The First Tree Cake
According to Peter Hantz, the main kürtőskalács preservationist, this is the earliest attested recipe for a layered rotisserie cake (a tree cake). The source is a cookbook from 1582, authored by one Susanna Harsdörfer of Nuremberg. The title is Was zu 180 Zuckern Leckkuchleinn von Wirtz und Zucker genomen wirt, which means "How to make 180 sweet and tasty cakes with spice and sugar." It's quite a mouthful. Somehow it evaded the notice of Fritz Hahn, the most preëminent baumkuchen scholar—he wrote that the first tree cake recipe was published in a cookbook by Maria Sophia Schellhammer, a full 110 years after Frau Harsdörfer's.
Anyway, her 1582 cookbook is here, and there's a recipe for a tree cake!
The whole book is handwritten in
Kurrentschrift, a type of cursive, and the language is
Early New High German. The translation was a joint effort between several members of the "Cooking Rumpolt" Yahoo! group. I wish to extend infinite gratitude to Katherine Barich (for translating the original, and for having a very informative blog) and Sharon Palmer (for providing her anachronistic culinary expertise).
MODERNIZED TRANSLATION (show/hide)
To bake a cake on a spit
Beat 14-16 eggs in a pot. Add 1 maß [about 1.5 L] of thick milk [i.e. cream]. Next, take a scoop of wheat flour and add some ginger. Take a knobbed spit, crush ginger on it, then dust evenly with flour. In the pot add crushed mace and (if you wish) salt, pepper, and more ginger. Make the batter as thick as for milk toast [e.g. gulden schnitten]. Take the spit and put it next to the fire. Leave it there for half an hour, to ensure it is hot enough. Smear it with lard once or twice, being careful not to let the spit cool. To dribble the batter on, turn the spit and, with an iron spoon, pour the batter liberally onto the spit. Turn continually for a while, until there is a bit of a crust, then pour more batter on. Move the spoon carefully back and forth so the cake remains cylindrical. When the pot is almost empty, pour a bit more batter on the prongs, then bake the cake for 2 more hours until it is roasted through. When it has almost finished, baste with butter so it will be soft and succulent. Sprinkle sugar on it and serve.
ORIGINAL TRANSCRIPTION [EARLY NEW HIGH GERMAN] (show/hide)
Wiltu ein spiß kuchenn bachenn
Item nimb 14 oder 16 ayr schlags in ein haffenn zerklopfs vnd
nimb 1 maß dicker milig gieß darunder vnd rurs wol
undereinander darnach nimb ein dithai flaschen watzes mell
vnd zettels imber darein vnd nimb ein heltz la das zincketan
hatt vnd stoß imber auff vnd ab in haffen sockumpt das mell
feinn hin under das er nit putzet wirdt vnd stoß mustat-
bludar under vnd saltz sodu wilt mastu woll pfeffer imber
auch dar under thun vnd mach den tag so tuck als zu den
schnitten das nach so nimb den spiß vnd thu in zum feuer
du must im woll einn 1/2 stundt dabey vnd bradenn biß
das er heiß genug ist vnd begyß in mit dem schmaltz ein
wall oder 2 wen er trucken ist vnd eh du denn daig darauff
thust sobegieß in vnd habacht das der spiß haiß genug sey
wen er noch kalt ist so flecst der daig herab darnach so laß
denn spiß vnd treiben vnd nimb ein eissevs loffella vnd
gieß genugs rumb auf den spiß vnd verzieh ie ein weill
bieß fein ein wenig brott vnd gieß wider darauff du must
fein hin vnd wider giessenn das er feinn gereisslet wirdt
vnd wen dus schir gar auff gossen hast so schaudas das
enin wenig geust das zencklet wirt du must wol 2 stvndt
daran pachenn biß er auß becht vnd weners schier gar
hatt so nimb 2 meyen schmaltz vnd begies in damit so wintt
er schingelitzlet oder gistet habacht das er nit kleibt wener
klieben wilso wickell ein fadenn darumb er darf mit gisten wen
du in anrichts so leß in an beten ortten ab das er mit zubricht
vnd streu zucker darauff so ist recht - - - - -
WORD-FOR-WORD TRANSLATION BY KATHERINE BARICH (show/hide)
You want to bake a spit cake
Item - take 14 or 16 eggs beat in a pot beat and
take 1 mas thick milk pour into it and stir well
together next take a scoop of fine wheat flour
and slip ginger into it and take a spit that has
prongs and crush ginger on it and from the pot then comes the flour
finely into it that it is not lumpy and crush mace
thereunder and salt if you want you may well pepper ginger
also put therein and make the batter so thick as for
the milk toast [i.e. gulden schnitten] then next so take the spit and put it to the fire
you must it well a 1/2 hour thereby and roast it until
it is hot enough and smear it with schmaltz one
time or two when it is dried and join the batter to
it so pour it and have caution that the spit is hot enough
when it cools again so dribble the batter on it then let
the spit rotate around and take a iron spoon and
pour enough around onto the spit and twist continually for a while
until finely a bit crusted and pour again thereon you must
pour it carefully back and forth so that it is finely cylindrical
and when you have the pot almost poured out so see that you
should pour a bit on the prongs you must well 2 hours
bake (roast) it thereon until it is roasted through and when it has almost
cooked so take two May butters and baste it therewith so it will
nicely soft and succulent take care that it doesnt stick when it
wants to stick then wind a string around it where it isn't tender
you should serve it so let it be on both sides from which it was broke apart
and strew sugar thereon and so it is right
ORIGINAL HANDWRITING (show/hide)
