This German Apple Pancake Is So Good You'll Make It Every Weekend (2024)

  • Recipes
  • Breakfast
  • Pancakes

Kelli Foster

Kelli FosterSenior Contributing Food Editor

Kelli is a Senior Contributing Food Editor for Kitchn. She's a graduate of the French Culinary Institute and author of the cookbooks, Plant-Based Buddha Bowls, The Probiotic Kitchen, Buddha Bowls, and Everyday Freekeh Meals. She lives in New Jersey.

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published Sep 28, 2023

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This German Apple Pancake Is So Good You'll Make It Every Weekend (1)

With puffed edges, a custardy center, caramelized apples, this will become an instant brunch favorite.

Serves3 to 4Prep10 minutesCook25 minutes

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This German Apple Pancake Is So Good You'll Make It Every Weekend (2)

Long before I made my first German pancake (or Dutch baby), I became enamored of popovers in the early days of really learning how to cook. Popovers were my party trick of sorts — the thing I became known for bringing to every sort of gathering and making for holidays and special-occasion dinners. I loved the puffed billowy tops and the custardy centers, and the way butter pooled at their bases (I still swoon thinking about them).

Needless to say, when I was eventually introduced to a German pancake, I was smitten. It’s basically a skillet-sized breakfast version of my beloved popover. While a true delight on its own, one of the things I love most about a German pancake is that it’s a blank canvas for an endless variety of ways of adding flavor. Although for me, there is no better way to upgrade a basic German pancake than with quickly caramelized apples.

This German apple pancake is a weekend staple at my house, and it has been for years. As soon as the morning air turns crisp, hinting at the transition from summer to fall, this easy breakfast is back in rotation.

Key Ingredients in a German Apple Pancake

  • Apple: Firm, sweet-tart apples like Honeycrisp, Granny Smith, and Pink Lady are best here, as they’ll hold their shape when cooked.
  • Eggs: Before doing anything else, take out three eggs and let them come to room temperature. Room-temperature eggs will mix into the batter easier and yield a loftier pancake.
  • Milk: You can use either whole or 2% milk here. Take it out of the fridge at the same time you take the eggs out, and let the milk sit at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
  • Butter: Be sure to stick with unsalted butter.
  • Sugar: You’ll use granulated sugar for this recipe. A few spoonfuls get tossed with the apples and a tablespoon is mixed into the pancake batter.
  • Ground spices: Stir some ground cinnamon and ground or grated nutmeg with the apples for extra flavor.
  • Flour. While German pancakes are decidedly eggy and custardy, they still need a little flour to give shape and sturdiness.

How To Make a German Apple Pancake

Great news: It only takes three simple steps to make a German apple pancake. Here’s how to do it.

  1. Caramelize the sliced apple. Cook the apple in a few tablespoons of melted butter, sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg until softened and lightly caramelized around the edges.
  2. Meanwhile, make the batter. You have the option to whisk together the batter by hand in a mixing bowl (my preferred method) or you can blitz all the ingredients together in a blender. Both methods work well and take just a few minutes.
  3. Bake the pancake. Take the skillet off the heat and pour the batter over the apples. Slide into the oven and bake until the center is set and the edges are puffed and lightly browned.
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German Apple Pancake Recipe

With puffed edges, a custardy center, caramelized apples, this will become an instant brunch favorite.

Prep time 10 minutes

Cook time 25 minutes

Serves 3 to 4

Nutritional Info

Ingredients

  • 3

    large eggs

  • 1/2 cup

    whole or 2% milk

  • 1

    large Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or Pink Lady apple

  • 4 tablespoons

    (1/2 stick) unsalted butter

  • 3 tablespoons

    granulated sugar, divided

  • 1/2 teaspoon

    ground cinnamon

  • 1/4 teaspoon

    ground or grated nutmeg

  • 1 teaspoon

    vanilla extract

  • 1/4 teaspoon

    kosher salt

  • 1/2 cup

    all-purpose flour

  • Powdered sugar or syrup, for serving

Instructions

  1. Place 3 large eggs and 1/2 cup whole or 2% milk in a medium bowl or blender and let come to room temperature, about 30 minutes.

  2. Arrange a rack in the middle of the oven and heat the oven to 425ºF.

  3. Peel 1 large Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, or Pink Lady apple. Halve and core the apple, then thinly slice.

  4. Melt 4 tablespoons unsalted butter in a 10-inch cast iron skillet over medium heat. Add the apple, sprinkle with 2 tablespoons of the granulated sugar, 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon ground or grated nutmeg. Cook, stirring occasionally, until the apples are soft and lightly caramelized around the edges, about 5 minutes. Meanwhile, prepare the batter.

  5. If mixing in the bowl, add the remaining 1 tablespoon granulated sugar, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, and 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt to the bowl and whisk to combine, then whisk in 1/2 cup all-purpose flour until smooth. If using a blender, add all the ingredients to the blender and blend until smooth, about 10 seconds.

  6. Remove the skillet from the heat and spread the apples into a single layer. Pour the batter evenly over the apples.

  7. Transfer the skillet to the oven and bake until set in the center and puffed around the edges, 12 to 15 minutes. Serve dusted with powdered sugar or with maple syrup.

Recipe Notes

Storage: The pancake will deflate quickly and is best eaten immediately after baking, but leftovers are still delicious. Refrigerate leftovers in an airtight container for up to 3 days. Reheat in a 300°F oven until warmed through.

Filed in:

vegetarian

apples

Main Dish

quick

Baking

This German Apple Pancake Is So Good You'll Make It Every Weekend (2024)

FAQs

Why are they called German pancakes? ›

German pancakes and Dutch babies are essentially the same thing, but the dish is said to have originated in Germany, not the Netherlands. The term “Dutch baby” was coined by an American restaurateur whose use of “Dutch” was a corruption of the word “Deutsch” (“German” in German).

Why aren t my German pancakes rising? ›

Why Didn't My Dutch Baby Puff Up? Like popovers and Yorkshire pudding, the thing that gives Dutch babies their signature puff is steam. In order for that steam to work the pancake into its signature peaks and valleys, you need two things: enough air in a well-developed batter and a piping-hot pan and oven.

Is a German pancake the same as a Yorkshire pudding? ›

Dutch babies, popovers, German pancakes, Yorkshire pudding are all the same thing just different names. Technically these are all baked puddings and delicious. Try serving them with my delicious strawberry syrup.

What's the difference between German and American pancakes? ›

German pancakes use a whole lot more eggs and no added leavening agent. German Pancakes are also baked in the oven to a golden perfection. Whereas the traditional American pancake uses baking soda or powder to help it fluff up and is cooked on a hot stovetop or grill and is much fluffier when done.

What do Southerners call pancakes? ›

In the South, pancakes are interchangeably called hotcakes, griddlecakes, and flapjacks, though British flapjacks are made with rolled oats cooked in the oven. In the U.S., pancakes are made with flour, eggs, butter, and milk, and cooked on a griddle or frying pan to form leavened flat cakes.

What do British call pancakes? ›

While flapjacks is an informal nickname for pancakes, some people may use the terms hotcakes and griddlecakes to refer to specific types of pancakes. In the UK, the word flapjack refers to something entirely different—a baked good made from oats that resembles a granola bar.

What are pancakes called in America? ›

American and Canadian pancakes (sometimes called hotcakes, griddlecakes, or flapjacks) are usually served at breakfast, in a stack of two or three, topped with maple syrup or table syrup, and butter. They are often served with other items such as bacon, toast, eggs or sausage.

Do Germans eat eggs for breakfast? ›

In Germany, the soft-boiled egg is a requirement at every big Sunday breakfast. Typically, it is not considered a main dish and not eaten with an omnipresent bread roll, but stands alone in a dish of its own, like a work of art adorned only with a dash of salt. Usually the yolk - the "Eigelb" - is left runny.

Which country has the best pancakes in the world? ›

9 of the best places in the world to eat pancakes
  • France – Crêpes. You can't possibly make a list of the world's best pancakes and not include France. ...
  • America and Canada – Buttermilk pancakes. ...
  • Thailand – Roti. ...
  • India – Dosas. ...
  • Sri Lanka – Hoppers. ...
  • Malaysia – Apam balik. ...
  • Russia – Blinis. ...
  • The Netherlands – Pannekoeken.
Feb 24, 2022

Why do Germans eat bread for dinner? ›

German cuisine

So, now that families get back together after work and or school anywhere between 5-7 in the evening, it's time for the Abendbrott. Yep, it has the German word for bread in it! This is a remnant from the hot meals that German traditionally ate during lunchtime.

Does baking soda make pancakes rise? ›

Pancakes and waffles typically both contain baking soda, which causes them to rise. As soon as the baking soda is combined with the wet ingredients (which contain an acidic ingredient, like often buttermilk), it starts producing carbon dioxide gas bubbles that cause the batter to rise.

Why is my German pancake dense? ›

Overmixing the batter can cause the gluten in the flour to overdevelop, leading to a dense pancake. Batter Not At Room Temperature: Ingredients that are not at room temperature can cause the batter to be too dense. Make sure all ingredients, including the eggs and milk, are at room temperature before making the batter.

Why does my Dutch baby taste eggy? ›

The eggy taste in a Dutch baby primarily stems from its high egg content.

What is apple crumb made of? ›

Apple crumble recipe topping is typically made of butter, sugar and flour which gets topped on the cooked fruit filling. To add an extra element of texture and flavour, oats, coconut, nuts and cinnamon can be added to the crumble mix.

Is a German pancake the same as a pannekoeken? ›

Folks tend to use the two names, German pancake and pannekoeken, interchangeably. But a German pancake is made in a casserole dish or baking pan, not a specialty pan as used for pannekoeken. A pannekoeken rises in a giant bowl. Typically, but not always, the fruit is loaded in after the pannekoeken comes from the oven.

What is French apple tart made of? ›

Ingredients
  1. 1 sheet puff pastry, thawed.
  2. 1.5 kg apple, preferably Honeycrisp or Granny Smith.
  3. 3 tablespoons water.
  4. ½ cup sugar.
  5. 3 tablespoons unsalted butter.
  6. vanilla ice cream, for serving.
May 13, 2024

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