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Gugelhupf - Classic German Bundt Cake

Written by Kathrin (2 Comments)

Grandma's traditional yeast-risen bundt cake always tastes good! And with this recipe, baking the fluffy pastry is a breeze.

basic-recipe-for-german-bundt-cake

Hello everyone. This traditional bundt cake made with yeast dough is wonderfully fluffy, buttery, and fluffy - yay for all the classics! Even though it's neither an unusual nor hip cake, every baking household should have a classic recipe for Gugelhupf (or Kugelhopf). I'll share mine with you in this post.

Jump to:
  • Taste and Occasion
  • Ingredients
  • How to make the Gugelhupf
  • Top Tip
  • Recipe Card
  • Variations
  • Nutrition
  • Reviews

Taste and Occasion

Before the classic Gugelhupf recipe, a brief explanation of the terminology. You see, it's a bit confusing. By "Gugelhupf" everyone understands something different: Some mean the shape of the pastry, which is baked in a high cupcake or wreath cake form. Sometimes it's a marble cake, sometimes a lemon cake, sometimes an eggnog cake. The others have a narrower definition. And in fact, the original Gugelhupf is made with yeast and not at all with a sponge.

While we call it a Gugelhupf in Germany, you might know it as a bundt cake or a Kogelhopf. But in the end, they all mean the same. So I'll just call it a Gugelhupf 😉

Grandma's bundt cake tastes lovely. It is made of a comparatively lush, in my case stirred, yeast dough and is not too sweet. Because of that, the thick layer of powdered sugar is very, very important. For those unfamiliar with the classic, it's best thought of as a cross between regular braided bread, oven-baked yeast dumplings, and french brioche. It's not difficult to prepare - despite the dough sometimes being reputed to be complicated.

grandmas-bundt-cake-recipe

Ingredients

Check out my other similar recipes!
  • German Bee Sting Cake
  • Lemon Poppy Seed Cake
  • The Best Chocolate Marble Cake Recipe
  • Grandma's Easy Shortbread Biscuits

As mentioned before, you make my basic Gugelhupf recipe with a yeast dough that is stirred instead of kneaded. So it goes a bit in the direction of sponge 😉 … Of course, it has to rise properly before baking - not in the bowl, but from the beginning directly in the pan that is buttered before and sprinkled with almond flakes.

To make the yeast dough Gugelhupf moist and fluffy, I like to use double-grain flour or Viennese semolina flour or type 550 flour, but in principle, it also works with standard white flour or light spelt flour. Our favorite way to eat Gugelhupf is with raisins. If you can't stand raisins, leave them out or replace them with other dried fruits, some cranberries, chopped apricots, or cherries.

In case you're wondering if you can bake yeast Gugelhupf with dry yeast: Sure, just like any yeast dough. So instead of 30g of yeast, use about 10g or 1.5 sachets of dry yeast. I still advise using fresh yeast.

bundt-cake-gugelhupf-recipe

How to make the Gugelhupf

Let's get started with grandma's basic Gugelhupf: Pour the juice or the rum over the raisins. Then, 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. Now, 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 and mix everything together to form a smooth dough.

Recipe Recommendation

German Bee Sting Cake

Incredibly delicious classic: this fluffy bee sting made from yeast dough is filled with a custard cream, but it also tastes great without the filling as an especially quick alternative.

Now it's time to 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 to 1.5 hours until it has about doubled volume.

Finally, preheat the oven to 360°F/180°C and bake your Gugelhupf for about 45 minutes. Cover towards the end if necessary. Attention: with a tiny pan, you only need about 35-40 minutes. Let cool and dust with plenty of powdered sugar.

german-bundt-cake

Top Tip

Unlike the alternatives made from sponge dough, you should eat yeast-risen cake fresh. Or freeze them - this works wonderfully. But in most cases, there should be hardly anything left anyway…

basic-gugelhupf-recipe

Recipe Card

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5 from 1 vote

Classic Gugelhupf (German Bundt Cake Recipe)

An extremely popular classic made with stirred yeast dough. Grandma's easy Gugelhupf with almonds and raisins turns out wonderfully fluffy and moist! The recipe is also great to vary.
Prep Time15 mins
Baking Time40 mins
Waiting Time1 hr
Servings: 1 large cake
Calories: 275kcal

Ingredients

  • 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) wheat 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 enough 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!
Grandma's traditional yeast-risen bundt cake always tastes good! And with this recipe, baking the fluffy pastry is a breeze.Grandma's traditional yeast-risen bundt cake always tastes good! And with this recipe, baking the fluffy pastry is a breeze.Grandma's traditional yeast-risen bundt cake always tastes good! And with this recipe, baking the fluffy pastry is a breeze.Grandma's traditional yeast-risen bundt cake always tastes good! And with this recipe, baking the fluffy pastry is a breeze.Grandma's traditional yeast-risen bundt cake always tastes good! And with this recipe, baking the fluffy pastry is a breeze.Grandma's traditional yeast-risen bundt cake always tastes good! And with this recipe, baking the fluffy pastry is a breeze.

Variations

Are you looking for more basic recipes? Then you will definitely find what you are looking for on my blog. How about my basic cupcakes or basic muffins? Or the basic german buttercream recipe?

Nutrition

Nutrition Facts
Classic Gugelhupf (German Bundt Cake Recipe)
Amount Per Serving
Calories 275 Calories from Fat 99
% Daily Value*
Fat 11g17%
Saturated Fat 6g38%
Trans Fat 1g
Polyunsaturated Fat 1g
Monounsaturated Fat 3g
Cholesterol 52mg17%
Sodium 88mg4%
Potassium 154mg4%
Carbohydrates 39g13%
Fiber 2g8%
Sugar 10g11%
Protein 6g12%
Vitamin A 304IU6%
Vitamin C 1mg1%
Calcium 40mg4%
Iron 2mg11%
* Percent Daily Values are based on a 2000 calorie diet.

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    It's like a little miracle to me every time. Seemingly simple ingredients are made into something that can brighten up your life. Butter, sugar, eggs, and flour melt into an airy biscuit, a fine tart, a juicy cake, or a crispy biscuit. Baking simply makes you happy. Welcome and enjoy our blog!

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Reader Interactions

Comments

  1. Ernestine Jenny Lawrence

    June 11, 2020 at 12:34 am

    Loved making this cake in Mum's traditional tin, however I think it was a little dry and not as good as I remember Mum's to be. Any ideas what I may have done wrong or how to make it more moist?

    Reply
    • jan

      June 12, 2020 at 4:32 pm

      Dear Ernestine
      sorry to hear that - usually it gets moister if you reduce the baking time, or you use 1-2 additional spoons of butter.
      Best
      Jan

      Reply

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Hi, we're Kathrin & Jan!

It's like a little miracle to me every time. Seemingly simple ingredients are made into something that can brighten up your life. Butter, sugar, eggs, and flour melt into an airy biscuit, a fine tart, a juicy cake, or a crispy biscuit. Baking is what makes us happy.

Welcome and enjoy our blog!
Learn more about us. →

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