Gugelhupf – Kugelhopf
This Gugelhupf or Kugelhopf is a traditional German sweet bread that is often served for breakfast or afternoon tea with coffee for dunking.
This specialty yeast bread is made in a special bundt pan (gugelhupf pan). It is generally narrower and taller than a traditional 10 inch diameter bundt pan.
There is a lot of dough, so it may not fit into a traditional US bundt cake pan. You may need to make 2 breads. One in the bundt pan and another in a bread pan.
Mine belonged to my grandmother in Heidelberg, Germany. The pans are difficult to find in the US so if you don’t own one, just use a regular bundt cake pan.
It is very easy for a yeast dough because there is no kneading. It can be made by hand or with a dough hook on your mixer.
Traditional Guglehupf usually contains dried fruits and nuts. This one calls for golden raisins and walnuts, although you can substitute raisins and almonds.
This cake is popular in parts of Switzerland, France, Austria and Germany. It goes by several names with different spelling. Gugelhopf, Gugelhopf, Kugelhopf or Bundt Kuchen.
As with many vintage recipes, there is some debate about where the recipe originated. Some attribute it to Marie Antoinette, others to Kaiser Franz Joseph
Different areas of these countries will put their own spins on them too. Some of them aren’t yeast bread, they use baking powder as a leavener.
What you need
- flour – regular, plain flour is fine.
- salt
- milk
- yeast
- butter
- sugar
- eggs
- lemon rind / lemon zest
- golden raisins
- walnut halves – or sprinkle walnut pieces in the bottom of the bundt pan.
- powdered sugar / icing sugar
How to make it
Step One
Add butter, 1 tablespoon of flour and 1 tablespoon of sugar with 1 of the eggs.
Let it rest 5 minutes.
Step Two
Measure 4 cups of the flour into large mixing bowl, add salt. Set aside.
Step Three
Let rest for 5 minutes.
Step Four
Grate lemon rind. Set aside.
Step Five
After the butter mixture has rested 5 minutes, add the 1/2 cup sugar, the other cup of flour and the other two eggs.
Step Six
Combine well.
Step Seven
Add yeast to warm milk. Let it bloom 5 minutes.
Step Eight
Add the milk and yeast to the 4 cups of flour and salt.
Step Nine
Mix well with wooden spoon.
Step Ten
Add the butter mixture to the yeast mixture and mix well.
Mix in lemon rind and raisins.
Step Eleven
Mix everything together well.
You can see once the egg mixture is added. The dough is very wet. This is normal.
Spoon dough into greased and floured gugelhupf pan. No need to level off. Place a clean kitchen towel over the pan. Let dough rise for about 90 minutes in a warm place.
Bake at 350°F for about one hour, until bread is golden brown. Internal temperature of bread should be 190°F.
Note: If using a US bundt pan, only fill the pan 2/3 full. If you have more dough, place it in a bread pan. Bread freezes well for at least three months.
You can also knock on the top of the bread with a knuckle, as you would knock on a door. If the bread is done, it will sound hollow.
If bread is browning too much on the top, loosely cover with aluminum foil.
Serve bread with coffee or tea for dunking. If you’re fond of seasonal ethnic cakes, try this Simnel Cake. It’s topped with marzipan and traditional for Mother’s day and Easter in the UK.
Other delicious German treats
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Enjoy. And have fun cooking!
Gugelhupf or Kugelhopf
Ingredients
- 5 cups about 5 cups flour (625 gr.)
- 1 1/2 teaspoons Salt (6 gr.)
- 1 1/3 cups Milk (1/3 liter)
- 1 active dry yeast (30 gr. )
- 1/2 cup Butter (100 gr. )
- 1/2 cup plus 1 tablespoon sugar (100 gr.)
- 3 egg
- 1/4 of a lemon rind , grated
- 1/2 cup golden raisins (50gr.)
- 8 10 walnut halves
Instructions
- Take butter out of refrigerator and let it get to room temperature.
- Grease and flour Bundt Cake pan.
- Arrange walnut halves in bottom of pan, cut half of the walnut should face up.
- Measure 4 cups of the flour into large mixing bowl, add salt. Set aside.
- Mix the butter, 1 tablespoon of flour and 1 tablespoon of sugar with 1 of the eggs. Let rest for 5 minutes.
- Place milk on very low burner, in a small saucepan. Milk MUST be warm, between 100 and 110°F! If the milk is too hot, the yeast may be killed; if the milk is too cold, it won’t activate.
- Grate lemon rind and measure raisins, set aside.
- After the butter mixture has rested 5 minutes, add the 1/2 cup sugar, the other cup of flour and the other two eggs.
- Check milk temperature,when it’s at the proper temperature stir in yeast .
- Add the milk and yeast to the 4 cups of flour and salt and mix well with wooden spoon.
- Add the butter mixture to the yeast mixture and mix well (this bread dough is very moist so unlike other breads, it is not kneaded!)
- Mix in lemon rind and raisins.
- Spoon into prepared pan, as evenly as possible. Cover with a clean kitchen towel and let rise in a warm place until almost to the top of the pan. With original yeast, 1 1/2 to 2 hours. With Rapid rise yeast, about 1 hour.
- Bake at 350 about one hour until golden brown (cover with foil if it gets too brown). I rap the bread with my knuckle, if the bread sounds hollow, it’s done.
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Nutrition
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Originally Published December 29,2014. Updated September 5, 2022
I love traditional recipes ….. the connect they have with the past and the stories that come with them. This looks fantastic!
Yes, vintage recipes are fun to keep alive! Thank you Cleo!
That looks so scrumptious!! My grandmother used to make something just like it! I can still taste it in my memory, to this day! Great recipe Beth!
Thanks so much, Elaine! Your comments are always greatly appreciated! When we finally get a chance to visit each other, I will make you one!
I’d have loved to have been at your house for Christmas! Everything looked so good, especially the bread!
Thank you so much, Amy! Come on over any time!
Oh wow, it has yeast! I would never have guessed. Sounds delicious!
Yes, it’s really very good, as you can imagine!
I love Bundt cake! Can’t wait to make it again next Christmas!
It’s slightly different than the bundt cakes we are used to in the US.
Great Gugelhopf recipe Beth, must absolutely try it, specially as my husband likes cake so much but I need to take care of his diabetes, thanks for sharing!
Thank you, Patty! This recipe only has a bit of sugar compared to the flour!! Just 100g as opposed to 625g of flour.
I bet he loved it! It looks super yummy – and I love that it’s not a sweet bread!
He said it was the best one yet, but he says that every year! 🙂
It has been years since I’ve had this! Looks delicious and adding it to my save for later recipes. This is so yummy any time of the day, but love it as an afternoon snack with a coffee.
It’s great with coffee! My Dad used to dunk it in his coffee! Thank you Serena!
Perfect Gugelhopf recipe! Exactly what I was looking for. I omitted the raisins out of personal preference, but otherwise made it as written, and I wouldn’t change a thing. I was trying out recipes to use in a lamb mold for our Easter breakfast, but this is the first thing I made and I don’t feel the need to look further. Thank you!
Aww! Thank you so much, Helena! That makes my day! I am so glad you like it! My dad’s all time favorite! Have a wonderful Easter!
Delicious ???? not too sweet. Good for breakfast, snack or dessert!!
Thanks Donna! We do like not too sweet breads for breakfast, don’t we?