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

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).

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

How are German Pancakes different than 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.

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 don't my German pancakes puff up? ›

If the pan isn't hot enough then the liquid does not heat up and create the steam quickly enough and so the flour will cook through and set before the pancake can rise. We suggest that you give the oven and skillet plenty of time to heat up thoroughly before adding the batter.

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 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 is another name for German pancakes? ›

A Dutch baby pancake, sometimes called a German pancake, a Bismarck, a Dutch puff, Hooligan, or a Hootenanny, is a dish that is similar to a large Yorkshire pudding.

What country has the best pancakes? ›

World's most delicious pancakes
  • Socca, France and Italy: Made with chickpea flour, socca, also known as farinata, is a a street food favorite in cities like Nice. ...
  • Blinis, Russia: These traditional Russian pancakes usually made from wheat or buckwheat flour are perfect for breakfast.

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.

Why are they called dollar pancakes? ›

These bite-sized pancakes are similar to the small Scottish pancakes, sometimes known as drop scones, since the batter is dropped directly into the skillet. In the U.S., we refer to them as "silver dollar" pancakes, as they are roughly the size of the old-school coin.

Why is called Dutch baby? ›

Sometimes referred to as a Bismark, these pancakes were first served in the States in the early 1900s at Manca's, a diner in Seattle that eventually closed in the 1950s. The owner's daughter coined the name, “Dutch Baby,” presumably the result of an Americanization of Deutsch into Dutch.

What is Holland pancakes? ›

A pannenkoek (Dutch pronunciation: [ˈpɑnə(ŋ)ˌkuk]; plural pannenkoeken [-ˌkukə(n)]) or Dutch pancake is a style of pancake with origins in the Netherlands. Pannenkoeken are usually larger (up to a foot in diameter) and much thinner than their American or Scotch pancake counterparts, but not as thin as crêpes.

What are American pancakes called in England? ›

Brits take a different approach to pancakes, too

Though they'll call it a "pancake," the British version is unleavened and closer to what we Yanks might call a crepe than the fluffy, pillowy food we tend to think of. In fact, what we call pancakes here in North America, Brits refer to as "American pancakes."

What is apple cake made of? ›

In Scandinavia, apple cakes are typically prepared from sour apples and baked in a dough made from sugar, butter, flour, eggs, and baking powder.

What is apple crumb made of? ›

Apple Crumble Recipe Ingredients

All-purpose flour and almond flour – The almond flour adds extra richness to the topping, while the all-purpose flour keeps it light and crisp. Whole rolled oats – Because to me, nothing says fall like oats, nuts, and apples. Walnuts – For crunch!

What is apple flour made of? ›

Apple flour is flour made from the milling of apple pomace, a mix of about 54% pulp, 34% peels, 7% seeds, 4% seed cores, and 2% stems remaining after apples have been squeezed and crushed for their juice. It is also called "apple pomace flour", which contains higher amounts of dietary fiber than refined white flour.

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