German Apple Cake (Versunkener Apfelkuchen)

German Apple Cake, also known as Versunkener Apfelkuchen, on a white plate.

German Apple Cake (Versunkener Apfelkuchen)

Learn how to make traditional "Versunkener Apfelkuchen". It's a popular German apple cake that looks like the apples are sunken. It tastes even better than it looks.

Course Dessert

Cuisine German

Keyword German Apple Cake, Sunken Apple Cake, Versunkener Apfelkuchen

Prep Time 25

Cook Time 35

Total Time 1

Servings pieces

Calories 341kcal

Ingredients

4 small apples gala work best
120 g butter (at room temperature) 1 stick or half a cup
120 g granulated sugar 1/2 cup + 1 Tbsp
1 lemon
3 large eggs (at room temperature) 150g excluding shells
2 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract
200 g all-purpose or cake flour 1.5 cups, spooned and leveled
2 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp sea salt
1 Tbsp raw sugar demarara or turbinado work well

Instructions

Butter a 9" round cake pan on the bottom and sides and line the bottom with parchment paper. Set aside.
Peel one apple at a time, cut in half, core without removing too much apple, then lay flat side down and make many slits into the apple without cutting all the way down. Then cut the apple half in half. That way you end up with apple quarters with slits all over. Use a half lemon and lightly coat with lemon juice to avoid browning. Set aside.
Preheat the oven to 350F (180C).
Cream softened butter, sugar, and zest of lemon with the paddle attachment of your stand mixer. (See detailed instructions in the blog post).
Add vanilla extract and eggs one egg at a time, making sure each egg is incorporated into the creamed butter before adding the next. Mix on low, do not beat the eggs.
Place a sieve over the mixing bowl and add flour, baking powder, and sea salt to the sieve and sift into the bowl.
Mix on low until JUST incorporated, then add the batter to your buttered and parchment-paper-lined cake pan. Use a spatula to distribute evenly and flatten.
Place apple quarters on top without pushing into the batter. Sprinkle a little raw sugar on the apples.
Bake for 35-40 minutes or until baked through and golden.
Remove from the oven and place on a wire rack to cool for at least 20 minutes before removing from the cake pan. Sprinkle with a little more raw sugar if you like and serve with homemade whipped cream.

Video

Notes

If you are a beginner baker please read the full blog post and watch the video tutorial. There is a lot of valuable information in there for you.

Nutrition

https://balancedhealthreport.org/german-apple-cake-versunkener-apfelkuchen/%3C/em%3E%3C/p%3E%3C/div%3E%3C/div%3E%3Cscript%3Ewindow.wprm_recipes = {"recipe-15127":{"type":"food","name":"German Apple Cake (Versunkener Apfelkuchen)","slug":"wprm-german-apple-cake-versunkener-apfelkuchen","image_url":"https:\/\/greenhealthycooking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/German-Apple-Cake.jpg","rating":{"count":14,"total":67,"average":4.79,"type":{"comment":14,"no_comment":0,"user":0},"user":0},"ingredients":[{"uid":9,"amount":"4","unit":"","name":"small apples","notes":"gala work best","id":14946,"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"4","unit":"","unitParsed":""}}},{"uid":0,"amount":"120","unit":"g","name":"butter (at room temperature)","notes":"1 stick or half a cup","unit_id":14758,"id":14939,"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"120","unit":"g","unitParsed":"g"}}},{"uid":1,"amount":"120","unit":"g","name":"granulated sugar","notes":"1\/2 cup + 1 Tbsp","unit_id":14758,"id":14936,"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"120","unit":"g","unitParsed":"g"}}},{"uid":2,"amount":"1","unit":"","name":"lemon ","notes":"","id":2695,"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"1","unit":"","unitParsed":""}}},{"uid":3,"amount":"3","unit":"","name":"large eggs (at room temperature)","notes":"150g excluding shells","id":14940,"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"3","unit":"","unitParsed":""}}},{"uid":6,"amount":"2","unit":"tsp","name":"vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract","notes":"","unit_id":14738,"id":14937,"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"2","unit":"tsp","unitParsed":"tsp"}}},{"uid":4,"amount":"200","unit":"g","name":"all-purpose or cake flour","notes":"1.5 cups, spooned and leveled","unit_id":14758,"id":14938,"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"200","unit":"g","unitParsed":"g"}}},{"uid":5,"amount":"2","unit":"tsp","name":"baking powder","notes":"","unit_id":14738,"id":3274,"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"2","unit":"tsp","unitParsed":"tsp"}}},{"uid":7,"amount":"1\/4","unit":"tsp","name":"sea salt","notes":"","unit_id":14738,"id":2562,"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"1\/4","unit":"tsp","unitParsed":"tsp"}}},{"uid":8,"amount":"1","unit":"Tbsp","name":"raw sugar","notes":"demarara or turbinado work well","unit_id":14737,"id":14941,"type":"ingredient","unit_systems":{"unit-system-1":{"amount":"1","unit":"Tbsp","unitParsed":"Tbsp"}}}],"originalServings":"8","originalServingsParsed":8,"currentServings":"8","currentServingsParsed":8,"currentServingsFormatted":"8","currentServingsMultiplier":1,"originalSystem":1,"currentSystem":1,"unitSystems":[1],"originalAdvancedServings":{"shape":"round","unit":"inch","diameter":0,"width":0,"length":0,"height":0},"currentAdvancedServings":{"shape":"round","unit":"inch","diameter":0,"width":0,"length":0,"height":0},"collection":{"type":"recipe","recipeId":15127,"name":"German Apple Cake (Versunkener Apfelkuchen)","image":"https:\/\/greenhealthycooking.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/11\/German-Apple-Cake-360x361.jpg","servings":8,"servingsUnit":"pieces","parent_id":"15117","parent_url":"https:\/\/greenhealthycooking.com\/german-apple-cake-versunkener-apfelkuchen\/","cachedAt":1772572134,"modifiedAt":1668154232}}}