Oh I feel the cosmos alright.

Shining Baumkuchen (Harvest moon: Tree of Tranquility)

If you’ve ever had the pleasure of playing Harvest Moon: Tree of Tranquility for the Wii, you might be aware of the Mt. Gelato Mine. If you had the misfortune of becoming completely addicted to it for months on end like I did, you probably set out at in-game dawn one day, laden with pick me ups and energy potions, vowing to yourself that this time, THIS TIME, you would make it to the 50th floor, 6am be damned. 

And when you finally reached the bottom, you were rewarded with a glorious shining … Baumkuchen?

What the heck is a Baumkuchen?! you probably exclaimed.

Well, a Baumkuchen (lit. “Tree Cake”) is a traditional german dessert which is usually baked layer by layer on a giant rotating spit, resulting in its the characteristic rings which give the cake its name. It was introduced to Japan during WW1, and has since become wildly popular and is often given as a gift at weddings because of its ring shape. 

In the game, the Shining Baumkuchen can either be sold for 2000G, or given as a gift (with the remarkable characteristic of being loved by everyone), as it’s impossible to eat. Maybe your character is allergic to almonds or something.

There’s a recipe for the at-home version here, which employs a broiler and a 9” spring pan instead of the 3’ long rotating spit, you know, just in case your kitchen doesn’t come equipped with one of those. For a “shining” variation, you can simply garnish with edible gold leaf or dust with gold pearl dust.

And because this is a liquor blog after all, serve with a small glass of amaretto.