German Tree Cake | Recipe
The traditional speciality "Baumkuchen" with dark chocolate glaze
Text:
Katharina Kuhlmann
Photography:
© Lara Virkus
15 January 2026
German Tree Cake ("Baumkuchen") is considered a high art of confectionery due to its complex production process. The typical layered pattern, reminiscent of the annual rings of a tree, is created by gradually baking the dough on a rotating roller in front of a heat source. But you can also bake a "Baumkuchen" at home without using the traditional method. All you need is a classic springform pan and the grill setting on your oven. Our gourmet Tree Cake is also refined with wintery orange and rum notes as well as marzipan and glazed with the finest organic dark chocolate. Garnished with a piped decoration of white organic chocolate, the cake is also a visual highlight.
Ingredients
For a springform pan with Ø 24 cm
For the Tree Cake:
6
eggs, size M
240 g
sugar
1 sachet
vanilla sugar (or 1 tsp ground vanilla)
250 g
soft butter
2
organic oranges, zest
100 g
marzipan, raw mass
5 tbsp
rum (alternatively milk)
some drops
rum flavouring (alternatively bitter almond flavouring)
1 pinch
salt
150 g
wheat flour
100 g
cornflour
12 g
baking powder
For the glaze:
250 g
VIVANI Dark Cooking Chocolate
25 g
coconut oil
For the decoration:
50 g
VIVANI White Cooking Chocolate
0.5 tsp
coconut oil
sugar pearls
making
level of difficulty
challenging
N°
01
Line the base of the springform pan with baking paper and grease the sides. Preheat the oven to 220 °C on the grill setting.
02
Separate the eggs and beat the egg yolks with the sugar, vanilla sugar (or ground vanilla), butter and orange zest for 5 minutes until creamy.
03
Slowly soften the raw marzipan with the rum and rum flavouring in the microwave and mix into a paste. Allow to cool slightly, then stir into the butter mass.
04
Beat the egg whites with the salt until stiff. Sift the flour, cornflour and baking powder.
05
Stir half of the flour into the butter mixture, then fold in half of the beaten egg whites. Now fold in the rest of the flour and the beaten egg whites.
06
Spread about 3 tablespoons of the batter in the baking tin and bake on the top shelf for about 3–5 minutes until a brown skin forms on the batter. Carefully spread another 3 tablespoons of batter on top of the baked cake layer and bake again for 3–5 minutes. Repeat the process until all the batter has been used up. Keep a close eye on the cake as the batter burns quickly. Then leave the Tree Cake to cool completely.
07
For the glaze, chop the cooking chocolate and melt it together with the coconut oil in a bain-marie. Allow to cool briefly and then coat the entire cake with the mixture. Leave to set in the fridge for approx. 10 minutes.
08
Meanwhile, slowly melt the white chocolate coating with the coconut oil and pour into a piping bag. Pipe decorative rings onto the top of the cake. Decorate with sugar pearls as desired.
This is VIVANI
For 25 years, VIVANI has been developing high-quality organic chocolate from sustainably grown cocoa beans. The brand from Bochum (Germany) stands for ecological cocoa cultivation, transparent supply chains and responsibility along the entire value chain. VIVANI was awarded ‘The National German Sustainability Award’ for this commitment.
Production takes place at the traditional Weinrich chocolate factory in Herford, where each bar is created with a great deal of expertise and craftsmanship.
Dark Cooking Chocolate
70 % Cocoa | vegan
White Cooking Chocolate
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