Guide to German Cookies, Cakes, Desserts and Confectioneries | |
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German chocolate, candy, cakes and cookies are known all over the world, not only for their quality but also because of their uniqueness. Popular christmas specialties such as Stollen (yeast fruit bread), Lebkuchen (gingerbread), Marzipan and Advent Calendars are exported all over the world and the world-famous “gummi bear” is, of course, a German invention. Here are Germany’s most popular and well-known confectionery products: |
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Gummibären (Gummi Bears)The Gummi Bear was invented in 1922 in the Kessenic area of Bonn, in the kitchen of confectioner Hans Riegel, owner of the company Haribo. The fruit-flavored gelatine dancing bear became more and more popular throughout the years and they are now exported all over the world, including the US, where they first made an appearance in 1982. Gumi bears are produced in 5 different colors which are white, green, yellow, orange and red and the corresponding flavors are pineapple, strawberry, lemon, orange and raspberry.
MarzipanMarzipan is a popular confectionery item in Germany, that is made of ground almonds and sugar. It has a long history in Germany, dating back to the 16th century when it made its way from the Middle East, via Venice, to the tables of Germany’s nobility. Up until the 18th century, marzipan was used for medicinal purposes until becoming a delicacy for the rich in the early 19th century. It wasn’t until the 1950’s, however, that marzipan became a more every day confectionery item and now you will find marzipan being eaten both on special occasions such as Easter and Christmas, but also during the rest of the year. Marzipan comes in all shapes and sizes, both in plain, for use in cooking or in the form of animals such as the “Good Luck Pig” (Glücksschwein) and also covered in chocolate in the shape of loaves, balls and bars.
MozartkugelnA Mozartkugel or “Mozart Ball” is a ball-shaped, chocolate-coated confectionery, with a pistachio- and almond-marzipan center and an outer layer of nougat coated with bittersweet chocolate. It was invented in 1890 in Salzburg by a confectioner called Paul Fürst, who named it after Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, who was born in that city. The original name was Mozartbonbon which was later changed to Mozartkugel. Unfortunately, Paul Fürst did not think to protect the name “Mozartkugel” which means that it left other companies open to legally copying his product and using the name “Mozartkugel”. After several legal proceedings the courts decided that only Fürst’s company may use the name “Original Salzburger Mozartkugeln.” Other producers of the Mozartkugel may use names such as“Echte Salzburger Mozartkugeln” (Genuine Salzburg Mozartkugel) which is used by the Austrian company Mirabell and “Echte Reber-Mozartkugeln” (Genuine Reber Mozartkugeln) which have been made by the German company Reber in Bad Reichenhall since 1938. Reber exports its Mozartkugeln to 40 different countries and makes over 500,000 of them per day! Their Mozart Balls are dome-shaped while the Mirabell ones are perfectly round.
Krapfen / Berliner (Donut)Known as Pfannkuchen in Berlin, Kreppel in Hessen, Krapfen in Southern Germany and Berliner just about everywhere else, the jelly-filled donut is a very popular part of Germany’s carnival season. The Berliner was the cause of much unintended laughter when John F. Kennedy famously declared “Ich bin ein Berliner” during his visit to Berlin in 1963. While his comment was meant to express his solidarity with the people of Berlin during the Cold War, his comment could, and was, translated as “I am a jelly donut.” During the carnival season, which is known as Fasching, Karneval or Fastnacht depending on the region, you’ll find bakeries on every street corner with their counters piled high with various types of donuts, most filled with jam but also with vanilla cream and chocolate.Lebkuchen (Gingerbread)Germany’s world-famous Lebkuchen is a richly-spiced gingerbread made with honey, flour, sugar, eggs, hazelnuts, walnuts, almonds, candied orange and lemon peel, marzipan, and spices (cinnamon, ginger, aniseed, cloves, pimento, coriander, cardamom). Although gingerbread has been baked in Europe for centuries, of all the European countries, Germany is the one with the longest and strongest tradition of baking flat, shaped gingerbreads known as Lebkuchen. 
Lebkuchen were first baked in the city of Nuremberg in 1395, which is where we know the first Lebkuchen bakery existed. In 1643 Nuremburg created a Lebkuchen Baker's Guild, which began with 14 master gingerbread bakers who were required to make the gingerbread following strict guidelines. Up until 1867, Lebkuchen was made by hand. Today most Lebkuchen is made by machine, however, many of Nuremburg's bakeries still produce some of their Lebkuchen specialties by hand. Today around 2,000 Lebkuchen per minute are produced in Nuremburg by approximately 4,000 employees. Some are made by major companies and some by family-run bakeries, but all use traditional recipes passed down from generation to generation. The oldest gingerbread recipe from the 16th century is housed in the Germanic National Museum. In 1996, Nuremberg gingerbread was declared a "protected geographical indication" and is authorized to use the EU stamp which means that only Lebkuchen from the city of Nuremberg can be called “Nuremberger Lebkuchen” Lebkuchen comes in many shapes and sizes. Here are some you’ll find in US stores:
Braune Lebkuchen Elisen Lebkuchen Choco Pfeffernüsse
Hearts and Stars or Stars and Pretzels Gingerbread Trees Pfeffernüsse Zimtsterne
Baumkuchen (Tree Cake)The Baumkuchen, or “Tree Cake” is a popular special occasion and wedding cake. It looks like a craggy tower of irregular rings with a coating of white or dark chocolate icing. It comes from the former East German town of Salzwedel and was created in 1820. According to the legend, Luise, a musician’s daughter, was working as a pastry chef in the town of Salzwedel. She came across the recipe in one of her father’s notebooks, written during his travels in France. Baumkuchen is not made in a tin, but instead is built up with layers of batter which are spooned over a revolving hardwood roller in front of an open flame. It takes great skill to build up over 15 layers of mixture, so that when the cake is cut into wedges, it resembles the rings of a tree trunk.
StollenStollen is a rich, sweet, yeast bread filled with dried fruit and nuts and often marzipan and dusted with confectioner’s sugar. Germany’s answer to “fruitcake”, Stollen has been made in Germany since 1329. The most famous kind of Stollen, which can be found at most local supermarkets, is called Dresdner Christstollen, originating in Dresden, Germany. The Stollen is shaped with tapered ends and a ridge down the center which is said to represent the Baby Jesus in swaddling clothes.
Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte (Black Forest Cake)Black Forest Cake is perhaps Germany’s most well-known and most-loved cake. It consists of a chocolate cake with a filling of fresh cream and cherries soaked in Kirschwasser, a clear cherry schnaps that is a specialty in the Black Forest. The cake is decorated with cream, chocolate shavings and cherries. While this cake bears the name of the area of Germany known as the Black Forest, a pastry chef from Bad Godesberg, near Bonn, claims to have invented it in 1915. He was originally from Lake Constance, which is in the Black Forest, so maybe that’s why he named it Black Forest Cake. There are a number of other theories as to how the cake got its name. Firstly, the chocolate shavings on the top of the cake resemble a black forest. Then, perhaps, the name was thought up because the cake contains Kirschwasser, which is a specialty of the Black Forest. And last but not least, there’s a theory that the name came from the traditional dress of the women in the Black Forest which consists of a black dress, white blouse and a hat with a white base and red balls on top resembling the cherries.
Butterkuchen (Butter Cake)Butterkuchen (Butter Cake) or Zuckerkuchen (Sugar Cake) is a simple sheet cake made with a Hefeteig (sweet yeast dough). The topping is created by pressing holes into the dough with your finger and spreading butter over the top then sprinkling it with sugar and almonds. It’s a popular cake at both weddings and funerals and is sometimes referred to either as Freud- und Leidkuchen (Joy and Sympathy Cake) or as Beerdigungskuchen (Funeral Cake). It is especially popular in nothern Germany and in Westphaliia.
Bienenstich Cake (Bee Sting Cake)This is a sheet cake made with a Hefeteig (sweet yeast dough) filled with vanilla custard and glazed with a honey mixture and sprinkled with almonds. It gets its name “Bienenstich” (Bee Sting) from the honey glaze.
Frankfurter KranzFrankfurter Kranz or Frankfurt Wreath is a wreath-shaped cake from Frankfurt. It consists of a butter cake that is baked in a wreath-shaped form, then split into 2 – 4 layers and sandwiched together with buttercream filling and red preserves or jam. It’s decorated with more buttercream and sprinkled with Krokant which is a mixture of nuts that have been browned in butter with a little sugar.
GugelhupfA Gugelhupf or Kugelhupf is a southern German, Austrian, Swiss and Alsatian term for a type of cake known in the US as a Bundt Cake. Gugelhupf consists of a soft yeast dough with raisins and almonds in it and is baked in a special form known in the US as a Bundt Pan. The Bundt pan, incidentally, was invented in the US in 1950 by David Dahlquist of the company Nordic Ware so that the women of the Hadassah Society in Minneapolis could make their “Bund Cakes”, another word for the Gugelhupf. Dahlquist then added the “t” and trademarked his Bundt Pans. His Bundt Pan didn’t become popular until 1966 when one of the winners of the Pillsbury Bake-Off contest used a Bundt pan to create her winning entry. Today, more than 1 million Bundt pans are sold every year.SpringerleAn anise-flavored, white cookie from Baden-Württemberg, Germany made with an egg-sugar-flour dough. They have a printed design that is made by pressing a mold onto the rolled dough and allowing the impression to dry before baking. They are traditionally eaten at Christmas time particularly in southern Germany and Austria.
VanillekipferlSmall, crescent shaped cookies flavored with vanilla and dusted with confectioner’s sugar. Traditionally, they are made at Christmas and originated from Austria.
Schaumkuss /SchokokussThe “Foam Kiss” or “Chocolate Kiss” is a confection consisting of a waffle base, a foam center made of egg whites and a chocolate covering. There are many variations of the Schaumkuss, some with a white chocolate covering, some with milk chocolate and some are covered in coconut or nuts. The Schaumkuss is also called a Schokoladenkuss, Schaumzapfen, Süßpropfen or a Naschkuss. Germans eat over 1 billion Schaumküsse every year and the average child eats around 100 of them. German children also like to eat them squashed between 2 halves of a Brötchen (bread roll) which they call Matschbrötchen“, „Klatschbrötchen“, „Datsch“ or „Schokokussbrötchen.
Käsekuchen (Cheesecake)Genuine German cheesecake is made with Quark cheese. It's sometimes also called Quarkkuchen or Quarktorte in Switzerland. In Austria it's known as Topfenkuchen. For variety, berries such as raspberries or blueberriescan b added, as can cherries and raisins.
Rote GrützeGenerally Rote Grütze is translated as "red grits" although it could also be translated as red groats, porridge or even gruel. However, a more appetizing way to describe this dish, that is particularly popular in nothern Germany and Denmark is simply as Red Berry Dessert, a selection of red summer berries such as red currants, raspberries and strawberries, sweetened with a little sugar and lightly thickened with a little cornstarch.So, you might wonder why "Rote Grütze" is called "red grits" when there are no grits, grains or oats to be found. Interestingly, the original recipe did actually use crushed oats or other grains which were mixed in with wild red berries. In today's Germany, Rote Grütze is prepared without grains using a variety of different recipes. Most use red summer berries such as raspberries, red currants, strawberries and cherries and some add blueberries, rhubarb or black currants for color contrast. You'll also find recipes that add grape juice, cranberry juice and even red wine or brandy. Other variations of Rote Grütze are Rhabarbergrütze which is made with Rhubarb and Grüne Grütze which is made with gooseberries. In olden days, Rote Grütze constituted a light summer supper that was served with cold milk or cream. Today, it is usually served as a dessert with vanilla sauce, although it's not unheard of to eat it as a lunchtime summer "soup". | |
Nuremburg Lebkuchen
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