German Apple Cake Apfelkuchen Version 1 Recipes

VERSUNKEN APFELKUCHEN (GERMAN APPLE CAKE)

Steps:

• Preheat your oven to 350F.
• Toss the apple slices and lemon juice together and set aside.
• In a large bowl, beat together butter and sugar using an electric hand mixer, until pale and smooth. Add eggs and beat until fluffy.
• Add the flour, baking powder, and salt. Mix until well incorporated.
• Slowly add the milk, mixing as you add, until the batter is smooth. (Your batter should be thick but pour-able.)
• Pour the batter into a greased 10" spring form pan*.
• Nestle the apple slices into the batter, pushing them into the batter lightly.
• Bake the cake for 35-40 minutes, until a toothpick inserted in the center of the cake (not into an apple) comes out clean.
• Remove the cake from the oven and cool for 15 minutes in the pan. Run a knife around the edges of the cake and remove the spring form edge. Let the cake continue to cool on a wire rack.
• Dust the cooled cake with powdered sugar immediately before serving.

APFELKUCHEN: GERMAN APPLE CAKE

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°F and grease 8 or 9-inch springform pan.
• Cream butter and 1 cup granulated white sugar together until a smooth texture is reached.
• While blending, add in eggs one at a time. Add flour and baking powder. Mix until smooth and uniform.
• Spread cake batter in greased pan. The batter will be sticky so be careful.
• Peel and slice apples and place on top of cake batter. Overlapping apples and pressing down into the cake just slightly. The cake batter will rise around the apples.
• Sprinkle the extra 3 tbsp. granulated sugar on top of the batter, but don't mix in. This step is optional.
• Bake cake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean.
• Remove baked cake promptly from pan and let completely cool before cutting into it. Dust with powdered sugar on top and enjoy.

GERMAN APPLE CAKE (APFELKUCHEN)

Steps:

• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
• Grease and flour a 9.5-inch cake springform pan. You can also line the bottom with parchment paper.
• Beat the butter, sugar, and vanilla extract with your hand mixer in a large bowl. Add the egg and beat again.
• In a separate bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and a pinch of salt. Add the mixture to the liquid ingredients in small increments while using your hand mixer (and later your hands) on a low setting to avoid the flour from making a mess. You'll have to stop using your mixer about halfway through since the dough will become quite sticky. Just use your hands for the last bit and make sure not to overmix! Stop once everything is well combined and there are no lumps.
• Take the dough and roll it out with a rolling pin until it is slightly bigger than your springform pan (you'll need it for the edge/crust!). Make sure to put some flour on the surface and on the rolling pin first to avoid unnecessary sticking. Alternatively, you can also flatten the dough with your hands, then place it directly in the springform pan and form it to the bottom of the pan and up the sides (for crust). Make sure the dough has an even thickness and also make sure you have an approximately 1.5 inches high edge along the removable ring part of the springform pan (this is the crust).
• Peel the apples, remove the cores, and cut them into approx. 1/4-1/2 inch-sized cubes. Place the apple cubes into a bowl, add the cinnamon and mix well. Now evenly place the apple cubes over the cake base.
• For the crumbles, mix butter, sugar, vanilla extract, and flour using your hands (not your mixer!). The dough should be quite crumbly but the flour should be fully mixed in with the other ingredients (there should not be a lot of white flour spots). This might take a couple of minutes. If your dough feels too soft/sticky, add slightly more flour until it reaches the desired consistency (this shouldn't happen though). Rip the dough into small pieces and place it on top of the apples.
• Bake the cake for approximately 50 - 60 minutes. Since every oven is different, your baking time might vary slightly. Once the cake is done baking, remove it from the oven and let it cool in the springform pan. Remove the cake from the pan once it has cooled sufficiently.

VERSUNKENER APFELKUCHEN (GERMAN SUNKEN APPLE CAKE)

Steps:

• Beat butter in a large bowl with an electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar and mix until well combined. Add eggs, 1 at a time, mixing well after each addition.
• Mix 1 1/2 cups plus 2 tablespoon flour and baking powder in a separate bowl. Add to batter and mix until batter is smooth.
• Peel and quarter apples. Remove core and cut apples like a fan from the outside towards the inside but do not cut all the way through.
• Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a springform pan with butter.
• Spoon batter into the prepared springform pan and spread out evenly. Set cut apple quarters in a circle into the batter with the round, cut side facing up. Gently push apples into the batter.
• Bake in the preheated oven until cake is golden brown, about 45 minutes.
• Remove from oven, allow to cool, and dust cooled cake with confectioners' sugar.

OMA'S APFELKUCHEN (GRANDMA'S APPLE CAKE)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350°. Let egg yolks stand at room temperature for 30 minutes. Starting 1/2 in. from 1 end, cut apple halves lengthwise into 1/4-in. slices, leaving them attached at the top so they fan out slightly. Set aside., Cream butter and sugar until light and fluffy, 5-7 minutes. Add egg yolks, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. In another bowl, sift flour, cornstarch, cream of tartar, baking powder and salt twice. Gradually beat into creamed mixture. Add milk; mix well (batter will be thick)., Spread batter into a greased 9-in. springform pan wrapped in a sheet of heavy-duty foil. Gently press apples, round side up, into batter. Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out with moist crumbs, 45-55 minutes. Cool on a wire rack 10 minutes. Loosen sides from pan with a knife; remove foil. Cool 1 hour longer. Remove rim from pan. Dust with confectioners' sugar.

APFELKUCHEN (APPLE CAKE)

Steps:

• Grease the bottom and sides of a 9x13-inch baking dish or a 9-inch springform pan.
• Beat 2 1/4 cup flour, milk, 1/4 cup sugar, yeast, 6 tablespoons butter, vanilla extract, and 1 pinch salt in a large bowl with an electric mixer on high until dough is smooth, about 5 minutes; spread into baking dish and press dough up the sides. Press apple slices into dough.
• Mix 1 cup sugar, 3/4 cup flour, candied lemon peel, cinnamon, nutmeg, and 1 pinch salt in a bowl. Cut in 1/2 cup butter with a knife or pastry blender until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; sprinkle over apples. Allow dough to rise for 30 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
• Bake in preheated oven until cake is golden brown and apples are tender, about 35 minutes.

GERMAN APPLE CAKE (APFELKUCHEN)

Steps:

• Preheat oven to 350 F. Butter a 10 to 11 inch springform pan or a pan with a removable bottom.
• Peel the apples, remove the core, dice/slice them (not too thick), place them in a bowl and stir in a tablespoon or two of lemon juice (to prevent browning). Set aside until the batter is ready.
• In a small bowl combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. In a large mixing bowl beat the butter, sugar, milk, vanilla extract, and cinnamon until pale and creamy/frothy. Beat in the eggs one at a time, mixing thoroughly before adding the next egg. Stir in the flour until combined but don't over-stir.Pour the apples into a colander and let them drain. Set aside a few pieces/slices to press into the top of the cake at the end. Stir the apple pieces into the batter and scoop the batter into the greased pan. Use the apple pieces you set aside and press them into the top of the batter. Bake for 40-55 minutes until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake until comes out clean. Let the cake cool in the pan for 15 minutes and then remove it to let it cool completely.
• If using the sugar cinnamon or apricot jam toppings (see blog post "Optional Toppings" for instructions), apply it while the cake is hot and then let the cake cool. If using powdered sugar, sprinkle it over the cake once it's cooled. Serve the cake on its own, with some whipped cream, or serve it with vanilla ice cream and/or a drizzle of homemade caramel sauceStore the cooled cake in a cake saver or airtight container. This cake will be even more moist the next day. Will keep at room temperature for up to 3 days or can be refrigerated a little longer.