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German · Dessert · 1 h 15 min

Sunken Apple Cake (Versunkener Apfelkuchen)

A moist sponge batter flavoured with lemon zest, with apple halves baked into it and a shiny apricot glaze.

As of: 11 October 2026

Sunken Apple Cake (Versunkener Apfelkuchen)

Ingredients

servings

Batter

  • 125 gbutter, softened (or margarine)
  • 125 gsugar
  • 1 sachetvanilla sugar
  • 1organic lemon, finely grated zest
  • 1 pinchsalt
  • 3eggs
  • 200 gflour
  • 2 tspbaking powder
  • 3 tbspmilk

Topping

  • 600 gapples (about 3 to 4, peeled)

Glaze

  • 2 tbspapricot jam (for brushing)
  • 1 tspwater

Also

  • —fat for greasing the tin
Time
25 min active · 1 h 15 min total
Difficulty
easy

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Preparation

  1. Preheat the oven to 180 °C conventional (top and bottom heat; 160 °C fan) and grease a 26 cm springform tin.
  2. Beat the butter, sugar, vanilla sugar, lemon zest and salt until fluffy and stir in the eggs one at a time.
  3. Mix the flour and baking powder and stir into the batter alternately with the milk. Pour the batter into the tin and smooth the top.
  4. Peel the apples, halve or quarter them, cut out the cores and score the rounded side several times lengthways. Arrange the pieces in a circle on the batter and press in lightly.
  5. Bake on the middle shelf for about 45 minutes until the cake is golden brown.
  6. Warm the apricot jam with the water and brush it over the cake straight after baking. Let cool before slicing.

Drink with it

  • Sweet wine · excellent match

    Riesling Spätlese

    The acidity of the Riesling mirrors the apple and lemon zest, and its residual sugar is on a par with the cake and the apricot glaze.

    Which wine goes with dessert? Comparing sweetness deliberately ↗

  • Fruit brandy · excellent match

    Calvados or apple brandy, neat as a digestif

    The distilled apple meets the baked apple pieces, and the barrel notes of the Calvados suit the buttery sponge.

    What is Calvados? Apple brandy with origin ↗

  • Sparkling wine · good match

    Sekt halbtrocken (medium dry)

    Bubbles and light sweetness freshen up the buttery sponge.

    Sparkling wine, Champagne, and Prosecco: what's the difference? ↗

With the same drinks

This pairs well too.

  • American Apple Pie with Shortcrust Lid

    Piled-high cinnamon apples under a golden butter shortcrust lid, served lukewarm with cream or vanilla ice cream.

    To the recipe ↗

  • Apple Crumble

    Soft, tart apples under a crisp buttery crumble topping, served warm with cream or vanilla ice cream.

    To the recipe ↗

  • Baked Apple in a Nut Coating (Bratapfel)

    Oven-soft apple with a crunchy nut and cinnamon crust, filled with butter, nuts and raisins, best with vanilla ice cream.

    To the recipe ↗

  • Baked Apples with Vanilla Sauce (Bratapfel)

    Apples baked soft in the oven with marzipan, nuts, raisins and rum, served with a warm vanilla sauce.

    To the recipe ↗

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Images generated with AI · Text AI-assisted, editorially reviewed

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