in late medieval austria, a gugelhupf was served at major community events such as weddings, and was decorated with flowers, leaves, candles, and seasonal fruits. the name persisted through the austro-hungarian empire, eventually becoming standardized in viennese cookbooks as a refined, rich cake, flavored with rosewater and almond. many regional variations exist, testifying to the widespread popularity of the gugelhupf tradition. several narratives claim the origin of the cake in roman times with a spurious claim relating even further back to the three wise men. the cake was popularized as a prestige pastry by emperor franz joseph of austria and was popularized in france by marie-antoinette.