Classic German Apple Cake with Almonds

I’m so glad I made this classic German apple cake with almonds, a.k.a. Apfelkuchen mit Mandeln. It makes a nice pastry for breakfast, or a lovely dessert cake with coffee. The cake is dense, so it can be sliced in small wedges when serving guests. The vanilla cake has additional flavoring from lemon zest, adding a nice lemony undertone. I used the zest from an entire lemon and I think the next time I bake it, I’ll use the zest of two lemons.

The original recipe, from Lands and Flavors, calls for 2 tablespoons of ground flax seeds with 6 tablespoons of water, as an egg substitute. I always keep ground chia seeds on hand, so I used those instead. For any egg substitution, you can use: 1 TABLESPOON of ground FLAX seeds + 3 tablespoons of water = 1 egg, OR 1 TEASPOON of ground CHIA seeds + 3 tablespoons of water = 1 egg. The chia is a stronger binder, therefore you can use 1 teaspoon of chia, rather than the 1 tablespoon of flax, with the same amount of water.

You can bake this in a 9″ cake pan and serve it from the pan for casual settings. I used a 10″ springform pan with the bottom lined with parchment paper. After baking, I was able to move it onto a cake plate, which was ideal for serving.

The sliced apples on the cake top are covered with an almond sugar glaze which soaks down into the cake during baking. This cake is delicious when served warm, but is also good at room temp or straight from the refrigerator. This is a very pretty cake and will be perfect for birthdays or any holidays. Serves 8 to 12 slices.

If you’d like more vegan German recipes, have a look at our German cuisine here.

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Classic German Apple Cake with Almonds

Apfelkuchen mit mandeln, apple cake with almonds, is a dense and delicious cake, beautiful enough for celebrations.

Course

Dessert, Snack

Cuisine

German

Keyword

almond, almonds, apple, apple cake, brunch, cake, christmas, dessert, easy, fruit, lemon, lemon zest, recipe, vegan, vegetarian, veggie

Prep Time

10 minutes

Cook Time

45 minutes

Servings

slices

Ingredients

For the cake:

• 2 cups all purpose flour
• 3 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 cup plant-based milk I use unsweeted almond milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 2 teaspoons chia seeds ground, or 2 tablespoons ground flax seed
• 1/4 c oil any neutral oil, such as sunflower or grapeseed
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• lemon zest 1 or 2 whole lemons zested
• 1/4 teaspoon sea salt fine grain
• 2 large apples peeled, cored, and sliced thin

For the topping:

• 1/4 cup sugar
• 3 tablespoons plant-based milk I use unsweetened almond milk
• 4 tablespoons vegan butter I use Earth Balance
• 1/2 cup sliced almonds

Course Dessert, Snack Cuisine German Keyword almond, almonds, apple, apple cake, brunch, cake, christmas, dessert, easy, fruit, lemon, lemon zest, recipe, vegan, vegetarian, veggie Prep Time 10 minutes Cook Time 45 minutes Servings slices Ingredients For the cake: 2 cups all purpose flour 3 teaspoons baking powder 1 cup plant-based milk I use unsweeted almond milk 1/2 cup sugar 2 teaspoons chia seeds ground, or 2 tablespoons ground flax seed 1/4 c oil any neutral oil, such as sunflower or grapeseed 2 teaspoons vanilla lemon zest 1 or 2 whole lemons zested 1/4 teaspoon sea salt fine grain 2 large apples peeled, cored, and sliced thin For the topping: 1/4 cup sugar 3 tablespoons plant-based milk I use unsweetened almond milk 4 tablespoons vegan butter I use Earth Balance 1/2 cup sliced almonds

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 400 F. Oil and flour a 9" round cake pan, or oil and flour the bottom and sides of a 9" or 10" springform pan. Cut a circle of parchment paper for the bottom of the springform pan, if using.

   
2. In a small bowl, combine the flour and baking powder. In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the plant based milk, sugar, chia or flax seed mixture, oil, vanilla, lemon zest and salt until completely blended. Set both bowls aside.
3. Peel, core and slice the two apples.
4. Combine the flour mixture with the wet mixture in the large mixing bowl, whisking until combined.
5. Pour the batter into the prepared pan for baking. Spread the cut apples evenly over the top of the batter. Bake 20 minutes.
6. After the cake has baked 10 minutes, in a small saucepan on low heat combine the vegan butter, sugar, plant-based milk and almonds. Raise heat to medium and continue stirring to create a syrup. Lower heat and continue stirring until the cake has finished the 20 minute bake.

   
7. Gently remove the cake from the oven. Spoon the hot almond glaze evenly over the top of the cake and place the cake immediately back into the oven. Bake 25 minutes.

   
8. After 25 minutes, the glaze on the top of the cake should be lightly browning and bubbly. Insert a toothpick into the center of the cake. If the toothpick does not come out clean, bake the cake an additional 5 minutes.

   
9. Remove the cake from the oven and place it in a cool area. Let the cake completely cool before slicing or removing from the springform pan. Once the cake has cooled, remove the sides of the springform pan, and using the parchment paper piece under the cake, slide the cake onto your serving dish. Leave the parchment in place, being careful not to serve it with the cake slices.
10. This cake is good served slightly cooled or even refrigerated.

    

Recipe Notes

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