Hamburg Style Butterkuchen

“Butterkuchen” is literally Butter Cake in German, and there is plenty of butter to justify the name.  This is what we Americans might call a coffee cake and indeed it goes well with coffee or tea and can be served at any time of day.  Because it is made with yeast and no preservatives, it won’t last for more than several days, and it will eventually become stale as bread.  Fortunately, that’s usually not a problem in our home!

In Hamburg, Butterkuchen is widely available at Bäckerei shops, where they will slice off the outside crusts to make a better presentation.  My mother likes to relate the stories of her childhood and of early morning visits to the local Bäckerei, where they would give away these expendable but tasty morsels of Butterkuchen.  I wonder if that’s still the tradition?

There are several styles of Butterkuchen and I have included two versions of the topping:  one made with granulated sugar that is spread over the cake before baking, and one made with a sugar glaze that is immediately poured over the cake after baking.  Also, I prefer to use salted butter in the topping, which is a departure from the traditional method, but I like the flavor.  If it’s too salty for you, replace with unsalted butter.

If you have a Kitchen Aid or other machine with a dough hook, it’s a lot easier to make the dough!

Ingredients

For the Dough:

3 1/4 Cups all-purpose flour

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 ounce yeast

1/2 cup lukewarm milk

5 Tablespoons unsalted butter

2 eggs

3 1/2 Tablespoons of sugar

For the Granulated Sugar Topping:

20 Tablespoons of butter

1/4 teaspoon salt

3 ounces slivered blanched almonds

12 Tablespoons of sugar

Optional Glaze Topping:

2 Cups Powdered Sugar

6 Tablespoons of Unsalted Butter

6 Tablespoons of Milk

1 Teaspoons of Vanilla

Making the Dough

1.      Sift the flour into a large bowl or into your Kitchen Aid bowl, if you are using one.

Yeast after proofing - About 10 minutes

2.      In a smaller bowl, combine the lukewarm milk and 1 teaspoon of the sugar and mix until the sugar is dissolved.  Then add the yeast.  Cover the bowl and place in warm area for about 7 minutes.  This step is to ensure that the yeast is alive and well!  If the yeast is not foamy after 5 minutes, it is dead and must be discarded.  You will need to repeat this step until you have good yeast.

3.      Meanwhile, in a small saucepan, melt the butter over low heat until nearly all melted and remove from heat.  You may have to swirl the butter in the saucepan to finish the melting process.  Allow the melted butter to cool.

4.      When the yeast has proofed, it should be foamy or have a spongy look.

5.      Add to the sifted flour the yeast mixture, melted butter, salt, sugar, and eggs. 

a.       If using a Kitchen Aid or similar machine, use a dough hook and a lower speed to work the ingredients into a smooth dough.

b.      If you are not using a machine, mix the ingredients together with a wooden spatula and then with your hands gently work into a smooth dough.

6.      Cover and let rest in a warm place for 20 minutes, allowing it to rise.

7.      Grease a 17 x 11 Baking Sheet.

8.      Place the dough on a lightly floured surface and using a rolling pin, roll out into a dimension that roughly fits the baking sheet.  Roll up the dough onto the rolling pin and transfer to the baking sheet.  Push the dough as necessary to distribute it evenly in the baking sheet and to make sure that it is covers the entire sheet.

9.      Using your fingertip, make depressions all over the dough and then cover.  Allow to rest in a warm place for 30 minutes.

10.  Preheat your oven to 350F.

Using the Granulated Sugar Topping

1.      Beat the butter so that it is a light consistency.  Do not over beat to avoid butter separation.  Again, the Kitchen Aid can do this very quickly, if you have one.

2.      When the dough has finished rising, Distribute teaspoons of the beaten butter all over the dough.

3.      Sprinkle the dough with the slivered almonds

4.      Sprinkle the dough with the granulated sugar

Baking the Cake

1.      Place on the middle shelf of the oven for 20 minutes.  Insert a toothpick after 20 minutes.  It should come out clean and the top should be a golden brown color.

2.      Allow to cool and then cut into 2 inch squares for serving.

3.      Enjoy!

Optional Glazed Topping

1.      Beat the butter so that it is a light consistentcy.  Do not over beat to avoid butter separation.  Again, the Kitchen Aid can do this very quickly, if you have one.

2.      When the dough has finished rising, Distribute teaspoons of the beaten butter all over the dough.

3.      Sprinkle the dough with the slivered almonds

4.      Bake the Cake as noted above.

5.      Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat.  Remove from heat when butter is melted.

6.      Add the powdered sugar, milk, and vanilla to the melted butter and stir until smooth.

7.      When the Butterkuchen has finished baking, pour glaze over the hot cake and allow to cool.

8.      Cut into 2 inch squares for serving.