Baumkuchen is a German variety of spit cake.

It is a traditional pastry in many countries

throughout Europe and is also a popular snack and dessert in Japan. The characteristic
rings that appear when sliced resemble tree rings, and give
the cake its German name, Baumkuchen, which translates to "tree cake".

History
The origins of baumkuchen and where it was first baked are disputed. One theory is that
baumkuchen was invented in the German town of Salzwedel, a story the town itself
popularizes,[3] and has been made there since at least the 19th century. Another theory
suggests it began as a Hungarian wedding cake, which derives from the oldest Hungarian
pastrykrtskalcs (chimney cake). In Ein neues Kochbuch (lit. "A New Cookbook"), the
first cookbook written for professional chefs byMarx Rumpolt, there is a recipe for
baumkuchen. This publication puts the origin of baumkuchen as far back as 1581, the
year the cookbook was first published.[4] Marx Rumpolt had previously worked as a chef
in Hungary and Bohemia. In 1682, a rural medic working for Johann Sigismund
Elsholtz prepared a similar dish.
Aside from its more recent history, baumkuchen can trace its roots back to Ancient
Greece and then Rome, with the Romans bringing the recipe for baking cakes on logs
over an open fire to modern day Germany and the surrounding regions with their
conquest of Northern Europe.[2][5]