German Sunken Apple Cake (Versunkener Apfelkuchen)
German apple cake or Versunkener Apfelkuchen! An aesthetic and relatively easy cake to make! It is not too sweet and the crumb is lighter and fluffier, perfect as a coffee cake. I am making a few videos for SweeTango and after receiving a whole load of apples, just felt like experimenting and this recipe came out of my baking/cooking with apples spree.
Equipment
- 1 9 inch springform pan
Ingredients
- 3 apple like SweeTango, you may need more or less apples depending on size
- 120 grams 1/2 cup butter (at room temperature)
- 120 grams 1/2 cup + 1 tablespoon granulated sugar
- 1 lemon for rubbing apples to prevent browning
- 1 teaspoon lemon zest
- 3 large eggs at room temperature
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 200 grams all-purpose or cake flour – 1 1/2 cups spooned and levelled
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 teaspoons lemon juice
- 2 tablespoons milk
- 1/4 teaspoon sea salt
- 1 tablespoon raw sugar – demerara or turbinado work well
Instructions
- Preheat your oven to 350 degrees.
- Prepare a 9 inch round springform pan by greasing it with butter and lining the bottom with parchment paper.
- Cut a lemon in half and set aside.
- Peel your apple, cut in half and remove the core and carefully make slits through the apple with a knife, not going all the way through. You will start slanted near the edges and as you reach the middle of the half, your knife will be straight.
- Once you are done cutting slits in your peeled apple, cut it in half and run it with a lemon to prevent it from browning. Repeat the same steps first with the peeled half then repeat with the other two apples.
- Beat butter and sugar together for 5 minutes until light and fluffy
- Add your eggs in one at a time, mixing after you add each and add your vanilla extract.
- In a separate bowl mix together your flour, baking powder and salt. Sift your flour before mixing with the other ingredients if you have time.
- Gradually add your flour into the sugar, butter and egg mixture and mix in your milk and lemon juice.
- Do not over mix or your cake will be dry.
- Place your batter into the prepared pan and use a spatula to flatten the batter as best as you can.
- Top with your quartered apples and arrange in a circle over your batter, placing some quartered apple in the middle.
- Bake for 40 minutes but check at 35 minutes to make sure the cake does not burn. A toothpick should come clean out. Your cake may need to bake for a little longer but that should not be more than 45 minutes total.
- When the cake is ready, let cool for 15 minutes and dust with icing sugar.
- Slice and serve.
