From the Kitchen: Apfelkuchen

German Apple Cake, as eaten on the green rolling lawns of a country mansion in Baden Baden.

Oh, Baden-Baden. Known as a retreat for the wealthy, a holiday destination of the Queen and Obama.

I found a town that looked straight out of the Sound of Music. Mansions with rolling green manicured lawns, miles of rosebeds, fountains and cobblestones, and pastel pink buildings. Cake shops and restaurants overhanging the water. Erdbeer (strawberry) markets, packed with fresh berries, and the tastiest apples we've ever had.

Baden-Baden is a spa town in southwestern Germany. Situated on the small river Oos, on the border of the Black Forest mountain range, it is six miles east of the Rhine and the border with France. Roman settlement at Baden-Baden has been dated as far back as circa 110, when the springs at Baden-Baden were known to the Romans as Aquae ("The Waters")¹.

We meandered along the stream for hours, and passed by people on well-groomed horses, happy cyclists, picnickers. We found a bridge over to one of the mansions, wandered the grounds, and discovered it was a hotel. We stopped in for apple cake and milkshakes served on the lawn. Thus began an adventure in apfelkuchen: I proceeded to buy a slice at almost every pastry shop we came across.

Back in town, we stopped at the cutest little cake shop and were served by a very stern German grandmotherly figure. We ordered our cakes: she whipped a pencil out of her utilitarian apron and scribbled with a stern look on her face. She returned in a moment with slabs of erdbeer cake and apfel cake, placed in front of us with the air of a woman with no time for faff. The contrast of her sternness against the pastel pink hues of the storefront was delightful.

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Apfelkuchen (German Apple Cake)

Many bakeries put their own spin on the cake, ranging from yeasted to baking powder leavened, lined with a dense pastry almost like a tart, or spiced, light and airy, or buttery and dense. The recipe below is my preferred style - slightly spiced, buttery, and light - more of a cake than a tart. I like using Granny Smiths for the tartness.

YIELDS 6-8 Servings

PREP TIME 15 mins COOK TIME 1 hour TOTAL TIME 1 hour 15 mins

Cake

1 1/2 cups (180g) pastry or all-purpose flour

3/4 cup (150g) sugar

2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/8 tsp grated fresh nutmeg

1/4 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 stick (55g) cold butter

1/2 cup (120 ml) milk

1 egg

3 apples

Custard

1 cup (235 ml) heavy cream

2 tsp flour

1/2 cup (100g) sugar

1 egg

1 tsp vanilla extract

1/8 tsp grated fresh nutmeg

pinch salt

1 Preheat oven to 400°F (200°C)

2 Whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and nutmeg together.

3 Cut the cold butter into small pieces. Press it into flour with your fingers until it is crumbly.

4 Whisk milk and egg in a small bowl and then add to flour. Stir until it just forms a batter. It should be thick.

5 Spoon mixture into a prepared 9-inch springform pan. Spread evenly across the bottom of the pan.

6 Peel, core, and slice apples then spread evenly over the cake batter. You can make patterns by choosing what direction to place these! Bake for 20 minutes.

7 Make the custard. Whisk 1/4 of the heavy cream and 2 tsp flour in a small mixing bowl until smooth. Add the rest of the cream, sugar, egg, vanilla, nutmeg, and salt. Whisk until well combined.

8 When the cake reaches the 20-minute mark, take it out of the oven and reduce the temperature to 350°F (175°C). Pour the custard over the top of the cake.

9 Place back in the oven and bake for 30-35 minutes or until the cake is golden brown and the top springs back when you touch it. Don’t overbake - you want this to be moist!

10 Once removed from the oven, let it cool for a few minutes then release the springform and let the cake cool completely on a wire rack.

1. Patricia Erfurt-Cooper; Malcolm Cooper (2009). Health and Wellness Tourism: Spas and Hot Springs. Channel View Publications. p. 67. ISBN 978-1-84541-111-4.