The old, South German name combines the Middle High German words "Gugel" (see also gugel, a long-pointed hood) derived from Latin "cucullus", meaning hood or bonnet, and "Hupf", which literally means "to hop" or "to jump". The Brothers Grimm wrote that the "hupf" may be a reference to the "jumping" of the dough caused by the yeast, but no firm etymological evidence exists for this. The earliest known Gugelhupf recipe, in Marx Rupolt's 1581 cookbook, describes a "Hat Cake" with the distinctive shape and ornamentation recommendation, suggesting a similarity or intentional imitation of the shape of a medieval hat.