German Apfelkuchen (German Apple Custard Cake Recipe)

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This authentic German Apfelkuchen (apple cake) recipe features a moist custard cake topped with tender fresh baked apples.

Using simple pantry ingredients, this cake is easy to whip up for a spontaneous afternoon Kaffee und Kuchen!

German apple custard cake

I’ve got another delicious German dessert recipe for you! A reader emailed me recently looking for a recipe for a German cake with peaches and custard.

I knew exactly what she was looking for, and had actually been thinking about making a German Peach Kuchen.

I’ve eaten that delicious cake many times in Germany, and was looking forward to making it…but I didn’t have any fresh, canned or frozen peaches on hand. Womp womp, sad face.

I did, however, have an abundance of apples. So I decided to make Apfelkuchen. This German Apple Custard Cake is so good. It uses pantry staples and is super easy to make.

I actually made 2 variations of this cake – one is classic and the other is a more embellished take on a traditional German apple cake recipe. Both recipes create a moist cake that is amazing with a cup of coffee or tea.

About German Kuchen (German Cake)

If you’ve made my other German cakes – Bee Sting CakeGerman Plum Cake or a German Cheesecake, for example – you already know that German cakes are different than US American cakes.

That took me a little while to get used to the first time I lived in Germany. I was so used fluffy layer cakes covered in sugary buttercream that the non-frosted, much less sweet, and often denser German cake varieties seemed far less satisfying…at first!

apple custard cake

It only took a few weeks of sampling all different kinds of Kuchen (Kuchen means cake in German) during multiple rounds of afternoon Kaffee und Kuchen (coffee and cake) to plant myself firmly on the side of less sweet German desserts.

I still enjoy a fluffy layer cake with buttercream (like this apple spice cake with mascarpone Swiss meringue icing that I made for my birthday) but for afternoon Kaffee und Kuchen? German cake for sure!

There are so many different kinds of traditional German cakes…sometimes I think about making them all but that would take years. Hmmm…what do you think, should I do it? Ha!

slice of apple custard cake

About German Apfelkuchen (and this German Apple Custard Cake)

There are lots of different kinds of German recipes for Apfelkuchen. Some feature a simple cake base with apple quarters sliced and fanned out on top (typically called Versunkener Apfelkuchen or sunken apple cake).

Others add a streusel topping like my German Apple Streusel Cake. And yet other versions like Gedeckter Apfelkuchen (covered apple cake) are more like apple pie.

I find some German apple cake recipes on the dry side, which is that’s why I love this recipe. The custard layer on top combined with the apple slices makes this cake delightfully moist, not to mention tasty.

German Apple Cake 2 Ways

I’ve made this cake a few different ways, depending on my mood and the ingredients I have on hand.

Sometimes I simply peel and slice two medium-sized apples and place them on top of the cake. Other times I double the amount of apples.

I also sometimes sprinkle sliced almonds and dried currants over the apples.

You could add pecans instead of sliced almonds or dried cranberries or raisins instead of the currants. Those additions aren’t really traditional but I like to change things up once in a while. You really can’t go wrong.

You could also swap out the apples for peaches or berries.

slice of German apple custard cake

? What You Need to Make This Recipe

Ingredients:

  • All purpose flour 
  • White sugar
  • Baking powder
  • Salt
  • Nutmeg
  • Butter
  • Milk
  • Eggs
  • 2-4 fresh apples cut into thin slices
  • Heavy cream 
  • Vanilla extract (or vanilla sugar) 
  • Cinnamon
  • Sliced almonds (optional)
  • Dried currants (optional)

Kitchen tools:

  • Mixing bowl 
  • Wooden spoon
  • Whisk
  • Measuring cups or scale
  • Measuring spoons
  • Paring knife & cutting board
  • Springform pan (9 inch)
  • Round piece of parchment or round Silpat mat
German apple custard cake with whipped cream

? How to Make German Apple Custard Cake 

First, preheat your oven to 400F/200C.

Then make the cake base. To do this you’ll need a large bowl (I love this set – I use them every day in my cooking and baking). Add the flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg. Use a whisk to mix the dry ingredients together.

Then cut the cold butter into small pieces, add it to the flour, and use your fingers to work it into the flour to fine crumbs.

In a small bowl whisk the milk and egg together. I use the small bowl from my favorite glass bowl set.

Then add the wet ingredients to the flour and mix with a spoon or a fork until just combined. The dough will be wet and sticky. Use a rubber spatula to scrape down the sides of the bowl.

Spoon the dough into a prepared pan (I like to use a springform pan) and use your fingers or a spoon to spread evenly in the pan. I use a little butter to grease my springform pan.

press into pan

Peel, core, and slice apples, then place the apples on the dough.

You can arrange them in a nice pattern fanning the apple sliced from the center of the cake, place sets of slices together in the cake batter, or just place them in an even layer on the dough (which is what I did).

Then bake for 20 minutes.

The next step is to prepare the custard. To do this, whisk 1/4 of the heavy cream with 2 teaspoons flour.

Then add the rest of the heavy cream, the egg, sugar, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk until well combined.

When the cake base has finished baking, take it out of the oven and pour the custard over the top. This is the time to sprinkle the sliced almonds and dried currants over the top of the cake, if using.

Turn the oven oven down to 350F/175C and bake the cake for another 30-35 minutes or until the top and edges of the cake are golden brown. The top of the cake should spring back when you touch it.

Don’t over bake it! If you do, you’ll lose that delicious soft custard layer.

baked apple cake

Let the cake cool on a wire rack. I like to run a knife around the edge of the cake before removing the side of the Let the cake cool on a wire rack.

I like to run an offset spatula or a butter knife around the outer edge of the cake before removing the side of the springform pan.

This cake is easiest to slice after it has cooled for 10-15 minutes.

It tastes delicious all by itself (especially while still warm), with fresh whipped cream (or even a scoop of vanilla ice cream).

This apple cake is best eaten on the day of baking but it will last another day or two if you wrap it well in plastic wrap.

German apple custard cake

❤️ Looking For More Apple Recipes?

Yield: 8 slices

German Apfelkuchen (German Apple Custard Cake)

German Apfelkuchen (German Apple Custard Cake)

This apple cream cake is perfect for fall!

Prep Time 15 minutes
Bake Time 1 hour
Total Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients

Cake

  • 1 1/2 cups [180g] all-purpose flour
  • 3/4 cup [150g] sugar
  • 2 tsp baking powder
  • 1/2 tsp salt
  • 1/8 tsp nutmeg
  • 1/4 cup [55g] cold butter (in small pieces)
  • 1/2 cup [113 ml] milk
  • 1 egg
  • 2-4 apples
  • 1/4 cup [30g] sliced almonds (optional)
  • 1/4 cup [30g] dried currants (optional)

Custard

  • 1 cup [225 ml] heavy cream
  • 2 tsp flour
  • 1/2 cup [100g] sugar
  • 1 egg
  • 1 tsp vanilla extract
  • 1 tsp cinnamon
  • pinch salt

Instructions

    1. Preheat oven to 400 F/200C.

    2 . Whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and nutmeg in a medium sized mixing bowl.

    3. Cut the cold butter into small pieces and work into flour with your fingers until it reaches a crumb texture.

    4. Whisk milk and egg together in a small bowl and then add to flour mixture. Stir until batter just comes together (it will be thick and sticky).

    5. Spoon cake batter into a prepared 9-inch springform pan. Use a spoon or your fingers to spread the batter evenly in the pan.

    6. Peel, core, and slice apples. Spread apples evenly over the cake batter. Bake for 20 minutes.

    7. While the cake is baking, make the custard by whisking 1/4th of the heavy cream and 2 tsp flour in a small mixing bowl until smooth. Add the rest of the cream, sugar, egg, vanilla, cinnamon, and salt. Whisk again until well combined.

    8. When the cake has finished baking, take it out of the oven and pour the custard over the top.

    9. Reduce the oven to 350F/175C. Place cake back in the oven and bake 30-35 minutes or until cake is golden brown and the top springs back when you touch it. Be careful not to over-bake it.

    10. Let cake cool for a few minutes in the cake pan, then carefully release the springform pan and let cake cool completely on a wire rack.

    11. Slice cake and serve plain or with fresh whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

What to Serve With German Apple Cake?

After making this easy recipe for apple cake with fresh apples, serve it with fresh whipped cream sweetened with vanilla bean sugar. If you’re creating a buffet of desserts, serve it with German Cheesecake, German Plum Cake or for something different, German Rote Grütze.

Coffee and tea are always perfect hot drinks to serve with apple cake. But you could also try Dutch Fresh Mint Tea (so good with apple cake!), a creamy London Fog, a cold German Iced Coffee (decadent!) or even a refreshing German Radler Beer. All are easy to prepare and delicious so it just depends on what you’re craving.

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12 Comments

  1. Oh my goodness I haven’t had this since I lived at home with my parents, my mum died at 58 and didn’t have time to pass on the recipes of her birth country, Austria so to find your blog has been an inspiration to me thank you and the cake was devoured by myself, ny husband and our good friends ??

  2. I have made this wonderful apfelkuchen recipe 3 times (so far) with varying results. I would like to know what texture the cake should be before pouring on the custard layer. Should a toothpick come out clean? If I slice the apples thinly, one apple covers the cake mix. Should there be more than one layer of apples? Since I have a 10 inch springform pan, I have had to make adjustments. I increased the custard recipe by 1/2. It was delicious! Thank you for sharing this recipe.

    1. Were the varying results you got more under or over-baked? How much did you adjust the baking time for the larger cake? After the first bake the cake should be just done, even slightly underdone, and not yet browned (just a little around the edges). You can definitely add more than one layer of apples, especially if you slice them thinly and use a larger baking pan. You really can add as few or as many as you’d like. 🙂 The top of the cake should be moist after the second bake so be careful not to over-bake it (I did that once and it still tasted good, it was just on the dry side). If you like this apple cake, you might also like my German Apple Cake with Streusel Topping! – https://www.internationaldessertsblog.com/german-apple-cake-with-streusel-topping/

      1. I probably should have told you the apple layer on the 3rd attempt was about 3/4″ thick. I (and everyone else) absolutely loved this recipe! Thanks for the tips on how well done the cake layer should be. And thanks for the link to the apfelkuchen with struesel topping. It will be hard to beat the this apfelkuchen recipe though! ?

  3. Thank you so much for responding. The 1st time I reduced the baking time of the cake portion by about 7 minutes-toothpick came out clean. One apple covered the entire cake and there wasn’t enough custard. Delicious but a bit dry. 2nd time reduced baking time by about 5 minutes and increased custard by half. Again, delicious, great amount of custard but not enough apples. 3rd time, layered in 2 apples, baked the length of time instructed, maintained one & one half amount custard. Results delicious, but under done. Love the recipe!

  4. Delicious, I used 2 teaspoons of flour in the custard. One place in the recipe states 2 Tablespoons. I will make it again. My grandmother would have enjoyed this recipe.

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