Markus Stolz spent his childhood enjoying the many cakes his mother made while they were living in Japan. His German parents were missionaries there and his mom taught classes for Japanese women in German baking. With a keen taste for good cake, young Markus was sure he’d pursue a career as a pasty chef. Years later, after a successful career as an engineer in the German auto industry, he is now in Hawaii making cakes.
When I asked if this was his retirement dream, he responded quickly. “No way, running a nine- acre farm and a highly productive baking business is hard work.”
However, he and his family are enjoying their life here and have brought some German know-how and an unusual cake to Hawaii. The hard work is actually a labor of love with an interesting story.
One of the cakes he occasionally enjoyed as a child in Japan was the German Baumkuchen, which translates to tree cake. The Japanese recipe makes a Baumkuchen that is moister and softer than the original German recipe which dates back as far as the fifteenth century. In Japan, Baumkuchen is highly revered and often served on special occasions or given as a wedding gift. The shape, a perfect circle, is culturally associated with infinity, eternity and long life in Asia.
When Markus and his family returned to Germany, he continued his education there and chose to study engineering and later began a career in the auto industry. In 2009, he met and married his wife, Marie. She came with experience in software development. Together they decided to start an online gourmet food business in Germany. Selling edibles was a fun sideline for them.
Markus describes one cold November day in Munich, when he began looking at land for sale in Hawaii. For Germans, Hawaii is often held as a “dream paradise”. He and Marie decided to follow that dream and find a way to relocate to that paradise.
They started brainstorming about ways to make it work and Markus was reminded of his old love for Baumkuchen and his childhood dream of becoming a baker. Lots of research and a well-crafted business plan later, they bought and moved onto a nine-acre farm in Papaikou with their three children in 2018.
Step one was managing the well planted acreage and putting in some new crops. The property had belonged to the James Campbell family. They had planted many beautiful palm trees, some mangosteen and lots of lovely ornamentals. Marie and Markus added over two hundred vanilla vines, some cacao trees, pineapple and chilis to the existent plantings.
Next, they started planning ways to make Baumkuchen on their farm and offer it for sale. Markus remembered loving the texture and flavor of the Japanese Baumkuchen. He and Marie decided to use the Japanese recipe. In 2021, they bought a large German Baumkuchen oven and turned their garage into a commercial kitchen to contain it. Here in Hawaii, they had lots of new ingredients to add to their recipe. They now make pineapple, Kona coffee, macnut and occasionally mango flavored Baumkuchen.
Marie reports, “We now have a product that is a wonderful fusion of Germany, Japan and Hawaii”
Knowing that Baumkuchen was very popular in Japan, they began advertising to Japanese tourists. Marie’s tech experience helped them create an informative and appealing website that even offers video farm tours in Japanese as well as English. Go to https://baumkuchenfarm.com/images-baumkuchenfarm/ to see the video and learn more about the farm and their products.
They offer free 30-minute live tours on the farm on Tuesdays at 1 p.m. and Fridays at 11 a.m. The tour includes a walk around the farm, a visit to the gift shop and, of course, a taste of Baumkuchen.
If you are interested in making your own German cake treat, you can do so at their Baumstriezel baking experience which usually occurs on Tuesdays at 2:30 p.m. or Wednesdays at 10:30 a.m. You’ll get your own dough to wrap on a stick and cover with butter, sugar and cinnamon. The ready campfire will help you bake your treat to perfection and then cover it with chocolate. The experience requires a reservation and costs $55. Contact them for a reservation through the website or by calling them at 808-491-5032,
If you want to see the Baumkuchen oven in action, drop by on a Thursday between 9 a.m. and noon to witness the baking process. This dough is actually a liquid infused with different flavors. Each cooking rod rotates many times through the pan filled with dough and continues to turn as it passes through the oven. What is created is a long “cake” that is baked in multiple layers. It cools for a day before being cut into two-inch rounds that, when laid flat, resemble a tree stump with all its growth rings.
On a typical Thursday, they can make 250 to 300 Baumkuchen. The key to keeping them fresh is in their special packaging that allows for a shelf life of up to a year. The finished cakes are available on site, though their website (baumkuchenfarm.com), at a few local shops and at their booth at the Hilo Farmers Market on Saturdays from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.
Always looking for new ways to make Baumkuchen, Markus and Marie have made some colorful cakes to honor their favorite German soccer team and one of our favorite holidays. In honor of the BVB team’s colors black and yellow, they created a two-color cake with cacao and turmeric layers. For the Fourth of July they made a small red, white and blue cake using beets and raspberries and blueberries with a white haupia dollop in the center. Watch for what’s next from this creative team!
Markus added a story to our interview that further connects his native Germany to his new home in Hawaii. During his 1881 world tour, King Kalakaua visited Germany and was invited to a state dinner in Berlin. Since this was a special occasion, it is probable that Baumkuchen was served as a dessert. The king was likely the first Hawaiian to taste this delicious German cake.
Known as the “king of cakes”, it is our good fortune that we can experience its baking and its flavors here in Hawaii, today.
When I asked Markus what he found to be his biggest challenge on Baumkuchen Farm. He responded, “No winter, no rest. Keeping up with year-round weed growth meant I had to hire help to maintain the farm.”
He does have other part time helpers in the bakery, but he is the main baker. Marie definitely helps with the baking, packaging and shipping while handling most of the administrative tasks. The duo works well together and are starting to see their dream become a successful reality.
Markus offered some advice based on his experience. He feels that in order to succeed at farming and production you need a passion for the project and endurance to continue despite setbacks. He agrees that the work he and Marie do is truly a labor of love.
Much more information on the farm and on Baumkuchen is available on their website. The best idea I can offer is to get yourself over to the farm for a visit. Drop in for a tour, go watch Baumkuchen being made or reserve a spot baking Baumstriezel. However you decide to explore the world of Baumkuchen, you are sure to enjoy the experience.
Gardening events
Saturdays: Work Day at Amy Greenwell Garden, from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Meet at the Garden Visitor Center across from the Manago Hotel in Captain Cook. Come with a mask and be prepared to practice social distancing. Volunteers can help with garden maintenance and are invited to bring a brown bag lunch. Water and snacks provided.
Now: CLR resistant coffee trees available for pre-order. Ungrafted $10 / Grafted $15. Email Andrea at andreak@hawaii.edu to express interest in the Catimor hybrids. Not available for propagation purposes.
Wednesday, July 24: Starting a Business in Hawaii, from 9 to 10:30 a.m. at the Hawaii Small Business Development Center in Hilo. 808-933-0776 for more info. $15 to register at www.hisbdc.org.
Save these dates:
Thursday, August 22: Waimea Service Center Resource Workshop, from 6 to 8 p.m. at Kuhio Hale Farmers Market, 64-756 Mamalahoa Highway, Waimea. Free workshop to learn about USDA programs and practices.
Friday-Sunday, October 4-6: 34th Annual Hawaii Tropical Fruit Growers International Conference, at the Maui Food Innovation Center and farm visits. Talk by Dr. Johathan Crane from the Tropical Research and Education Center at the University of Florida plus workshops. For more information as the event gets closer go to htfg.org.
Farmer direct markets
(Check websites for the latest hours and online markets)
Wednesday &Friday: Honolulu Farmers Market, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Sheraton Kona Resort at Keauhou Bay
Saturday: Keauhou Farmers Market, 8 a.m. to noon at Keauhou Shopping Center; Kamuela Farmer’s Market, 7:30 a.m. to noon at Pukalani Stables; Waimea Town Market, 7:30 a.m. to noon at the Parker School in central Waimea; Waimea Homestead Farmers Market, from 7:30 a.m. to noon at the Waimea middle and elementary school playground.
Sunday: Pure Kona Green Market, 9 a.m. – 2 p.m. at Amy Greenwell Garden in Captain Cook; Hamakua Harvest, 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. at Hwy 19 and Mamane Street in Honokaa.
Plant advice lines
Anytime: konamg@hawaii.edu
Tuesdays &Thursdays: 9 a.m. to noon at UH-CES in Kainaliu – 322-4893 or walk in
Mon., Tues. &Fri: 9 a.m. to noon at UH CES at Konohana in Hilo 981-5199 or himga@hawaii.edu
Diana Duff is a plant adviser, educator and consultant living part time in Kailua-Kona.
