German Cherry or Apple Cake

There is nothing fancy about this peasant version of an apple or cherry cake, but you will enjoy every bite of it and not feel guilty. The apples are not thoroughly baked and the cake  tastes like pound cake, although I am trying to make it more moist by playing with the recipe. You can enjoy it for breakfast or any time of the day. It is perfect for beginning bakers. If you don’t want to use apples, use cherries. Pitted Morello cherries in a jar can be substituted for apples. I tried frozen cherries but I didn't like them as much as the Morello cherries from Trader Joe's.

​This apple or cherry cake is not overly sweet with only ½ cup of sugar but is full of fruit and flavor. I have baked this cake many times and have never gotten tired of it. The recipe is from an old Dr. Oetker cookbook that I brought with me when I came to this country in the seventies. The Dr.Oetker brand is a 100-year-old family-owned business where you can find products like vanilla sugar, puddings or baking powder here in the United States.

​My very first cookbooks were three Dr. Oetker cookbooks. For my 16th birthday, my girlfriend Gabrielle, my mom and I made a cold buffet from the title picture of one of the books. I had promised my dad some leftovers, but there was nothing left at the end of the party. To this day, I wish I had put some food away for my sweet, hard-working dad, who will always be the love of my life. He was a gentle and loving man who was born into a horrible time in German history. He loved visiting me here in California and would have stayed longer if my mother hadn’t been homesick for her village.

If you want a richer and pie like German  apple cake try my Apple Strudel Cake

If you measure the flour with a cup, make sure you add the flour by the spoonful and level it off with a knife. This will give you a more accurate measurement than scooping it out with the measuring cup, which compacts the flour. But you don’t need to do this with sugar.

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Ingredients:


8 TBS (120 grams or 4 oz.) butter
4 oz  (½ cup + 2 TBS or 120 grams) sugar
1/8 tsp lemon extract
1 tsp lemon zest
​1 tsp lemon juice
7 ½ oz ( 1 ½  cup or 200g ) all purpose flour
3 small eggs 
2 tsp baking powder a
a pinch of salt
4 TBS buttermilk , yogurt, or regular milk

1 pound frozen or canned cherries
or 4 large apples
​
powdered sugar

Directions:

Bring the eggs and butter to room temperature. 
Grease a 9-inch springform pan with a removable bottom and preheat the oven to 375˙ Fahrenheit. 

Cream the soft butter, then add the sugar in thirds and mix until fluffy for about 5 minutes, occasionally scraping down the sides of the bowl .

Stir in the eggs one at a time beating a minute each. Mix the flour with the baking powder and add in thirds. 
Mix in the buttermilk and scoop the dough into the prepared pan.
 
Add the well drained cherries in a single layer.
If you are using apples, peel and cut them into quarters. With a small knife, make fan-shaped cuts on the top of the apple (lengthwise) and sprinkle them with lemon juice. Arrange the apples in a circle on top of the cake with one piece in the middle. 

Bake  the cake for 35-40 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean when inserted into the center of the dough. Cool the cake and sprinkle with powdered sugar before serving.
​
Guten Appetit!
Recipe by ©Sunnycovechef