The last time I visited the market I was delighted by a wonderland of European Christmas treats. I spotted one called Gugelhupf which was described as Marie Antoinette's favorite cake.
Gugelhupf is actually a yeast cake and has some properties of a cake and some properties of a bread. I found out that the name comes from two old German words, gugel meaning sphere and hupf meaning sphere. These words describe the shape which is traditional and is said to resemble the turbans worn by Turkish soldiers who participated in battles in Central Europe during the 16th and 17th centuries.
There are several spellings for Gugelhupf including kugelhopf, kugelhupf, and gugelhopf. Versions of it are traditional to Germany, Switzerland, Austria, Croatia, Bosnia-Herzegovina, Poland, and Hungary.
The texture of the gugelhupf is bread-like, as shown in the picture on the right. Currents and raisins are either added within the dough or in layers within. The bread texture is achieved by using yeast instead of baking powder or baking soda.
The taste of this version of gugelhupf is slightly sweet. It provides a good foundation for butter and jellies or preserves. Gugelhupf is eaten more as a coffee cake than as a dessert. It really is not sweet enough to be a dessert.
A recipe can be found at gugelhupf.
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