This old-fashioned German apple cake is soft & tender (thanks to butter, not oil) and spiced with cozy cinnamon + almond extract. Then warm, soft apples are spread on top for an effortless yet impressive look.
This website uses affiliate links which may earn commission for purchases made at no additional cost to you.
This Apfelkuchen Tastes Like Fall in Germany
Growing up in Germany, I fell in love with German apple cake because it's not overly fancy with frosting or custard fillings. For me, it's the kind of cake that easily disappears in one afternoon. You know, the kind where you say "just one more slice" five times and mean it every time.
In fact, one of my favorite parts of this rustic apple cake is that it feels like it belongs in a European cafe window display, since the topping looks impressive with zero decorating required! And for a step-by-step video on how to arrange the apple topping, watch my pear frangipane tart recipe video.
As for the ingredients, I use a combo of almond extract + cinnamon to help the natural flavor of apples shine through. And instead of oil, I use softened butter for a fluffier texture that's quintessential to German cakes, similar to my streusel applesauce cake. Except this one is even simpler to make from just homemade cake batter + fresh apples!
Let's Gather Our Ingredients: all purpose flour, baking powder, cinnamon, salt, unsalted butter, granulated sugar, egg, almond extract, milk, and apples.
Welcome to My Kitchen! Let's Bake Cake!
1. Whisk the dry ingredients.
2. Beat the butter & sugar.
3. Mix in the egg & almond extract.
5. Mix in the dry ingredients.
7. Peel & slice the apples.
9. Bake the cake.
4. Slowly mix in the milk.
6. Spread the batter in a cake pan.
8. Arrange the apples on top.
10. Cool, slice, and enjoy!
Carissa's Baking Tip
Slicing the apples evenly makes alllllll the difference, so they bake & soften at the same time. You can use a mandoline, but I find that a sharp kitchen knife does the trick.
Tips for Baking with Apples
- Apples release moisture as they bake, and I found that chilling the cake batter a bit helps to prevent it from getting soggy.
- To keep the apples from sinking, I gently place them on top of the batter. As the cake rises in the oven, it'll puff up around the slices.
- I tested this recipe with both peeled and unpeeled apples. And while unpeeled apples still tasted great, they were harder to slice through.
Easy Traditional German Apple Cake
Equipment
Ingredients
- 2 cups all purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup unsalted butter, softened to room temperature (1 stick)
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg
- 1 teaspoon almond extract (or vanilla extract)
- ½ cup milk
- ½ pound apples (about 1 large or 2 medium apples; about 225 grams)
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch round cake pan.
- In a medium mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Set aside.
- In a separate mixing bowl with an electric hand whisk (or in the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment) beat the softened butter and granulated sugar until it is fluffy. Beat in the egg & almond extract. Then add the milk and slowly mix again. (It's okay if it looks a little lumpy and split at this point - it'll all come together in the next step.)
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture. Mix by hand until you no longer see dry pockets of flour. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure everything is well-mixed.
- Spread the cake batter into the prepared cake pan. Place it in the fridge to firm up for at least 15 minutes while you prepare the apples.
- Peel the apples, cut them in half, and slice them as thinly as possible, discarding the cores.
- Fan the apple slices on top of the cake batter (see photo above for reference).
- Bake the cake for 40 to 50 minutes, until a skewer inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean from wet batter. (If the apples start to look like they're turning too dark, you can tent a large piece of aluminum foil over the cake for the last 10 to 15 minutes.) Allow the cake to cool for 10 minutes, then remove it from the pan. Slice & enjoy!
Notes
- Apples: I recommend choosing an apple variety that's ideal for baking such as Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, Golden Delicious, or Jonagold.
- Salt: Use table salt or fine sea salt, not kosher salt.
- Serving: I love this cake topped with vanilla ice cream or fresh whipped cream.
I'm eggcited to hear from you :)