This easy German Gugelhupf cake with egg liqueur is one of the easiest and most rewarding Gugelhupf cakes I have ever made! The Eierlikör or German egg liqueur gives it that richness, warmth, and moistness everyone is looking for in a simple, fluffy coffee cake.
What is a Gugelhupf?
Gugelhupf (in German) is another word for a bundt cake (a cake with a hole in the middle for even baking), made from a simple batter, sponge cake batter, or a yeast-raised dough. It's most popular in the south of Germany, Austria, Switzerland and the Alsace region of France.
The most popular kind is a marble cake or Marmorkuchen (my recipe is so simple and divine if you haven't tried it!). Eierlikörkuchen is also a popular kind of Gugelhupf and I can't wait for you to try mine! The word bundt cake was invented by an American and is not typical in German. In the German language, it's more common to say either Topfkuchen (pot cake) or Napfkuchen (dog bowl cake) for a Gugelhupf cake, but where's the fun in that?
What is Eierlikör?
Eierlikör, a German egg advocaat or egg liqueur is, as you would expect, made from eggs. It’s thick, creamy, delicious, and is often enjoyed on its own, in drinks (like Fette Henne, which is a hot chocolate with a shot of Eierlikör and my favorite Christmas market drink), or used in desserts and for baking.
If you asked Oma Sieghilde, the best way to enjoy Eierlikör is to pour it over vanilla ice cream. One way to incorporate it into a cake is with this simple, moist and delicious Eierlikör Gugelhupf, baked in a beautiful bundt cake pan. Please leave a comment below with what your favorite Eierlikör recipes or uses are!
Ingredients
- eggs. 5 of them to be exact. I use high-quality, organic free range eggs in size L.
- sugar. I use organic, pure cane sugar.
- vanilla. I love adding vanilla in most of my cakes! Make sure you're using the real vanilla extract.
- vegetable oil. I use avocado oil because I cook with it all the time and have it on hand, but feel free to use any neutral-tasting oil you have in your pantry.
- Eierlikör. German-made egg liqueur - gotta have it for this cake! Find out where Verpoorten Eierlikör is available here.
- spiced rum. Just a shot for a little extra fun. It really brings together the flavors of this cake! I love using the iconic Austrian STROH rum and always have a bottle on hand. Want to lower the alcohol content of the cake? Use rum aroma instead.
- cake flour. Just get some (I love this organic one). It really helps this cake be fluffy. If you're having a hard time finding it, you could also substitute it with pastry flour. You can substitute a gluten-free all-purpose flour to make this cake gluten-free (I like these tips on how to substitute for gluten-free cake recipes).
- baking powder. Should be in your pantry hopefully.
- non-stick cooking spray. I used one without added flour (avocado spray) and it worked fine.
Where to find Eierlikör?
Verpoorten is not only the brand of Eierlikör, but it is the most popular in the world. Verpoorten in fact is even the inventor of Eierlikör! The original recipe from 1876 is still the same one today because why change what’s already great?
Only grade A eggs are used in this egg advocaat from Heinsberg, Germany. When I first moved to the United States in 2009, I had an incredibly hard time finding Eierlikör (I never found it). Luckily you won’t have to smuggle it across the Atlantic anymore!
Is Eierlikör kid-friendy?
If you’re thinking to serve this cake to your kids, I used to eat this all the time when I was little, and turned out great! 🙂 Apparently (I just had to look it up), about 25 percent of the alcohol would still be left after one hour of baking this cake, so the 20 percent alcohol content in the liqueur (and shot of rum) does not completely disappear in a magic-like fashion during the baking process unlike what I was thinking… but I still turned out fine.
If that makes you feel uneasy about serving this to the kids or anyone else who can't have alcohol, you can simply leave out the liqueur and rum (use rum aroma instead), but then again, what is Eierlikörkuchen without Eierlikör? I definitely wouldn't plan to make this at a kids party, so maybe more of an adult birthday party or brunch?
Other Gugelhupf cakes to try
Try my Marmorkuchen (German marble cake - a true favorite) and red wine pear cake (Rotwein Birnen-Kuchen - another favorite). Cakes baked as Gugelhupf cakes are just better. Or try my German Hedgehog Cake recipe for something different.
Easy Gugelhupf Cake with Eierlikör
Ingredients
Eierlikörkuchen Batter
- 5 large eggs
- 250 grams sugar
- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- 250 milliliters vegetable oil I use avocado oil
- 250 milliliters Verpoorten Eierlikör
- 250 grams cake flour
- 16 grams baking powder
- 1 shot STROH rum or other spiced rum, optional
- non-stick cooking spray
Stracciatella Whipped Cream
- 240 milliliters heavy whipping cream
- 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 60 grams high quality dark chocolate I love buying the fair trade chocolates from Trader Joe's!
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 355° Fahrenheit (180° Celsius).
- Beat the eggs with the sugar and vanilla until foamy.5 large eggs, 250 grams sugar, 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract
- Gradually add in the oil and Eierlikör (and rum if desired – it enhances the flavor of the Eierlikör).250 milliliters vegetable oil, 250 milliliters Verpoorten Eierlikör, 1 shot STROH rum
- Sift together the flour and baking powder, then slowly add to the egg-sugar mixture until incorporated. Don’t overmix the batter.250 grams cake flour, 16 grams baking powder
- Spray a bundt pan with non-stick cooking spray, pour in the batter and place on a baking sheet to keep the cake stable.non-stick cooking spray
- Bake on the middle rack of your oven for about 50 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. Allow to cool for 15 minutes before turning over and releasing from the pan.
- You can either eat the cake cooled down completely or still warm.
- For the whipped cream, beat the heavy whipping cream, powdered sugar and vanilla until stiff. Roughly chop up the chocolate and fold into the whipped cream (you could also add chocolate chips). Keep cool in the fridge until ready to serve with your cake.240 milliliters heavy whipping cream, 2 Tablespoons powdered sugar, 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract, 60 grams high quality dark chocolate
