Apple & Slivered Almonds Kuchen

“Kuchen, in German, just means cake. In America, it means something more specific – that yeasted, plain, but often fruit-topped, coffee cake that the German immigrants brought with them to the New World.”



Living only a 30 minutes drive away from Germany, I for sure have tasted many great kuchens, but the yeasted version of this German delicacy is my favorite. It just makes such a great breakfast-brunch-lunch treat that I never tire of. Don't be threatened by working with yeast; it is very easy to make and well worth the effort! Rating: 5- out of 5.




Apple & Slivered Almonds Kuchen: adapted from Nigella Lawson - How To Be A Domestic Goddess

For the dough:
- 2 ¼ - 3 cups white bread flour
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- ½ package rapid-rise yeast (1 ½ teaspoons fresh yeast)
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- pinch of ground nutmeg
- pinch of ground cinnamon
- ½ cup milk, lukewarm
- ¼ cup unsalted butter, softened
- rectangular baking dish, approximately 12 × 8 inches

For the topping:
- 2 Granny Smith apples
- 1 large egg
- 1 tablespoon cream
- pinch of ground nutmeg
- pinch of ground cinnamon
- 1 tablespoon demerara or turbinado or light brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 3 tablespoons slivered almonds

For the icing:
- ⅓ cup confectioners’ sugar, sifted
- 1 tablespoon hot water

Instructions:
- Put 2 ¼ cups of the flour in a bowl with the salt, sugar, and yeast. Beat the eggs and aad them, with the vanilla, nutmeg, and cinnamon, to the lukewarm milk. Stir the liquid ingredients into the dry ingredients, to make a medium-soft dough, being prepared to add more flour as necessary. I generally use about 2 ⅔ cups, but advise you to start off with the smaller amount: just add more as needed. Work in the soft butter and knead by hand for about 10 minutes or half that time by machine. When the dough is ready it will appear smoother, and springier. It suddenly seems to plump up into glossy life.
- Cover with a tea towel and leave till doubled (1 – 1 ½ hours), or leave to rise slowly in a cold place overnight. Then punch down and press to line the pan. You may think it’s never going to stretch to fill, but let it rest for 10 minutes or so mid-stretch, especially if the dough had a cold rise. When it’s pressed out on pan, leave it to rise for 15-20 minutes. Preheat the oven to 400°F. Peel and core the apples and chop them finely. You could use other apples, too, if you prefer.
- When the dough’s ready, beat the egg with the cream, nutmeg, and cinnamon, and brush the top of the dough with this mixture. Cover the egg-glazed dough with the apples, then mix together the sugars and sprinkle over. Top with the flaked almonds and put in the oven for 15 minutes. Then turn down to 350°F and cook for a further 15 minutes or so, until the dough is swelling and golden at the edges and cooked within.
- Remove from the oven and make a runny paste with the sifted confectioners’ sugar and hot water. Spoon or trickle over the cake. Leave to cool for about 15 minutes, then slice it, and eat while it’s still warm and juicily, stickily fragrant.


This kuchen has a sweet, brioche-like base and
a colorful apples/almonds topping.