It all began as an experiment: what would German exchange students like to make or bake for their American host families?
We asked for sweet things, but with three conditions: easy to make, inexpensive ingredients and especially appealing to our American taste buds. What would they propose?
- German Pancakes - plain or with apples or raisins...
- German Apple Cake
- German Carrot Pumpkin Cake
- German Jam Cookies
Do we see a Fall harvest theme? Apples, raisins, jam, carrots and pumpkins… And we bring you these German treats just in time for the holiday season. Many thanks to ICES German exchange students Eileen, Helen, Leonie, Luca, Mia and Victoria for sharing their mouthwatering recipes and their culture.
Guten Appetit!
German Pancakes
You may love the American version of German pancakes, called Dutch Baby Pancakes, but have you tried the original version - or versions? In this post, our German students teach us how they make three different kinds:
- German Pfannkuchen (Pancakes) - the traditional, plain version
- German Apfelpfannkuchen - the apple version
- German Kaiserschmarren - gluten/dairy free with raisins
Do you like an eggy batter? That’s the beauty of these pancake recipes. It’s common to separate the eggs, beat the whites stiff and then fold them in. One of our students opted out of this technique (for the plain pancakes), but you may want to try it just to taste one more variety. And don’t worry about the low - or no - sugar in some batters, you will get more than enough flavor from the apples, raisins, cinnamon or sugar topping depending on the recipe.
And now for the German Pancake Challenge: make all three recipes to experience just how versatile pancakes can be - for breakfast, brunch, lunch or dinner, at least in the USA. In Germany, the pancakes are a breakfast dish, but the sweeter Kaiserschmarren pancakes are for dessert.
Apfelpfannkuchen German Apple Pancakes
Eileen’s Apfelpfannkuchen German Pancake Recipe
This is a great example of a no-sugar pancake batter that you sweeten after frying - by rolling each pancake in sugar. But do choose a sweet apple as sour won’t do the trick for this sugar-free batter. If you surf the web to compare recipes you will see pictures of artful Apfelpfannkuchens with sliced apples fanning out around from the center of each pancake. That’s just one option, but you can also just add diced apple as this recipe recommends.
Apfelpfannkuchen Ingredients:
1 ⅝ c flour
2 egg yolks
2 egg whites
Milk (just enough to create a creamy batter)
1 apple, peeled, cored and diced
1 pinch of salt
Mix the flour and the salt. Add the egg yolks and then gradually add as much milk as needed to make a creamy - but not watery - batter.
Beat 2 egg whites until stiff and fold into the dough. Fry the pancakes in a metal pan. Roll each pancake in sugar and serve.
Eileen and the Curry family in Lowell, Arkansas
Pfannkuchen Plain German Pancakes
Helen’s Pfannkuchen German Pancake Recipe
This is your basic German pancake recipe which you can make as is - or try separating the egg and whipping those whites into stiff peaks before folding them back into the batter - a popular technique in Germany. Either way, enjoy these tasty basic pancakes with cinnamon and sugar - the German way - or with maple syrup, for an American version.
Pfannkuchen Ingredients:
1 cup all-purpose flour
Pinch granulated sugar
⅛ tsp salt
2 large eggs
1½ cups milk
2 tbsp butter, melted
Add the flour, salt, sugar, milk, eggs and butter to a blender. Chill the batter for 30 minutes. Pour ¼ cup of batter onto a greased, hot skillet and swirl around the pan to thin the batter out. Carefully peel and flip when edges begin to peel up off the pan, and cook the other side for 30 seconds.
German Kaiserschmarren Pancakes
Victoria and Luca’s Kaiserschmarren Recipe
Are these sweet “mish-mash” style pancakes Austrian or German? The question did come up as we prepared this post, and guess what? It was Austrian Emperor Franz Joseph I who gave them their name because he loved them so much. However, they are also popular in Germany, particularly in the region of Bavaria. So, everyone wins!
Now, get ready for a treat: light, crumbly, crusty, sweet pancake bits and pieces that you dip in applesauce as you go. Delicious!
Kaiserschmarren Ingredients (Naturally Gluten Free and Dairy Free):
2 cups gluten-free oat flour (Any gluten free baking flour will work)
2 cups non-dairy milk (hazelnut or almond milk, for example)
2 tablespoons brown sugar (or other sweetener)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 eggs
1 teaspoon lemon zest (optional)
2/3 cup raisins
1 tablespoon powdered sugar
Mix together the flour, raisins and the non-dairy milk. Set aside for 20 minutes. (Originally in old times they used to let the raisins soak overnight. We didn’t do that, but it turned out pretty well!) Separate egg yolks and whites. Mix the yolks, the brown sugar, the vanilla extract and the lemon zest into your batter. Beat the egg whites till stiff. Stir the whites gently into the batter, preferably by hand. Heat a teaspoon of butter/oil in a pancake pan or frying pan and allow it to start bubbling. Pour half of the batter into the pan and cook it covered on a medium heat till it bubbles on top. Then gently flip it using a spatula and fry on the other side for another 5 minutes or so. When the batter is nicely browned, use two spatulas to scratch it to pieces - and serve with applesauce.
Victoria and the Aldinger family in McAlisterville, Pennsylvania
German Carrot Pumpkin Cake
Mia’s German Carrot Pumpkin Cake Recipe (Naturally Gluten-Free and-Dairy Free)
Where is the flour in this recipe? Interestingly, the eggs will serve not only as a binding ingredient but also to create just the right texture (perhaps with the help of the cornstarch). Use the yolks separately and then whip those whites into a nice stiff frenzy, and fold them gently into the batter to create a rich cake batter that is naturally wheat-free and, of course, gluten-free.
German Carrot-Pumpkin Cake Ingredients:
5 eggs
2 ¼ cups of sugar
¾ cup grated pumpkin
¾ cup grated carrots
2 ¼ cup ground hazelnuts
1 untreated orange, grated zest
4 tablespoons of cornstarch
1 teaspoon of baking powder
1 teaspoon of cinnamon
2 knives of clove powder
1 pinch of salt
Glaze Ingrediente
3 tablespoons of freshly squeezed orange juice
1 tablespoon of water
1 ½ cup powdered sugar
First grease and flour a 9.5 inch springform or shaped pan. Separate the eggs (keep the whites aside). Mix the egg yolks and sugar until you have a light colored mixture. Stir in the grated carrots and pumpkin, then the hazelnuts and orange peel. Mix cornstarch, baking powder, clove and cinnamon together. Beat the egg white with the salt until stiff, fold it into the mixture, alternating with the spiced cornstarch mixture. Then pour into the pan. Bake on a low rack in the oven at 350 degrees for around an hour. Test doneness with a chopstick! Remove, let cool slightly in the pan, take out of the pan and place on a rack to cool.
To make the glaze, mix the orange juice and powdered sugar. Add water to make a thin glaze, then drizzle it all over the cake and let it run down the sides. Yum!
Mia and the Jasnoch family in Scott City, Kansas
German Apple-Cinnamon Cake (Apfel-Zimt Kuchen)
Leonie’s Apple-Cinnamon Cake Recipe
Prepare for a heavy, dense, moist, cinnamony apple cake just right for breakfast or a morning coffee break - even though many people eat it for an afternoon coffee time in Germany.
This cake is easy to make. You will spend most of the prep time peeling and slicing the apples - which you will not regret. Just arrange those lovely apple slices all over the top of the cake and let the batter rise up around them as they sink in and flavor that cake. Top with cinnamon and sugar for a real treat and honestly: you do not need anything else but a cup of coffee, tea or yes, even a glass of milk, if you like.
German Apple-Cinnamon Cake Ingredients
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
1/2 cup butter
1/2 cup milk
2 cups flour
3 tsp baking powder
5-6 apples
Cinnamon and sugar for sprinkling
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Prepare the apples in advance. Beat the eggs and sugar until stiff. Then bring the butter and milk to the boil and add to the egg and sugar mixture while hot. Next, add the flour and baking powder and stir them into the batter. Spread the batter out on a baking sheet. Lay out the pieces of apple across the top of the cake. Bake for around 30 minutes at 375ºF. Cool and then sprinkle cinnamon and sugar on top before serving.
German Engelsaugen Cookies
Emilie’s German Engelsaugen Cookie Recipe
Ingredients:
2 cups flour
¾ cup butter
2 egg yolks
⅔ cup powdered sugar
2 tbsp vanilla sugar
1 pinch of salt
Jam (raspberry or apricot work best)
Put all Ingredients together and knead them into a smooth dough. Chill in the fridge for two hours. Cover a baking sheet with parchment paper. Form little balls of dough then dent each one with your finger and fill each dent with jam. Bake for 10-15 minutes at 350º. Don’t let them brown. Cool the cookies and dust with powdered sugar. And, that’s it! Enjoy!
Now it’s your turn: which recipe will you try first?
This is your chance to make authentic German treats in your own kitchen - as made by genuine German exchange students. Their host families have enjoyed the smells of cinnamon, apples, raisins and pumpkin wafting from their kitchens. But most of all, they enjoyed sinking their teeth into these mouthwatering treats.
Guten Appetit!
