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german kuchen

(5 ratings)
Letsbake1 avatar
Blue Ribbon Recipe by
Dorene Nagy
@Letsbake1
Wharncliffe, WV

When I worked at the bank I had a customer who used to always come to my window to make his deposits for his business. He owned a bakery. He always smelled like doughnuts! I asked him one day if he would give me his recipe for the kuchen he sold. He wouldn't do it till the week he decided to close his bakery and retire. This recipe makes enough for 5 kuchen's. You will put a little time into this recipe till you get used to handling the dough and knowing the toppings. It's worth all your troubles. My favorite is the cinnamon or butter kuchen.

Blue Ribbon Recipe

All cultures have some type of sweet dough and this German Kuchen is a great example. Kuchen is the German word for cake. The dough is slightly sweet and fluffy. Tasty on its own. But the toppings are where this recipe gets fun. The cinnamon topping is classic and almost like a cinnamon streusel. If you love cherries, try the cherry toppings. It's a wonderful complement to the bread. We'll admit, that the butter topping had us confused. There's no butter! Once baked, it sinks to the bottom creating a buttery custard. Simple and so good, the apple is a great topping for fall. The apples bake perfectly and are filled with cinnamon spice. The cheese topping is similar to the butter version where it sinks to the bottom while baking. If you asked us which is our favorite, we wouldn't be able to single one out. They're all good in their own way. Each recipe makes one Kuchen, so keep one or two for yourselves and give another to a neighbor or family. Whichever Kuchen you choose to make, you'll enjoy a bakery-quality treat.

— The Test Kitchen @kitchencrew
(5 ratings)
prep time 1 Hr 30 Min
cook time 20 Min
method Bake

Ingredients For german kuchen

  • SWEET DOUGH
  • 3/4 c
    milk
  • 1/4 c
    butter, room temperature
  • 1/2 c
    sugar
  • 1 tsp
    salt
  • 2 pkg
    active dry yeast
  • 1/2 c
    warm water
  • 2
    eggs
  • 5 c
    bread flour
  • CINNAMON TOPPNG
  • 1/4 c
    brown sugar
  • 1/4 c
    butter
  • 1/2 c
    all-purpose flour
  • 1 tsp
    cinnamon, ground
  • CHERRY TOPPING
  • 1 can
    dark cherry pie filling
  • CHEESE TOPPING
  • 2 c
    cottage cheese
  • 1
    egg
  • 1/2 c
    sugar
  • BUTTER TOPPING
  • 1 c
    sugar
  • 3
    eggs
  • 1/2 tsp
    vanilla extract
  • 1 c
    canola oil
  • APPLE TOPPING
  • 3
    apples, thinly sliced and sprinkle with cinnamon, nutmeg and sugar to taste

How To Make german kuchen

  • Beating eggs into scalded milk, butter, sugar, salt, and yeast.
    1
    Dough: Scald milk and add butter, sugar, and salt. Dissolve yeast in warm water in a separate bowl and then add to milk mixture. Beat in eggs.
  • Adding flour to the batter.
    2
    Then add flour.
  • Ready to cover the dough to rise.
    3
    Cover and let rise until doubled. About an hour.
  • Dough separated into five pieces.
    4
    Punch down and divide into 5 pieces.
  • Dough rolled into desired shape to rise again.
    5
    Roll out into the desired shape and let rise 30 minutes. Then choose your topping. I used a 9" round cake pan for mine.
  • Mixing butter, brown sugar, flour, and cinnamon in a bowl.
    6
    Cinnamon Topping: Use a pastry blender to mix butter and brown sugar and flour. Add cinnamon and sprinkle over dough after it rises the second time.
  • Dotting cinnamon sugar with butter.
    7
    Dot with butter if desired.
  • Baked Cinnamon German Kuchen.
    8
    Bake at 375 for 20 minutes.
  • Heating a can of cherry pie filling in a saucepan.
    9
    Cherry Topping: Heat can of dark cherry pie filling.
  • Pie filling spread over pie crust.
    10
    Spread on the crust after it rises a second time.
  • Baked Cherry German Kuchen.
    11
    Bake for 20 minutes at 375.
  • Mixing cottage cheese, egg, and sugar.
    12
    Cheese Topping; Mix cottage cheese, egg, and sugar in a blender or bowl until creamy. Heat slowly until warm on the stove.
  • Pouring mixture over the crust.
    13
    Pour on the dough after rises a second time.
  • Cheese German Kuchen baked.
    14
    Bake at 375 for 25 minutes.
  • Sugar, eggs, vanilla, and oil in a bowl.
    15
    Butter Topping: Beat together sugar, eggs, and vanilla. Slowly beat in oil. Add oil too fast and it will curdle. Heat on top of stove until hot.
  • Mixture poured over the crust.
    16
    Pour on the crust after the second rising.
  • Butter German Kuchen baked.
    17
    Bake 25 minutes at 375.
  • Dough rolled out into a rectangle.
    18
    Apple Topping: Roll this dough out in a rectangle.
  • Sliced apples, dots of butter, cinnamon sugar, and nutmeg sprinkled over crust.
    19
    Peel and slice thinly 3 apples. Fill the center with apples and dot with butter. Sprinkle with cinnamon and sugar and nutmeg to taste.
  • Apple German Kuchen baked.
    20
    Bake 20 minutes at 375.
  • Last Step: Don't forget to share! Make all your friends drool by posting a picture of your finished recipe on your favorite social network. And don't forget to tag Just A Pinch and include #justapinchrecipes so we can see it too!
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