Kugelhopf or Gugelhupf is a traditional dessert from countries such as Germany, Austria, Alsace, Bohemia and Switzerland. It is a type of sponge cake which is baked in a Bundt cake tin. The result is a tall ringed shape cake which resembles a crown or turban.

The recipe that we’re bringing you today is a Saffron Kugelhopf from the Argentine pastry chef Osvaldo Gross.

Ingredients

4-5 saffron strands

120 ml warm milk

300 g softened butter

300 g white sugar

1 pinch of salt

2 tablespoons honey

5 eggs

500 g pastry flour

20 g baking powder

Icing sugar

Preparation

Choose the Bundt cake tin that you prefer, grease with melted butter and line with greaseproof paper. Set aside in the refrigerator.

Add 4-5 saffron strands to the 120 ml lukewarm milk and stir.

Mix the white sugar, softened butter, add a pinch of salt, two tablespoons of honey and beat using a mixer at high speed until the mixture turns white.

Stir the 5 eggs one at a time, beating at low speed.

Sieve the pastry flour with the baking powder and fold into the mixture. Pour the saffron milk and stir.

Preheat the oven to 175ºC.

Remove the cake tin from the refrigerator and pour in the cake mixture.

Bake at 175ºC for 55-60 minutes, depending on the oven.

Once the cake is done, remove from the oven and leave it to cool in the cake tin before turning it out.

When turned out from the cake tin, and completely cool dust with icing sugar and garnish with 2 saffron strands.

As you can imagine, there are as many Kugelhopf recipes as there are pastry chefs in the world. This is the Osvaldo Gross’s version of this traditional dessert from the countries which made up the former Central Europe. You can add nuts, raisins, red fruits … make it your own!