodonkuchen, depending on the region of Germany where it is served. Although the names are different, the ingredients of the bread are essentially the same. Yeast, eggs, flour and butter are the basic ingredients of most recipes. Further flavors depend on the taste of the baker. When the cake has cooled, it is usually dusted with icing sugar or covered in a chocolate glaze.
Gugelhupf is a leavened bread, using yeast to leaven it rather than baking powder like some quick breads. Raisins are often added to bread dough before baking. Sometimes candied fruit, such as lemons or oranges and nuts are also added.
Although most often considered a German dessert, gugelhupf was chosen as Austria’s signature food for Cafe Europa. Cafe Europe, an event held on 9 May 2006, offered a cultural initiative that encouraged people to learn about the different cultures of the European nation. Gugelhupf was served in those cafes that participated in the event, which was held throughout Europe.
The name gugelhupf comes from a combination of two German words, gugel meaning round or spherical, and hupf meaning head. The turban-shaped cake makes it a popular choice for serving at Christmas, as it’s the same shape as the turbans the three wise men might have worn. With its festive ring shape, the cake is served at many different celebrations. Often the center of the ring is filled with flowers or candy or any number of other things that represent why the cake is being served.
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