A new dessert started being served at Connections Cafe at Epcot. This Tree Cake or Baumkuchen presents guests with a taste of an authentic German dessert.

Last week, Disney Eats announced that a new sweet treat known as a Baumkuchen would be coming to the Epcot Starbucks, also known as Connections Café. At Connections Café, you can watch these treats being made.

What is Baumkuchen?

Baumkuchen is a cake of German origin. Still, it also gained popularity in Japan. Based on the preparation method, the Baumkuchen cake has characteristic rings that appear in its slices. These resemble tree rings. Thus, the name derives from that appearance. Baumkuchen in German translates to “tree cake” or “log cake.”

Traditionally, Baumkuchen is made on a spit by brushing on even layers of batter and then rotating the spit around a heat source. The key components are eggs, sugar, flour, and butter. As the spit rotates, the batter bakes into thin layers. Each layer is allowed to brown before a new layer of batter is poured. This process is repeated until the desired thickness is reached.

When the cake is removed and sliced, a golden line divides each layer from the next. These lines resemble the growth rings on a tree. A typical Tree Cake is made up of 15 to 20 layers of batter.

The Walt Disney World versions of Baumkuchen come in vanilla and chocolate versions. Still, both experience a similar preparation process. Also, both cakes cost $5.99. Being from a Starbucks, guests receive these cakes in standard Starbucks boxes and bags. We felt this hindered the unique design aspect of these cakes.

Vanilla Baumkuchen Cake

This cake resembles a traditional Baumkuchen cake. The vanilla glaze on the cake provided some enjoyable flavor for this version. While eating this cake, we compared it to the texture of a pound cake or maybe a lower-sugar coffee cake. If you are looking for a decadent sugary dessert, then this will taste very plain.

Chocolate Baumkuchen Cake

This version of the Tree Cake comes covered in a chocolate shell. The cake needed more flavor. The cake depends on the chocolate shell for a more robust flavor. For many bites, we only tasted chocolate. This version failed to be executed very well.

Conclusion

We love that Walt Disney World added this treat. The addition of more international cuisine fits Epcot very well. Still, we would have preferred a better, more assertive flavor with this Tree Cake. We would buy the Liege Waffle at the nearby Connection Eatery instead of this new Baumkuchen cake. As always, eat like you mean it!