Previously, we featured the lemonade and Baumkuchen rusks in a food article from Baumkuchen specialty shop “ELEPHANT RING”, located near Hanshin Ashiya Station. This time, we were given a special behind-the-scenes look at how their Baumkuchen is made!
Baumkuchen from “ELEPHANT RING”
“Baumkuchen S,” ¥2,160 (tax included). It comes in this adorable box!
It would make the perfect gift, too.
To our surprise, there was a four-leaf clover inside…♡ What a delightful little surprise!
ELEPHANT RING’s Baumkuchen is made with carefully selected eggs, butter, and flour sourced from across Japan. One of its standout features is that it contains no additives whatsoever, including leavening agents, artificial flavorings, or emulsifiers.
It’s… beautiful! Just look at those perfectly defined rings.
It smells absolutely incredible.
And when we took a bite…?
O-our whole idea of Baumkuchen was turned upside down in an instant!
It made us wonder, what were all those Baumkuchen we’d eaten until now? This one is unbelievably moist—so moist that you don’t even need a drink with it.
It has a delicate flavor that brings out the concentrated natural goodness of every ingredient. We could easily finish an entire cake!
We tried eating it “thinly sliced,” as recommended in the leaflet inside the box. It offers a completely different—but equally delicious—experience♡ We had no idea you could enjoy Baumkuchen this way!
Next, we lightly toasted the thin slices in a toaster oven.
Wow, it tastes freshly baked! The texture becomes even lighter. It’s so much fun trying all these different ways to enjoy it!
By the way, microwaving a larger slice for about 10 seconds makes it wonderfully light and fluffy. (This wasn’t mentioned in the leaflet, though.) We recommend this method too. Who knew there were so many ways to enjoy a single Baumkuchen?
A Behind-the-Scenes Look at the Baumkuchen Kitchen
We were given special access to the kitchen to see how this incredible Baumkuchen is made. The kitchen is located at the back of the shop.
Amazingly, each cake is carefully baked by an artisan over the course of about an hour.
Baumkuchen made with additives such as leavening agents can be baked automatically by machine. ELEPHANT RING, however, uses no additives whatsoever. Because its delicate batter is made with whipped meringue, it has to be baked by hand.
The artisan watches the cake so intently that there’s barely time to blink, carefully checking how it is browning.
At precisely the right moment, the Baumkuchen is pulled out and shielded from the heat with a wooden board to prevent it from overcooking.
Another layer of batter is then applied by hand.
Back into the oven it goes—see you soon!
And it is incredibly hot in front of this oven. Working here during the summer must be tough.
Since each cake has 24 to 25 layers, this process must be repeated 24 to 25 times. It feels never-ending!
Checking the final bake. The artisan is completely focused.
It’s finished!♡ What a beautiful golden color. We could smell its wonderful aroma even through our masks!
It’s so soft and fluffy, we almost wanted to hug it like a body pillow.
After this, it apparently takes half a day to contract. Even after it comes out of the oven, it must be watched carefully and rotated regularly so that it retains its perfect circular shape. That’s a lot of work! The cakes baked today will go on sale in the shop tomorrow.
These Baumkuchen are baked by artisans with an incredible amount of time and care. Apparently, they become as precious to them as their own children♡
Believe it or not, there is no manual for making this Baumkuchen. Surprising, right?
The way the meringue is whipped must be adjusted with incredible precision according to the day’s temperature, humidity, and weather, so no two cakes are exactly alike. Even an artisan who has been baking them for more than three years says, “I still don’t know what the perfect answer is.” The work looks challenging, but we were struck by the artisan’s constant smile as they told us, “That’s what makes it so fascinating!”
They also make Baumkuchen rusks.
ELEPHANT RING produces zero food waste. Leftover pieces of Baumkuchen are turned into rusks, while leftover batter is used to make florentines.
The “ELEPHANT RING” Menu
The most popular item, “Baumkuchen S,” ¥2,160 (tax included).
The larger “Baumkuchen M,” ¥3,780 (tax included).
Incidentally, you can save ¥500 by choosing the simple box intended for home use!
“Baumkuchen S” is ¥1,680 (tax included), and “Baumkuchen M” is ¥3,280 (tax included).
“Baum Cut” slices are also available for ¥324 (tax included).
Besides Baumkuchen, they also sell the “Baum Rusks” we previously featured, “Baum Florentines,” and more.
They also offer a wide variety of gift sets.
“ELEPHANT RING” Shop Information
You can even enjoy a parfait under the parasol!
Here’s the location on the map↓
The address is 4-20-1 Omasucho, Ashiya, Hyogo.
ELEPHANT RING
Opening hours
11:00–17:00 (closes when sold out)
