Baumkuchen
Keep going, and watch the heat of this layer
Brought to you by the Tarot Train
Spread a thin layer of batter, roll it up, then add another. The cake slowly thickens; only when sliced do its alternating rings appear. Our version uses a frying pan, bringing this fragrant egg-and-milk cake into a home kitchen.
Baumkuchen comes from Germany, where it is traditionally baked layer by layer around a rotating spit. Its journey to Japan crossed borders: in 1919, German pastry chef Karl Juchheim, a prisoner of war in Japan during the First World War, presented it at an exhibition in Hiroshima. This is regarded as an important starting point for its spread in Japan.
Figures surround the wheel in the traditional Wheel of Fortune card, suggesting life's rises, falls and changing phases. Some turns give warning; others arrive suddenly. We bring experience into new circumstances and sometimes find that familiar methods no longer fit.
With baumkuchen, each completed layer invites another look. Is the pan hot enough? Is the batter even? What should change for the next layer? The steps repeat, but your judgment keeps moving.
If life's rhythm has changed, notice which conditions are different. What still works in your old plans, and what needs another approach? A good run need not mean constant acceleration; one setback need not define the whole journey. Attend to this layer and let the next ring form at the right heat.
Recipe overview
What you’ll need
All-purpose flour, baking powder, eggs, icing sugar, milk, butter, honey, cooking oil
Steps
- 01
Whip egg whites, adding icing sugar gradually. Fold in yolks, then sifted flour and baking powder.
- 02
Warm milk, butter and honey together. Mix in a little batter, then fold back into the remaining batter.
- 03
Lightly oil a frying pan and cook a thin first layer. Roll it around a core wrapped in baking parchment.
- 04
Cook more thin layers, returning the roll to the pan and rolling it larger each time. Cool, remove the core and slice.