Spice up your inbox with FREE German recipes and a free recipe ebook!
Spice up your inbox with FREE German recipes and a free recipe ebook!
by: Gerhild Fulson / Oma Gerhild shares easy, authentic German recipes you can trust, rooted in family tradition and featured in her cookbooks.
Published: April 22, 2010, Updated: May 11, 2025
This German apple cake (apfelkuchen) is a quick, easy, and elegant dessert. My go-to for unexpected guests and creating family memories.
This traditional German apple cake (versunkener apfelkuchen) is easy, impressive, and full of sweet memories. I made it with Mutti as when I was still a youngster, and later, to win over my in-laws!
Ease of Making: Simple enough for beginners; a reliable favorite.
Taste: Light, moist vanilla cake with tender, sweet apples.
Time: Approximately 1 hour and 15 minutes.
Best Served With: Whipped cream, vanilla ice cream, or a cup of coffee or tea.
This easy vanilla cake gets topped with thinly sliced apples that fan out beautifully as it bakes. It may go into the oven looking plain, but it comes out looking like a showstopper! A dusting of powdered sugar makes it extra pretty—and best of all, it always turns out.
This cake is wunderbar warm with whipped cream or ice cream and totally perfect for a 3:00 Kaffee und Kuchen, aka Kaffeeklatsch. It’s even better the next day, staying moist and full of apple flavor for days. I make it for holidays, picnics, potlucks ... anytime I want an easy dessert that looks festive and never fails.
I’ve had this apple cake more times than I can count while working with Oma. Sometimes I’d walk in and spot it on the counter, and my mouth would instantly start watering. But I’d tell myself, “Hold on, Lydia… wait for 3 o’clock coffee time!”
The best part? A big dollop of Oma’s whipped cream melting over a warm slice. Or vanilla ice cream. Lecker! The apples give it a soft crunch, and it’s such a fun recipe to get creative with: fancy apple patterns, a dusting of sugar, maybe a little cinnamon. Oma calls it her “emergency cake” but I say it’s her masterpiece ... simple, beautiful, and made with love.
This German apple cake is my go-to “emergency cake”, You know, when the phone rings and surprise company’s on the way!
It’s quick, easy, and made with ingredients I always have. In German, it’s called versunkener apfelkuchen (literally "sunken apple cake"), sounds fancier in German, doesn't it?
This German apple cake (apfelkuchen) is a quick, easy, and elegant dessert. My go-to for unexpected guests and creating family memories.
Prep Time:
25 minutes
Cook Time:
50 minutes
Total Time:
1 hour 15 minutes
Servings:
12 servings
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Unless otherwise noted recipe, images and content © Just like Oma | www.quick-german-recipes.com
Recipe updated on May 11, 2025
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Pop right over to my private Facebook group, the Kaffeeklatschers. You'll find thousands of German foodies, all eager to help and to talk about all things German, especially these yummy foods.
Meet with us around Oma's virtual table, pull up a chair, grab a coffee and a piece of Apfelstrudel, and enjoy the visit.
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