New publication about Baumkuchenfarm in the AAA Explorer Magazine
Hawai’i Members Edition, Triple A.

Mauka to Makai. There’s a lot of Hawaii to explore and enjoy. Island of Hawaii. Sweet Treats.

Read the article: Open here

Published: Jan/Feb/Mar Edition 2025

Title: Sweet Treats

Author: Christine Thomas
Photo: Andrew Hara

General Link to AAA Explorer Magazine: AAA Explorer Magazine | AAA Member Publications

Hawai’i flavors combine with German baking tradition and Japanese innovation at Baumkuchen Farm, a lush, 9-acre estate in Papa’ikou. Owners Markus and Marie Stolz bake tender, Japanese-style German “tree cakes”, or baumkuchen, honoring their German roots and Markus’ upbringing in Japan, where baumkuchen are exceptionally popular.

Visitors can sometimes spy Markus at his Japanese oven, baking each labor-intensive layer of these round cakes, that resemble tree rings when cut. Free 30-minute farm tours on Tuesdays and Fridays showcase the estate’s palm varieties, white pineapple, mangosteen, and hand-pollinated vanilla nursery.

During the semi-private baking experience ($55 per person), Markus and Marie teach guests to bake their own baumstriezel, a simpler version closer to baumkuchen’s German origins. The bakery’s versions are available for purchase, delicately flavored with pineapple, mango, Ka’u coffee, or macadamia nuts and cinnamon. But the do-it-yourself version comes with a side of chocolate sauce and bragging rights.