TwD ~ Kugelhopf

It's Tuesday!

That means it's time for the Tuesdays with Dorie Bake-Along.

This weeks selection? Kugelhopf!

Usually it is made in one larger (8 to 9 cup) Kugelhopf mold, but since my two molds hold 4 cups each, I used those instead and baked two smaller cakes.

For those not familiar with Kugelhopf it is a yeast-based cake. Below is a description and a little history from "Wise Geek's" internet site.

"Kugelhopf, which may also be spelled Kugelhupf, gugelhupf or kugelhoph, is a classic cake said to have originated in Austria or in the Alsace region of France.

Legend has it that Marie Antoinette, who was born in Vienna, Austria, brought the cake recipe to France upon her marriage to Louis XVI. There are some disputes regarding this, and the cake may have been introduced in France earlier. Variations of the cake are made in Germany, Switzerland, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Poland, and Hungary. It is also popular in many other countries today, including the US, UK, Australia and elsewhere.

Unlike most desserts we would term cake, kugelhopf is a yeast-risen cake, using active dry or fresh yeast instead of baking soda or baking powder. This gives the cake a slightly denser more “bready” texture, similar to the Italian panettone. Kugelhopf is also not frequently served as an after dinner dessert. Instead it’s considered more of a coffee cake that might be eaten for or with breakfast, or could be part of an afternoon snack.

There’s certainly no reason not to serve it as dessert after dinner, since it is still nicely sweet, and especially if the dinner has been relatively light.

Traditional kugelhopf is made in a round pan with a hole in the center, most often what we’d term a bundt pan, though there are heavy pans specifically made for kugelhopf.

Unlike the average bundt cake, which is often a variation of a pound cake recipe, this dessert needs time to rise due to its yeast. You can speed this process up if you have a bread machine, by setting the machine to knead and rise the dough. You’d then need to punch it down, place it in the pan in a warm area free of drafts and let it rise again prior to baking it."

I followed Dorie's recipe, using the 5-quart capacity Kitchen Aid stand mixer, rather than the 6-quart. Even so, I found that using the dough hook (as Dorie recommends) for this amount of dough proved to be worthless (there is not enough dough to make good contact to be effectively mixed with the hook), so I used the paddle instead. I also substituted plumped up currants for the raisins that Dorie suggested.

While still hot, the cake(s) are unmolded, brushed with melted butter and sprinkled with granulated sugar. I skipped the final step of dusting it with confectioner's sugar.

I thought the cake was delicious, but with all due respect for tradition and the history of this cake, considering the time and work involved, I prefer a traditional baking powder/baking soda risen cake to this style.

I'm glad I made it though, so I can say I've made Kugelhopf!