The Tree and the Cake

There is a cake in Handler family lore, so delicate and eggy it is only spoken of in delicious memories. Baumkuchen, a peculiar-looking, cylindrical confection, German in origin, labor intensive, requiring not only a special post on which to bake it but a particular oven to bake it in, was a special treat for me while growing up. There was a lone bakery in San Francisco that made this cake of cakes, and we would make the special trip to the city just for this baked good. But alas, all good things must come to an end, the bakery closed down, and Baumkuchen was only a sweet memory.

That is until last week. I spent the afternoon exploring Chinatown. So many amazing shops, fish markets, and nooks and crannies, with labyrinthian streets that only seemed to stretch for miles, I could happily get lost here for hours. And I did. I stumbled into a Japanese shop, and was looking at all of the sweets (as I always do), when there it was. Prepackaged (but still!), in mostly Japanese writing with the lone German phrase of my dreams-- Baumkuchen!

With its layers resembling the rings of a tree, hence the name, this delightful vanilla sponge cake is simple in taste though complex in making. I had to buy a small slice, even if I was unsure of the flavor. Prepackaged baumkuchen? But baumkuchen none the less. I raced home, only stopping to buy a pint of heavy cream to whip for the topping.

And how was it...was it all that I have dreamed of for so many years? You know how certain people say that even bad pizza is good, the acid of the sauce, and the goo of the cheese? Well, I guess I'm sort of like that with baumkuchen. Moist, delicately flavored, with a springy consistency, though slightly stale, mounded with cream I could almost imagine being back in San Francisco in that little bakery. Mmm, round cake... stale or not, I will definitely be back for more.