Baumkuchen

After reading Mimi Sheraton's chronicles of her search for Baumkuchen in the New Yorker, I was inspired to start my own quest, albeit on a much smaller scale.  Unlike the aforementioned Ms. Sheraton, I have no great history with Baumkuchen, but that is not to say that I have none.  While it may not be a fifty year saga, I have been curious about the cake since I had it in Hong Kong a few years ago (actually, it's hard to be precise about the exact location I first had the cake, because I bought it at the airport and at it on the plane probably while suspended somewhere over the Pacific).

While at the airport, I was looking for snacks at Muji, a Japanese based chain.  It had always seemed odd that my first introduction to Germany's "king of cakes" would be from a Japanese chain in a Chinese airport (Apparently Baumkuchen has been popular in Japan since 1919 because of a captured German baker who opened  bakery in Kobe).   

At Muji, they have a large selection of different flavored Baumkuchen including banana, sweet potato and corn?!  I had bought one and eaten it about midway through the flight back to Chicago.  The texture was a little more springy than a pound cake, and it had a nice mild flavor.  I spent the rest of the flight regretting not buying more and plotting ways of getting a supply to Chicago.

Since then, I have eaten the Muji version a few times since and find it a pleasant snack. I have often wondered and craved a more authentic version of the cake; perhaps not one so filtered through the lens of a store that amounts to a Japanese Gap.   And so after reading the article in the New Yorker, I set out to Lutz Cafe in Ravenswood to try a Baumkuchen made in the traditional manner, on a spit. 

Lutz Cafe is very traditional.  It's hard to describe it without using phrases like "old world" and "classic European."  They have a nice assortment of traditional cakes and harder to find pastries like Baumkuchen (sold only during Christmas).  The dining room, which apparently expanded in 1977, is a nice size, comfortable and feels a lot like 1977. 

The Baumkuchen were displayed on top of the counter.  The cakes are cut in various sizes and priced accordingly.  Baumkuchen are long and hollow and ribbed for your pleasure.  Cakes come in a few different forms: some with icing, some with chocolate, and some plain.  I opted for a plain version to taste the cake pure. 

The cake has a soft sweet flavor with a hint of carmel crust.  It's texture is fairly firm and could benefit from a touch more moisture.  But overall, still a holiday treat. 

Happy Holidays!!