Gugelhupf - Classic German Bundt Cake

Ingredients

As I mentioned earlier, this basic bundt cake recipe uses a stirred yeast dough, which is quite similar to a sponge 😉. The dough needs to rise properly before baking—this happens directly in the buttered pan, which is sprinkled with almond flakes beforehand.

For a moist and fluffy cake, I recommend using double-grain flour, Viennese semolina flour, or type 550 flour. That said, it works well with standard all-purpose flour or light spelt flour too. Our favorite way to enjoy this bundt cake is with raisins. If you're not a fan of raisins, feel free to leave them out or swap them for other dried fruits like cranberries, chopped apricots, or cherries.

Recipe Recommendation

Almond Bundt Cake

Easy recipe for a deliciously moist bundt cake with almonds that stays fresh or freezes well.

Check out this recipe!

Wondering if you can make yeast bundt cake with dry yeast? Absolutely! Like with any yeast dough, you can substitute dry yeast. Instead of 30g of fresh yeast, use about 10g or 1.5 sachets of dry yeast. That said, I still prefer fresh yeast whenever possible.

How to Make the Gugelhupf

Let’s get started with grandma's basic bundt cake recipe: Pour the juice or rum over the raisins. Then, crumble the yeast with a bit of sugar into the lukewarm milk and stir until it dissolves. Let it stand for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, grease the pan(s) and sprinkle the bottom with flaked almonds. This recipe makes enough for a large pan (at least 9.5 in/24 cm in diameter) or two smaller ones. Next, beat the softened butter with the remaining sugar until fluffy, then add the eggs one by one, mixing well. Add the flour along with the yeast mixture, and mix everything to form a smooth dough.

Next, dust the raisins with a little flour and gently fold them into the dough. Pour the dough into the prepared pan(s) and let it rise in a warm place for 1 to 1.5 hours, until it has doubled in size. Finally, preheat your oven to 360°F/180°C and bake the bundt cake for about 45 minutes. If necessary, cover the cake towards the end of the baking time to prevent over-browning. For smaller pans, bake for 35-40 minutes. Once baked, let the cake cool completely before generously dusting it with powdered sugar.

Top Tip

Unlike sponge-based cakes, yeast-risen cakes are best enjoyed fresh. However, they also freeze beautifully if needed. But truth be told, there probably won't be much left to freeze... 😉

Recipe Card

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5 from 3 votes

Classic Gugelhupf (German Bundt Cake Recipe)

An extremely popular German classic made with stirred yeast dough. Grandma's easy Gugelhupf with almonds and raisins turns out wonderfully fluffy and moist!

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Baking Time40 minutes mins

Waiting Time1 hour hr

Servings: 1 large cake

Calories: 275kcal

Ingredients

1x2x3x

• 30 grams (2 tablespoons) fresh yeast
• 20 grams (1 ¾ tablespoons) sugar
• 250 milliliters (1 cup) milk, lukewarm
• 150 grams (¾ cup) butter, soft
• 120 grams (⅔ cup) sugar
• 3 eggs, medium
• 500 grams (4 cups) all-purpose flour, preferably type 550 or double wheat flour
• 100 grams (¾ cup) raisins
• 1 tablespoon apple juice, or rum
• 50 grams (3 ½ tablespoons) almond flakes
• powdered sugar, for dusting

Instructions

• Pour the juice or rum over the raisins. Crumble the yeast with the sugar into the lukewarm milk and stir until it dissolves. Let stand for 5 minutes. Meanwhile, grease the pan(s) and sprinkle the bottom with the flaked almonds. The dough is enough for a large pan at least 9.5 in/ 24 cm in diameter or two small ones.
• Beat the softened butter with the remaining sugar until fluffy, add the eggs one by one and mix well. Add the flour with the yeast water to the mixture. Mix everything together to form a smooth dough.
• Dust the raisins with a bit of flour and gently fold them into the dough. Put the dough into the prepared pan(s) and let it rise in a warm place for 1-1.5 hours until it has about doubled volume.
• Preheat oven to 360°F/180°C. Bake Gugelhupf for about 45 minutes; cover towards the end if necessary. Tiny pans only need about 35-40 minutes. Let cool and dust with plenty of powdered sugar.

Notes

• The recipe is sufficient for one large or two small baking pans.

Ingredient substitutions

Do you want to replace some ingredients? Here you find tips for baking ingredient substitutions!

Variations

Looking for more basic recipes? You'll definitely find something you love on my blog. How about my basic cupcakes or basic muffins? Or try the basic German buttercream recipe!