This German Apple Coffee Cake recipe combines an easy-to-make batter with big hunks of ripe apples sliced up hasselback style. Both pretty AND delicious, it's the perfect fall dessert!
Did you know the coffee cake you enjoy for Sunday brunch or afternoon snack, has German roots?
Germany is known for its delicious cakes, pastries, and other delectable sweets. Dating back to the 17th century, coffee cake was enjoyed as a meal rather than a dessert.
Its German name Kaffeekuchen comes from two words; Kaffee und Kuchen, which mean coffee and cake. Families would gather to talk and enjoy their homemade coffee cake.
When German citizens began to immigrate to America, of course they brought their favorite recipes - this being one of them. Over the years, the traditional German coffee cake changed into the style we are familiar with today.
Making a classic coffee cake from Germany, you would mix yeast into the recipe. This addition makes the German version more like bread than a cake. A drizzle might be made of cinnamon, sugar, butter, and milk.
Americanized versions of coffee cake are typically made with no yeast, but instead using baking powder and/baking soda to rise.
With other ingredients including flour, sugar, and eggs, this recipe has a consistency of a cake. Cinnamon sugar middles and a streusel crumb topping are also commonly found additions.
If you're looking for more german-inspired recipes, check out our big list of Oktoberfest recipes!
This apple cake features beautiful apples - not just chopped apples, but larger pieces you can see on the top - and is like Grandma would make.
It tastes like sitting down to the table on a German-American farm for a "little lunch" - what the family would call a snack outside of regular meal times.
The delicious old-fashioned German coffee cake is perfect for that "little lunch", dessert, breakfast or brunch, or a Kaffeeklatsch with friends.
4 honeycrisp apples; peeled and quartered
1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
1/2 cup granulated sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
3 large eggs
1 1/2 cups cake flour
2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoon milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease the bottom of a 10-inch springform pan.
Step 1: Peel, quarter, and remove the core of the apples. Slice thin lines into the tops of each apple without cutting through the apple. Do it Hasselback style.
Step 2: In the bowl of a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat butter until creamy, about 1 minute.
Add sugar and mix until light and fluffy, about 2 minutes.
Step 3: Add eggs one at a time and beat for 30 seconds on high speed after each addition. Add vanilla extract and lemon juice. Beat until combined.
Step 4: Combine cake flour, baking powder, and salt. With the mixer running on low speed add half of the flour, then 1 tablespoon milk, followed by the remaining flour, and then the remaining milk.
Beat until just combined. Be careful not to over mix the dough as then it will not cook correctly.
Step 5: Transfer cake batter into prepared pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Rap the pan on the counter to make the dough even out.
Step 6: Distribute the apples with the sliced side up on top of the batter around the edges and then in the center. Bake in the lower third part of the oven for 40 to 45 minutes, until lightly browned and a skewer comes out clean.
Transfer your apple coffee cake to a cooling rack and remove the springform ring. Let cake cool on the bottom of the springform pan to room temperature.
For our recipe we used Honeycrisp apples because of their sweet, crisp flavor. Other apple varieties that also work well are Granny Smith, SweeTango, Jazz, Golden Delicious, Pink Lady and Ambrosia - but go ahead and use whatever baking apple you prefer!
While this cake tastes delicious all by itself, you can also add an extra topping. Some options include:
Store any leftover coffee cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to two days, or in the refrigerator for up to five days.
You can also slice your fully-cooled cake and store slices in the freezer for up to a month.
To serve the leftovers, bring to room temperature, warm slightly in the microwave, or pop into the toaster oven.
Caramel Apple Nachos Recipe
Apple Challah French Toast Casserole Recipe
Cranberry Apple Walnut Stuffing Recipe
Caramel Apple Pie Recipe
PIN IT ON PINTEREST:
The post German Apple Coffee Cake Recipe appeared first on Thrifty Jinxy.