A tall, fluted ring of enriched yeast cake studded with rum-soaked raisins and lined with whole almonds, dusted with icing sugar and eaten at breakfast or with afternoon coffee.
The kougelhopf, also spelled kouglof, is Alsace's emblem in cake form, baked in its distinctive ridged earthenware mould. Legend ties it to the three kings passing through the region, but in truth it is a Central European enriched bread that Alsace made its own. There is a savoury version with bacon and walnuts for the aperitif, but the sweet one, ringed with almonds and raisins, is the icon. Strasbourg's pastry houses sell it by the ring, and it anchors the Sunday breakfast table.
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