Easy Traditional German Apple Cake
This old-fashioned German apple cake is soft & tender (thanks to butter) and spiced with cozy cinnamon + almond extract. Then warm, soft apples are spread on top for an effortless yet impressive look.
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.
Nutrition
Serving: 1 sliceCalories: 209kcalCarbohydrates: 30gProtein: 3gFat: 9gSaturated Fat: 5gPolyunsaturated Fat: 0.5gMonounsaturated Fat: 2gTrans Fat: 0.3gCholesterol: 35mgSodium: 130mgPotassium: 67mgFiber: 1gSugar: 14gVitamin A: 284IUVitamin C: 1mgCalcium: 62mgIron: 1mg
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