Apricot Kuchen, German Apricot Cake
Apricot kuchen is a German apricot cake. Tender cake and a layer of creamy custard and fresh apricots are baked all together in one pan. Delicious!
Apricot Kuchen is a German apricot cake with tender cake and moist custard baked all together in one pan. I made a peach Kuchen with canned peaches before and it was a great success.
I tried the same recipe with fresh apricots this time and it is oh-so-good! If you love anything apricots, you will definitely want to try this apricot Kuchen recipe.
What is Kuchen?
Kuchen is a German word for cake. There are, of course, many different variation of Kuchen in Germany.
Some Kuchen recipe requires yeast to make more bread-like, but I like the kind that resembles English pie with moist custard built in together. It is creamy and delicious.
One good thing about Kuchen is that it doesn’t require much fat, but still makes a rich tasty cake. A Kuchen is typically less decorative or fancy in nature than other European cakes. It might look humble but the taste is not.
What fruits are suitable for Kuchen?
Any summer fruits like peaches, apricots, nectarine, and berries will be suitable. Apples and pears are also good in the fall and winter season.
How to make German Apricot Cake
There are two parts making Kuchen. One is cake part, and the other is the custard.
- For the cake; combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt. Cut butter into the mixture. Mix milk and egg together and add to the flour mixture. Bake the cake halfway before you add the custard mixture.
- For the custard; whisk together cream, eggs, sugar, and vanilla extract. Pour over to the half baked cake and continue to bake.
Apricot Kuchen (German Apricot Cake)
Ingredients
For the cake:
- 5-6 apricot, pitted and sliced
- 1-1/2 cup all-purpose flour
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/8 tsp mace
- 1/4 cup cold butter, cut into small pieces
- 1/2 cup milk
- 1 egg
For the custard:
- 1 cup whipping cream
- 2 tsp flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
Equipment
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan.
- To make the cake, whisk together flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, and mace. Add the butter and cut into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse meal. In another small bowl, whisk together milk and egg. Pour it to the flour mixture and combine well.
- Spread the batter into a prepared pan and arrange the apricot slices on top. Bake the cake for 15 minutes.
- To make the custard, combine 1/4 cups of cream with flour in a medium mixing bowl, and whisk together to get rid of big lumps. Add the rest of the cream, sugar, egg, and vanilla; whisk well to mix.
- When the cake comes out of oven, pour the custard mixture into hot cake and put it back to the oven. Reduce the heat to 350˚F and continue to bake for another 35-45 minutes.
- When the cake top is puffed, the edges are deep golden and starting to separate from the pan, the cake is done. Let the cake cool in a pan for 10 minutes. Remove the cake ring and cool completely on a wired rack.
Can I make this ahead and freeze it?
Hi Laurel
You can freeze the cake, but make sure to bring it to the room temperature completely.
Love this recipe, tastes delicious. I have made it with fresh peaches and a different time with blueberries. Only problem I had was when I made it with blueberries the custard went to the bottom. Make sure you wrap your springform pan with foil to prevent leaks.
Hi Jess
Glad to hear that you like this recipe. Blueberry sounds wonderful, too. Thanks for the foil tip!
I made this cake for my friends birthday which was December 30th it was wonderful!
Want to try making another one but with apples do you make it the same way?
Thank you so much!
If using apples, I would slice thinly since apples takes longer to soften in the oven. Another tip is to coat with a tbsp of sugar and let it sit for 10 minutes. That will withdraw some moisture from the apple and help cook faster. Glad to hear that you like this cake. Thank you
Happy New Year! I made your Apricot Kuchen as the crowning touch to our Roasted Goose New Year’s Day dinner. It was amazing. Couldn’t find fresh apricots this time of year so I used some that we had preserved. The only adjustment I made was adding a strudel topping made of white sugar, brown sugar, flour, butter, baking powder and sliced almonds with a couple of drops of almond extract. It was delicious. Thank you so much for sharing.
I am so happy that you liked it. Roasted Goose sounds really wonderful for New Year’s Day dinner. May your New Year is filled with joy and happiness. Thank you.
I like cakes with fruit like this. Lovely way to use apricots. In fact, lovely dessert! Thanks.