# Backe, backe Kuchen

"Backe, backe Kuchen" is a German hand-clapping rhyme, sung since before 1840, that lists the "seven things" needed to bake a cake; its recipe echoes a cookbook line from around 1450.

## At a glance

| | |
|---|---|
| Country of origin | Germany |
| Sung in | German |
| Words by | Traditional |
| First known | before 1840 (recipe line c. 1450) |
| Best for ages | 2–7 |
| Mood | playful, traditional |
| Page | https://littlesongbook.com/songs/backe-backe-kuchen/ |

## Lyrics

### Verse 1 (de)

Backe, backe Kuchen,
der Bäcker hat gerufen!
Wer will guten Kuchen backen,
der muss haben sieben Sachen:
Eier und Schmalz,
Zucker und Salz,
Milch und Mehl,
Safran macht den Kuchen gel'!
Schieb in den Ofen ein!

### English translation (en)

Bake, bake a cake,
the baker has called out!
Whoever wants to bake a good cake
must have seven things:
eggs and lard,
sugar and salt,
milk and flour,
saffron makes the cake yellow!
Slide it into the oven!

## How to sing it

1. Clap hands together in time — it is a clapping song, like "Pat-a-cake".
2. Count the seven ingredients off on your fingers as you name them.
3. On "Schieb in den Ofen ein!" push both hands forward as if sliding the cake into the oven.

## Common questions

**What is "Backe, backe Kuchen" about?**

Baking a cake. The baker has called, and to make a good cake you need seven things — eggs and lard, sugar and salt, milk and flour, and saffron to turn it yellow — before it is pushed into the oven. It is a clapping and finger-counting song, the German cousin of "Pat-a-cake".

**How old is "Backe, backe Kuchen"?**

The song is presumed to date from before 1840, in Saxony and Thuringia, but the idea is far older: a Württemberg cookbook from around 1450 lists cake ingredients in the very same way.

**What does "Safran macht den Kuchen gel" mean?**

"Saffron makes the cake yellow." Saffron was used to give baked goods a golden colour. The old word "gel" (yellow) is kept because it rhymes with "Mehl" (flour) — the modern German "gelb" would not.

## Sources

- [Wikipedia (German) — Backe, backe Kuchen](https://de.wikipedia.org/wiki/Backe,_backe_Kuchen)
- https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q798380