This is my son’s favorite cake. He calls it the jumping “hop-hop” cake. You can bake it in a 9-cup capacity bundt pan. It will not look that authentic but the taste will be the same.
For the cake
1/3 cup raisins
Scant 1 ½ tsp active dry yeast
1/3 cup warm-to-the touch whole milk
1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 large eggs
1 large egg yolk
3 tbsp sugar
1 stick (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, at room temperature
For the soak
1/2 stick unsalted butter
Sugar, for dusting (about 2 tbsp)
Make the cake:
Plump the raisins. Put them in a small saucepan, cover with cold water, bring to the simmer over med/high heat. Drain, pat them dry, set aside.
Put the yeast and milk in the bowl of a stand mixer and, using a wooden spoon, stir until the yeast is dissolved. Add the flour and salt and stir just to moisten.
In a small bowl, beat the eggs and yolk together lightly with a fork. Fit the mixer with the dough hook, and working on low speed, pour the beaten eggs, mixing until they are incorporated. Add the sugar, increase speed to med-high and beat until the dough comes together, about 5 min. Reduce the mixer speed to medium and add the butter in 6 additions, squeezing each piece to soften it before adding it and beating until each one is almost fully incorporated before adding the next.
After the butter is blended in, increase the speed to med-high and mix for about 10 min, until the dough pulls away from the sides of the bowl and climbs up the hook.
Remove the bowl from the mixer, stir in the raisins.
Scrape the dough into a bowl lightly sprayed with oil, cover with plastic wrap and let rise in a warm place until nearly doubled in size, about 1 1/2 hrs.
Deflate the dough, cover it again with plastic and put it in the refrigerator. Slap the dough down in the bowl every 30 min until it stops rising, about 2 hrs. Then, if you have the time, let the dough rest in the fridge overnight (it can be refrigerated for up to 2 days, well wrapped).
Generously butter 8- to 9-cup capacity Kugelhopf mold and put the chilled dough in the pan. Cover the pan with oil sprayed plastic wrap or parchment and let the dough rise in a warm place until it comes almost to the top of the mold, about 2 hrs.
Bake:
Preheat the oven to 375 F. Remove the cover from the mold and bake for 10 min. Cover the pan loosely with a foil tent and bake for another 15 min, or until the cake is golden brown.
Meanwhile, place a rack over foil. Remove the Kugelhopf from the oven and unmold it on the rack.
Soak:
Melt the butter and gently brush over the hot cake. Sprinkle the hot cake lightly with sugar and cool it to room temperature.
Right before serving dust the cake with confectioner’s sugar.
The Kugelhopf should be eaten the day it is made or cut and toasted the following day.
