Kugelhopf is a leavened cake originating from Austria or the Alsace region of France, made with yeast instead of baking soda or baking powder. It is often eaten for breakfast or as an afternoon snack and can have raisins or currants mixed in. It is similar to brioche but not as rich.
Kugelhopf, which can also be spelled Kugelhupf, gugelhupf, or kugelhoph, is a classic dessert said to have originated in Austria or the Alsace region of France. Legend has it that Marie Antoinette, born in Vienna, Austria, brought the cake recipe to France after her marriage to Louis XVI. There is some controversy regarding this and the cake may have been introduced to France earlier. Variations of the cake are made in Germany, Switzerland, Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Poland and Hungary. Today it is also popular in many other countries, including the United States, the United Kingdom, Australia and elsewhere.
Unlike most desserts we’d call cake, kugelhopf is a leavened cake, using active dry or fresh yeast instead of baking soda or baking powder. This gives the cake a slightly denser “already” texture, similar to Italian panettone. Kugelhopf is also not often served as an after-dinner dessert. Instead it is considered more of a coffee cake that could be eaten for or with breakfast or could be part of an afternoon snack. There’s no reason not to serve it as an after-dinner dessert, as it’s still pleasantly sweet, and especially if dinner has been relatively light.
The traditional kugelhopf is made in a round pan with a hole in the center, most often what we would call a bundt pan, although there are heavy pans specifically made for kugelhopf. Unlike medium bundt cake, which is often a variation of a pound cake recipe, this dessert needs time to rise due to its yeastiness. You can speed up this process if you have a bread maker, by setting the machine to knead and lift the dough. You should then punch it, place it in the pan in a warm draft-free area, and let it rise again before baking.
The inside of kugelhopf can have a layer of raisins or currants all together in the center. Alternatively, currants, and sometimes nuts, may be mixed in when kneading. Some versions add a small amount of spice, such as cinnamon. When the cake is baked and not moulded, it can be given a light dusting of icing sugar. Some add plain vanilla or cinnamon frosting to make the cake a little sweeter.
Some chefs compare kugelhopf to a brioche, as the recipe for the dough contains some milk, egg, and butter. It is generally not as rich as brioche, although it can vary from recipe to recipe. If you really want to be authentic, you should stuff the raisins by dipping them in a little kirshwasser (cherry brandy). Plain water will also work if you don’t want the alcohol or are serving cake to children.
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