German Baumkuchen ‘tree cake’ survived a disaster and world wars to become a Japanese favorite

Baumkuchen originated in Germany but has become a wildly popular sweet in Japan, where a prisoner of war (POW) on a small western island started making the treat that has thrived in its new homeland. Today, the confectionery known as “tree cake,” because of the resemblance to a trunk with rings, is considered a symbol of longevity and prosperity in Japan, where Baumkuchen festivals are regularly held. Japanese adaptations, including those using matcha and sweet potatoes, are popular gifts at weddings and birthdays. Baumkuchen is sold in gift boxes at luxury department stores, and individually wrapped, smaller versions can be found at convenience stores. The sweet's early years, however, are associated with a catastrophic earthquake and two world wars. Making Baumkuchen is one of the most popular activities on Ninoshima, just a 20-minute ferry ride from Hiroshima. At the outdoor center built over the site of a prisoner of war camp, amateur bakers pour batter on a bamboo pole and roast the mixture over a charcoal fire. As the surface turns light brown, a new layer is poured, creating brown rings as the cake grows thicker and the sweet smell wafts through the picnic area. A German confectioner named Karl Juchheim baked Baumkuchen while he was imprisoned on the island more than 100 years ago. Juchheim was running a bakery in Qingdao, China, then a German territory, when he was captured by the Japanese in 1915. He arrived on Ninoshima in 1917 with some 500 German POWs and is believed to have tested his Baumkuchen recipe there, Kazuaki Otani said, head of the Juchheim Ninoshima Welcome Center. When the war ended in 1918, Juchheim and about 200 fellow POWs stayed in Japan. In March 1919, Juchheim’s Baumkuchen commercially debuted in Japan at the Hiroshima Prefectural Products Exhibition. His handmade cake was hugely popular and attracted a big crowd of Japanese visitors, historical documents show. This article was provided by The Associated Press.