Viennese Gugelhupf
Rührgugelhupf: Viennese lemon and raisin sponge ring cake
In Vienna the Gugelhupf is the Sunday cake of home bakers, set out on the table for afternoon Jause with coffee, and every family has its own fluted copper or ceramic mould. Unlike the yeasted ring cakes of Alsace and southern Germany, the everyday Viennese one is a Rührgugelhupf, a buttery sponge lifted with whisked egg whites, scented with lemon and studded with plump raisins. It is tender, light and keeps moist for several days under a cake dome. A common mistake is a badly greased mould; every ridge needs butter and flour or the cake tears as it comes out. Chef's tip: soak the raisins in hot water for 15 minutes, dry them and toss them in a spoon of flour so they don't sink.
- Total time
- 90 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 14
Ingredients
For the mould
For the cake
To finish
Shop this recipe on Amazon
What you'll need
Spices & pantry
Fresh ingredients (5)
Links open Amazon in a new tab. As an Amazon Associate, WhatToEat.Today earns from qualifying purchases.
Method
0/7 doneStep 1: Cover 2 ⅞ oz raisins with hot water and leave for 15 minutes. Drain, pat dry and toss with a spoon of the 10 ½ oz plain flour.
15 minStep 2: Heat the oven to 350°F (300°F fan). Brush a 22 cm Gugelhupf mould with ½ oz butter into every ridge, dust with 1 tbsp plain flour and tap out the excess.
4 minStep 3: Beat 9 oz unsalted butter, 4 oz icing sugar, 1 tsp vanilla paste and 1 tbsp lemon zest for 5 minutes until very pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg yolks from the 5 eggs one at a time.
7 minStep 4: Whisk the egg whites with 1 pinch salt to soft peaks, then add 2 ⅞ oz caster sugar gradually and whisk until glossy and firm.
4 minStep 5: Mix the rest of the flour with 2 tsp baking powder. Fold it into the butter mixture alternately with the ½ cup milk, then fold in the whites in two goes and finally the raisins, gently, until no white streaks remain.
5 minStep 6: Spoon into the mould, smooth the top and bake for 55–60 minutes, until deep golden and a skewer pushed in deep comes out clean. If the top browns too fast, cover loosely with foil after 40 minutes.
60 minStep 7: Cool in the mould for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a rack. When cold, dust generously with 2 tbsp icing sugar.
10 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 310 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 36 g
- Fat
- 17 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does viennese Gugelhupf take?
- About 90 minutes in total: 30 minutes to prepare and 60 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 14 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- Can I make it ahead?
- Yes. It keeps well, so you can cook it earlier in the day or the day before and reheat it.
- What can I use instead of butter?
- The same weight of ghee or coconut oil (for frying and most baking).
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
Reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to cook it.
Rate this recipe
Sign in to rate and review this recipe.
You might also like
Moist banana bread
The blacker the bananas, the better the loaf. This one is mixed in a single bowl with melted butter and a little brown sugar, so it's soft, deeply banana-y and keeps well for days.
American
Ma'amoul
Ma'amoul are delicate shortbread-like pastries made for Eid and Easter across the Middle East. A soft, rose-scented butter dough is wrapped around a filling of dates, walnuts, almonds and pistachios cooked with cinnamon, marked with a fork, baked pale and dusted with icing sugar. Makes 35; they keep well in a tin.
Tarte au sucre lilloise
In Lille and across the Nord, a sugar tart is not pastry at all but a flat round of soft brioche dough, dimpled and covered with brown cassonade sugar, butter and a little egg and cream, which bakes into a sticky, caramelised top over a fluffy base. Families buy it from the boulangerie for Sunday breakfast and goûter, or bake one when guests come for coffee. The Nord's own beet sugar, vergeoise, gives it a deep, almost molasses flavour; soft dark brown sugar is the closest swap. Chef's tip: press deep dimples into the risen dough with your fingertips before adding the topping; the sugar and cream collect in them and bake into little pools of caramel.
French