Kougelhopf (Alsatian Raisin Almond Bundt Cake)

Quick answer

Total time: 75 min
Level: Medium
Servings: 6 servings
Ingredients: 8

About this dish

This yeasted cake from the Alsace region of France is baked in a distinctive fluted ring mold that gives it a crown-like silhouette.

The dough is enriched with butter and eggs and kneaded until it develops a soft, brioche-like crumb that stays moist for days. Raisins are folded into the batter, releasing pockets of gentle sweetness with each bite, while whole almonds placed at the bottom of the mold become a decorative and crunchy topping once the cake is inverted. Two separate rises, the first to develop flavor and the second inside the mold to set the shape, require patience but reward the baker with an airy, delicate interior. Generously buttering every groove of the mold is essential for a clean release; any missed spot means the cake tears when turned out. A dusting of powdered sugar after cooling completes the presentation with an elegant, snow-capped look that makes the kougelhopf as appealing on the table as it is on the palate.

Ingredients (6 servings)

Ingredient	Amount	Unit
all-purpose flour	320	g
milk	150	ml
dry yeast	6	g
sugar	55	g
eggs	2	ea
unsalted butter	90	g
raisins	80	g
whole almonds	12	pcs

Instructions

Read the steps as a cooking flow: prep, heat, seasoning, doneness control, and finish.

6 steps

1

Prep

Warm 150 ml milk until just lukewarm, then stir in 6 g dry yeast.

Let it stand for about 10 minutes, until small bubbles form on the surface and the mixture smells lightly yeasty.
2

Season

Combine 320 g flour and 55 g sugar, then add 2 eggs and the yeast milk.

Mix until no dry flour remains, scraping the bowl so the dough hydrates evenly before kneading.
3

Season

Add 90 g unsalted butter a little at a time and knead for about 10 minutes.

When the dough turns smooth, stretchy, and less sticky, fold in 80 g raisins without tearing the dough.
4

Control

Shape the dough into a ball, cover it, and let it rise in a warm place for 60 minutes.

It is ready when nearly doubled and a fingertip mark springs back slowly.
5

Step

Butter every groove of the kougelhopf mold thoroughly, then place 12 whole almonds in the bottom.

Add the dough evenly and proof again in the mold until it rises and fills the shape.
6

Season

Bake in a preheated 180C oven for 35-40 minutes, until deep golden and set.

Cool in the mold for 10 minutes, invert carefully, then let it cool completely before dusting with powdered sugar.

Practical Cooking Checks

The cues that matter most while cooking.

Key technique: Butter-enriched Alsatian dough rises twice in a fluted mold, whole almonds crowning the inverted Kougelhopf.
Finish cue: Bake in a preheated 180C oven for 35-40 minutes, until deep golden and set.
Storage and reheating: Cool in the mold for 10 minutes, invert carefully, then let it cool completely before dusting with powdered sugar.