Thank you so much to Eheu (In-flight magazine for Japan Airlines JAL) for reporting about Baumkuchenfarm in the current issue Winter 2023!
Published Eheu (In-flight Magazine for Japan Airlines), Issue Winter/Spring 2023
Title: Baumkuchen, a well-known baked good in Germany and Japan made with Crops Grown on the Land of Hawaii
Text & Photos: Yuko Ishikawa
Link: Eheu Hawaii JAL 2023 Winter/Spring Combined Edition by Eheu JAL – Issuu
Baumkuchen, a traditional German pastry, has been loved in Japan for 100 years. In fact, it is a “new” sweet that is not well known outside of Japan.
In 2021, Baumkuchen Farm opened in a small town in Hawaii.
Baumkuchen made with Hawaiian ingredients are attracting the attention of not only local residents, but also tourists from all over the world.
From Hilo Airport on Hawaii Island it is about a 20-minute drive by car to Papaikou, a town where many Japanese immigrants lived during the Plantation period.
The road from Highway 19, which runs halfway around the north side of the island, leads to the mountain side, where it is difficult for two cars to pass each other. There is a notable spot.
The house with an oriental atmosphere suddenly appears.
Baumkuchen Farm is the hottest new tourist attraction on the Big Island of Hawaii.
Markus, a German, lived in Germany with his wife Marie and their three children as a successful engineer.
But when he visited Hawaii on his honeymoon, he was attracted to the island and decided to move there.
What to do in Hawaii? The first thing that came to mind was making baumkuchen.
He taught himself how to make baumkuchen.
The goal was not to make a traditional German baumkuchen, but a Japanese baumkuchen with thin layers that are light and delicate.
Markus lived in Japan until he was 18 years old and grew up familiar with Japanese baumkuchen.
It took him 6 months to perfect the current recipe.
At Baumkuchen Farm, they use only the freshest ingredients.
The baumkuchen is made with fresh eggs, carefully selected Hawaiian coffee, macadamia nuts, mango and pineapple.