With its distinctive ringed and ridged appearance and centuries-old history, Baumkuchen has become a beloved treat the world over.The German word “baumkuchen” translates to “tree cake,” which refers to a cylindrical cake that bakes in layers on a spit—a large pole or stick that is slowly turned over a fire—and, when sliced, resembles the rings of a tree.Cakes similar to baumkuchen began appearing in the Holy Roman Empire (portions of modern-day France, Germany, Italy, and other Western and Central European countries) in the Middle Ages.

Historians approximate baumkuchen to be at least 600 years old, with the oldest German-language recipe first appearing in print around 1450.Baumkuchen originally started as a dough that is thinly patted onto the spit.After the first layer is cooked and the exterior has browned, another layer of dough is added and cooked.

The layering and cooking process is repeated until the desired size is reached, typically 18 to 20 layers.Once it’s removed from the spit, the hollow cake is sliced crosswise to reveal its tree ring-like layers.The process to make the cake was long and involved, so it was largely reserved for holidays and special occasions among the wealthy; baumkuchen was a popular cake at weddings of the nobility in Nuremberg and Frankfurt, Germany.

Individual servings were sometimes flavored with spices

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