Ah, Apple Kuchen 🍎🥧—a classic German-style apple cake, soft, buttery, and studded with tender apple slices. It’s less like a pie and more like a moist, spiced cake with a lovely apple topping. Here’s a reliable recipe:
Ingredients (for 9Ă—13-inch pan)
Cake:
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp salt
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 cup unsalted butter, softened
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 4 large eggs
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- ÂĽ cup milk
Topping:
- 4–5 medium apples (Granny Smith or Honeycrisp work well), peeled, cored, and thinly sliced
- 2 tbsp granulated sugar
- 1 tsp ground cinnamon
Optional streusel topping:
- ½ cup flour
- ÂĽ cup brown sugar
- ÂĽ cup butter, softened
- ½ tsp cinnamon
Instructions
- Preheat oven
Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C). Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan or line with parchment paper. - Make the batter
- In a bowl, whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and cinnamon.
- In a separate large bowl, cream butter and sugar until fluffy.
- Beat in eggs one at a time, then add vanilla extract.
- Gradually add dry ingredients, alternating with milk, mixing until smooth.
- Prepare apples
- Toss apple slices with sugar and cinnamon.
- Arrange evenly over the cake batter in the pan.
- Optional streusel topping
- Combine flour, brown sugar, butter, and cinnamon until crumbly.
- Sprinkle over the apples for extra texture and sweetness.
- Bake
- Bake 40–50 minutes until the cake is golden and a toothpick in the center comes out clean.
- If topping with streusel, you may want to cover loosely with foil for the first 25–30 minutes to prevent over-browning.
- Cool & serve
Let cool slightly before slicing. Serve warm or at room temperature, optionally with whipped cream or vanilla ice cream.
Pro Tips
- Use firm apples that hold shape—avoid mushy varieties.
- For extra flavor, add a splash of lemon juice to the apples to brighten the taste.
- This cake keeps well and often tastes even better the next day as the flavors meld.
If you want, I can give a super-moist version that uses sour cream and brown sugar in the batter—makes the cake almost custardy with soft apples baked in.
Do you want me to do that?
