Butterkuchen ~ German Butter Cake

➤ by Oma Gerhild Fulson

This Butter Cake recipe, aka Butterkuchen or Zuckerkuchen, is a traditional German cake often served for afternoon coffee. In the photo above, this butter cake is topped with streusel. Who doesn't love streusel!

Popular as well is when it's covered just with butter, almonds, and sugar. You can also include cinnamon, and/or sour cream in the topping giving a completely different cake.

Want something faster? I've included a link at the bottom for a butter cake recipe that uses a bread machine. Faster. Easier. Just as delicious!

Baking with Yeast Tips

Haven't used yeast before and are hesitant to make this butter cake recipe? It's not that hard. Follow these tips and you may just find yourself making cakes using yeast quite often. 

This is a recipe you'll get your hands into ... it's fun to knead!

• Don't use ingredients that are hot or cold. Ideally, everything should be at room temperature. The heat can kill the yeast and the cold can hinder the growth of the yeast cells. 
• Check expiry date on yeast package. Do NOT use old yeast. It will not rise!
• You need to count in time for the yeast dough to rise when calculating how long from starting the cake to serving time. It's a quick cake to make, just takes time to rise.
• When letting the dough or cake rise (often both need to rise - just check your recipe), do so in a warm, draft-free area. A great place can be your oven. Often I'll briefly turn it on and then off - just enough to take the chill out (you should be able to easily touch the inside). Then put covered dough/cake in and close the door. Warm and draft-free. Remember to take it out before turning the oven on to bake it!

This yeast dough is a basic cake yeast dough that can be used in many different recipes economically yet absolutely delicious! It's among the best quick and easy cake recipes for that reason.

Faster still?

Do you have a bread machine? You do? Then, you can make this quick cake ever quicker. 

If you're looking for a really, really easy version of this cake, one that uses a bread machine to make the dough, then check out this German Butter Cake.

Lydia Remembers...

I have so many wunderbar memories in the kitchen with my Oma, and have had MANY of her most popular and traditional recipes, like this butter cake! 

I've enjoyed this recipe multiple times in Oma's kitchen and it's become one of my favorites by far! Served with her homemade mouth-watering whipped cream, now that's a good dessert! My favorite part of this recipe is taking a great big spoonful of whipped cream and plopping it over top of that warm streusel topping. 

This is such a great recipe to serve when having company over, I know it sure did impress me when I first had it at Oma's! It seems like such a simple dessert and it is! Simple, but the potential and yumminess with each bite is absolutely wunderbar. 

Oma has made this recipe so easy to make and with little hints and tricks to help you along the way of your kitchen journey!

This recipe goes so well with a hot cup of peppermint tea or coffee. Just sit back, relax, and take in all those delicious German flavors! Take my word for it, when Oma makes it, it is ALWAYS delicious. 

Learn a little bit about me, Lydia, and my kitchen adventures with Oma!

Oma Says:

As with anything made with yeast, this tastes best served the same day it is made. Served still slightly warm from the oven with a bit of whipped cream, it is absolutely YUMMY!

Ready to make this Butterkuchen?

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