German Apple Pancake Recipe (2024)

  • Pancakes
  • German
  • Apple
  • Fall Desserts

A European pancake loaded with caramelized apples.

By

Yvonne Ruperti

German Apple Pancake Recipe (1)

Yvonne Ruperti

Yvonne Ruperti is a food writer, recipe developer, former bakery owner, and cookbook author. She is also an adjust professor of baking at the Culinary Institute of America in Singapore.

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Updated September 06, 2023

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German Apple Pancake Recipe (2)

In This Recipe

  • What Is a German Pancake?

  • Variations on the Classic Recipe

  • Choosing Your Apples

  • Serving the Finished Dish

Why It Works

  • Preheating the oven to a high temperature allows the pancake batter to puff.
  • Precooking the apples adds caramelized flavor.
  • Letting the pancake cool slightly in the pan before inverting onto a serving plate allows it to set.

What Is a German Pancake?

Though called a pancake, this German version bears little resemblance to the fluffy flapjacks that we're used to on this side of the Atlantic. German pancakes, also sometimes referred to as Dutch Babies, are made of a non-leavened crepe-like batter. Fruit (usually apples, but any fruit would work) is first cooked in a skillet and then covered with batter. The pancake is finished in the oven at a high temperature to bake quickly. What you end up with is a smooth and custardy clafoutis-like pancake filled with soft caramelized fruit. A German apple pancake is hard to beat as an easy à la minute dessert, but my favorite is to serve it at brunch, drizzled with maple syrup and with a crisp slab of smoky bacon on the side.

Variations on the Classic

My German apple pancake is a little different. Where most batters use all milk, I incorporate yogurt into mine for a richer flavor. Sour cream can be substituted, and of course if you only have milk on hand, that's fine too. This pancake is very forgiving. I also use a fair amount of apples—about 1 3/4 pounds—to make sure that there's a forkful of fruit in every bite.

Choosing the Apples

As for the apples, go for tart, firm fleshed ones such as Granny Smiths. They'll hold their shape perfectly and their flavor is sweet-tart enough to balance the vanilla-scented pancake. If you use other varieties, just be careful when sautéing the apples on the stove: Some apples may have a tendency to get mushy.

How to Serve the Finished Dish

To serve, the pancake needs to be inverted onto a plate so that moist, caramelized apples are on top, sort of like a tarte tatin. To do that successfully, let the pancake rest in the pan for about five minutes to allow it to set slightly (if left to cool too long in the pan, the apples may stick to the bottom). Then invert a serving plate on top of the pan and flip the pan and plate over in one quick motion.

Maybe we should start calling these flip-jacks.

November 2014

Recipe Details

German Apple Pancake

Prep5 mins

Cook30 mins

Active30 mins

Cooling Time5 mins

Total40 mins

Serves8to 10 servings

Ingredients

  • 3/4 cup (about 3 1/3 ounces) all-purpose flour

  • 5 tablespoons (75g) granulated sugar, divided

  • 1/4 teaspoon salt

  • 3/4 cup (175ml) milk

  • 1/4 cup (55g) yogurt

  • 3 large eggs

  • 1 teaspoonvanilla extract

  • 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon

  • 4 tablespoons (60g) unsalted butter

  • 1 pound 12 ounces (4 to 5 medium) tart cooking apples, such as Granny Smith, peeled, cored, and sliced into 1/4-inch wedges

  • Powdered sugar for dusting

Directions

  1. Adjust rack to upper-middle position and preheat oven to 500°F (260°C). In a medium bowl, whisk flour, 1 tablespoon sugar, and salt to combine. Whisk in milk, yogurt, eggs, and vanilla until just combined. Set batter aside.

  2. Stir remaining 4 tablespoons sugar with cinnamon in a small bowl. Heat butter in a 10-inch nonstick oven-safe skillet over medium heat until melted. Increase heat to medium-high and add apples and cinnamon-sugar to pan. Cook, stirring frequently, until apples have softened and are beginning to caramelize, about 8 minutes.

  3. Remove from heat, pour batter over apples and immediately place pan in oven. Reduce heat to 425°F (220°F) and bake until pancake is puffed, just set in center, and golden around the edges, about 15 minutes.

  4. Cool pan on wire rack for 5 minutes. Place a large serving plate over the skillet and carefully invert pancake onto plate. Dust with powdered sugar and serve.

Special Equipment

10-inch nonstick oven-safe skillet

Notes

Once the pan is removed from the oven, it's normal for the pancake to deflate.

Nutrition Facts (per serving)
191Calories
7g Fat
28g Carbs
4g Protein

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Nutrition Facts
Servings: 8to 10
Amount per serving
Calories191
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 7g9%
Saturated Fat 4g18%
Cholesterol 70mg23%
Sodium 89mg4%
Total Carbohydrate 28g10%
Dietary Fiber 3g9%
Total Sugars 17g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 0mg0%
Calcium 48mg4%
Iron 1mg5%
Potassium 169mg4%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.

(Nutrition information is calculated using an ingredient database and should be considered an estimate.)

German Apple Pancake Recipe (2024)

FAQs

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.

Why does a German pancake puff up? ›

Most German pancake recipes call for pouring the batter into a preheated skillet and/or using a preheated oven. This means that the batter at the edges heats and puffs up very quickly, drawing some of the batter from the middle of the skillet with it and resulting in a pancake that's superthin at the center.

Why are they called German pancakes? ›

Why is it called German Pancakes? It is the Americanized version of the German Apfelpfannkuchen. It would also be in the same family as a Yorkshire pudding or popover.

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.

Why are Dutch pancakes so good? ›

Dutch pancakes are traditional and worldwide famous, and there is a reason for that. They come with a topping of your choice or just plain. And it is the topping that makes the pancakes in a pancake restaurant so special.

What is the difference between a Dutch baby and pannekoeken? ›

Both Netherlands-style Pannenkoeken and Dutch Baby pancakes make a wonderful breakfast option as the batter can be made the night before and, in the case of the Dutch Baby, the pancake is baked in the oven, making it a relatively hands-off recipe.

What are Dutch pancakes made of? ›

A Dutch pancake is usually larger and much thinner than the thick and fluffy American pancakes. If you order a Dutch pancake at PANCAKES Amsterdam, you will get a delicious thin pancake with a diameter of 32 centimeters. Pancakes are made of basic ingredients, namely flour, milk, salt, and eggs.

Why do you always throw away the first pancake? ›

Why is the first pancake often so ugly that it gets tossed? Pancake experts say that there are some possible reasons, including the amount of butter being used, the temperature of the heating surface, and so on. Perhaps the first one is a "tester." Once it is made, the next batches will be fine.

What are the black dots in pancake batter? ›

Note: Pancake batter will keep for 3 days, refrigerated. Little black dots may form on the batter's surface on days 2 and 3 - they're a harmless result of oxygenation. Just stir to combine. Add mix-ins such as nuts, fresh or dried fruit, or chocolate chips to the batter just before cooking.

Why aren't my German pancakes fluffy? ›

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.

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 the French call their pancakes? ›

Crêpes are an ultra-thin pancake common in France that can be made sweet or savory, typically rolled or folded with a variety of fillings from jam or Nutella to ham and cheese to seafood.

What do British call pancakes? ›

In the UK, the word pancakes refers to the same thing, but the word flapjacks refers to something entirely different: a baked good made from oats, resembling what elsewhere may be called a granola bar or oat bar. The word flapjack is traced back to the late 1500s.

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

The difference between German and American pancakes is that German pancakes use more eggs than American pancakes and no leavening agent. German pancakes are also baked in a shallow dish (like a roasting pan or cast-iron skillet) while American pancakes are cooked on a griddle.

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.

What is Apple Danish made of? ›

Ingredients for Apple Danish Braid:

1 lb 2 large Granny Smith Apples, peeled, cored and sliced into 1/2" thick slices. 1/2 cup cranberries, fresh or frozen. 1 sheet store-bought puff pastry (1/2 lb), thawed by package instructions. 1 egg + 1 Tbsp water for egg wash, beaten together with a fork.

What are German potato pancakes made of? ›

Beat eggs, flour, baking powder, salt, and pepper together in a large bowl; stir in potatoes and onion. Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Drop heaping tablespoonfuls of potato mixture into hot oil in batches. Press to flatten.

References

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