This is one of those cakes claimed by a few different countries – in this case, Austria, Germany and Switzerland. All have their own take on this classic spiced, fruity, yeasted cake. It featured on the menus of Queen Victoria, who was introduced to it by Prince Albert.
At a dinner given by the Queen at Windsor on 14 May 1874, for His Imperial Majesty, Tsar Alexander II of Russia, it appeared as Les Couglauffes aux Raisins, Sauce Abricot. The dinner had an added frisson in that the young Victoria had taken a fancy to the then grand duke at a Windsor ball in 1839. ‘I really am quite in love with the Grand Duke,’ she sighed in her journal. ‘The Grand Duke is so very strong, that in running round you must follow quickly and after that you are whisked round like in a Valse, which is very pleasant… I never enjoyed myself more. We were all so merry; I got to bed by a quarter to three but could not sleep till five.’
The feeling was, apparently, mutual. But it was not to be. His father, Nicholas I, heard of the nascent romance and summoned his son back home to Russia. He left his dog, Kazbek, as a goodbye present.
Lard is traditionally used in this recipe, and gives a wonderful texture, but I’ve substituted butter instead.
SERVES 10
◆ 150g sultanas
◆ 2 tbsp dark rum
◆ 10g dried active yeast
◆ 200ml full-fat milk
◆ 125g caster sugar
◆ 350g plain flour
◆ 1 tsp ground cinnamon
◆ 1 tsp vanilla extract
◆ Zest of 1 lemon
◆ Big pinch of sea salt
◆ 2 eggs, plus 1 egg yolk
◆ 175g unsalted butter, softened, plus extra, melted, for the tin
◆ 100g whole almonds
◆ Icing sugar, for dusting
YOU WILL NEED
◆ A Bundt or ring-shaped cake tin
1. Soak the sultanas in the rum for at least four hours, preferably overnight.
2. Put the yeast into the bowl of a stand mixer. Warm the milk and add it to the bowl with a teaspoon of the sugar. Mix well, then leave for about 15 minutes until a bubbling crust has formed.
3. Add the rest of sugar to the bowl along with the flour, cinnamon, vanilla, lemon zest and a pinch of sea salt. Beat the eggs and yolk together and add to the bowl, along with the butter. Mix, starting slowly, with a dough hook attachment if you have one, until it is all combined, then continue mixing for three to four minutes, until smooth. Cover the bowl with a damp towel and leave in a warm place to rise for an hour. It should double in volume.
4. While the dough is rising, put the Bundt tin in the fridge to chill, then brush with melted butter. Scatter the whole almonds at the bottom of the tin.
5. Add the rum-soaked fruit to the dough and mix again until combined. Put the dough into the prepared tin, pushing it down and making sure it’s even on top. Cover with a damp towel and leave for a further hour.
6. Meanwhile, preheat the oven to 170C/325F/gas mark 3.
7. Bake the gugelhupf for about 45 minutes until a skewer inserted into the middle comes out clean. Allow to cool, then turn out onto a wire rack. Ensure the cake is completely cold before dusting with icing sugar.
