The name Baumkuchen comes from two German words: Baum meaning tree and Kuchen meaning cake. It is said that the first written Baumkuchen recipe was found in a cookbook dating back to around 1426.

In 1841 King Friedrich Wilhelm visited the German town of Salzwedel and the locals put on a feast in his honour. They served Baumkuchen at the feast, and the king enjoyed the cake so much that he asked to take the leftovers home for his wife.

Baumkuchen has since been known as ‘Cake for Kings’ or the ‘King of Cakes’!

It takes skill and patience to bake layer after layer of our exclusive sponge cake mix on a rotating spit. The end result is a cake with a myriad of thin layers that, when cut across, resemble the many age rings of a tree trunk.

Baumkuchen is also famous in Eastern European countries. Over time the cake has slightly changed its appearance depending on the country where it is made, however the technique used is the same unique way of baking on a spit.

The flavour, texture and appearance of a Baumkuchen is exclusive to its kind, and it is in fact still a significant part of any aspiring Master Pastry Chef’s repertoire in Germany.