Dessert café in Jongno, Seoul with baumkuchen: The Baum Gyeongbokgung

How do I get there from Gyeongbokgung Station?

The Baum Gyeongbokgung Branch (더바움 경복궁점) is a café within walking distance of Exit 2 of Gyeongbokgung Station. It was easy to reach from the station, and I liked being able to take my time over dessert while looking out at Seochon.

The address is 13-2 Jahamun-ro, Jongno-gu, Seoul. It occupies the first and second floors, and the hours listed in the original post are 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily.

With seating across two floors, the space felt spacious. There were also group tables where several people could sit together.

What kinds of baumkuchen are there?

There were plenty of desserts to have with coffee, as well as many baumkuchen options for gifts. I also saw customers shopping for desserts to give away. I prefer the texture of layered, baked baumkuchen to castella, so choosing from the menu was enjoyable.

Besides baumkuchen, I also looked over the drink and ice cream menus.

The refrigerated display held signature baked baum, mini baum, and custard baum. The signature baked baum came in four varieties: matcha, strawberry, chocolate, and cheese. Custard baum has custard cream inside soft baumkuchen and a brûlée topping, and I heard it was the most popular item.

There was also Cool Baum, served cold. The selection was broader than I expected, with brûlée apple, dark chocolate, matcha, passion fruit, and lemon cream baum, along with fondant chocolate, fondant cheese, pure milk baum, and Basque cheesecake.

Can I buy baumkuchen as a gift?

Among the baumkuchen displayed as gifts were two kinds of mini baum and watermelon baumkuchen.

There were also gift sets with several varieties. I noticed many foreign visitors when I visited.

I also looked at Chuseok gift sets wrapped in bojagi (traditional Korean wrapping cloth).

There was ice cream topped with baumkuchen, too. I thought it would be nice after looking around Gyeongbokgung on a hot day.

Where is a good seat to look out over Seochon?

The interior had a Korean-inspired atmosphere. There were seats on the first floor where I could sit and eat, too.

There were quite a few seats on the second floor as well, and I liked the direct view of Seochon through the picture windows.

The second floor also had group tables. They felt a little different from the café’s overall atmosphere, but they were comfortable when I sat down, which I liked.

How were the baumkuchen and coffee I tried?

I ordered the Brûlée Matcha Baum, Custard Baum, and Mini Melon Baum. I also chose an iced Americano to drink with the sweet desserts.

Eating at the second-floor picture window brought the desserts and the view outside together nicely. I could take a break while looking at the Seochon atmosphere I enjoy.

The cream-filled baum was topped with glossy brûléed sugar.

The iced Americano was nutty and fairly bold, so it paired well with the sweet desserts.

The Brûlée Matcha Baum had plenty of soft matcha cream beneath a crisp sugar coating. The baumkuchen itself was soft, so I enjoyed the contrast between the coating and cream.

The moist, soft desserts and comfortable seating stayed with me. There were so many baumkuchen varieties that it was fun to browse, and I spent some unhurried time looking out the window.

Can they pack leftover baumkuchen?

I asked for the bread I had left over to be packed up. I liked that it was wrapped nicely.

At the time of my visit, there was also a notice about an event that gave out a baum dessert for writing a Naver review.