Apfelpfannkuchen: The Tasty, Controversial German Apple Pancake Recipe

by: Gerhild Fulson  /  Cookbook Author, Blogger, German Oma!

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Discover the history behind the German Apple Pancake recipe, aka Apfelpfannkuchen. Quick, very easy, and wunderbar! But is it German? Check the history of it below.

This delicious German pancake is also known by many other names, such as Dutch baby pancake, Dutch babies, Bismarck, Dutch puff, puff pancake, puffed apple pancake, and caramelized apple soufflé pancake. All interesting names for a wonderful dish!

As for us, we call it Apfelpfannkuchen, or, German Apple Pancake. Whatever you want to call it, it is absolutely scrumptious! If you have company, this is sure to impress.

This puffy oven pancake is typically served for breakfast or brunch, but it's also perfect for a quick weeknight dinner, and it can also make a wonderful dessert when served with a scoop of vanilla ice cream. Yum!

It's very similar to a large popover or Yorkshire pudding, and some think its origins could be from this as well.

Unlike most pancake recipes, a German pancake is baked as a single large pancake in the oven, rather than multiple smaller pancakes fried individually on the stove top.

As the Dutch baby bakes, the sides puff up beautifully along the edges of the pan while the center is more custard-like. Absolutely wunderbar!

Is this recipe really German?

The idea of a Dutch baby pancake may have been derived from the German Pfannkuchen, but the current form seems to have originated in the US in the early 1900s.

Some say it was brought to the US by German immigrants a long time ago, but what is known as a German pancake in the US is different than the traditional German pancake that is known and made in Germany.

According to the most popular origin story, Dutch babies were introduced in the United States in the first half of the 1900s at a family-run restaurant in Seattle, Washington called Manca's Cafe.

While these pancakes are derived from the German pancake dish, it is said that the name Dutch baby was coined by one of the owner's daughters who mispronounced the German word Deutsch as "Dutch." Apparently, it was first served as 3 small pancakes, hence the name Dutch baby.

Another theory is that it's a Pennsylvania Dutch recipe, when stemming from when many 18th-century Germans fled the religious persecution of their home country and settled in Pennsylvania. 

What is, however, widely accepted that the Dutch Baby Pancake is actually German-American and closely related to German pancakes like pfannkuchen and apfelpfannkuchen (apple pancake).

Most Dutch baby recipes now-a-days are typically made without fruit. Adding the apples to this yummy puffed pancake makes it even more German.

How to make this German Apple Pancake recipe

If this is your first time making this German pancake, it just might become your favorite way to make pancakes from now on. It's baked in the oven, so you're not standing there, making one pancake after the other on the stove top. Surely an easy way to make delicious-tasting German food!

Start by mixing together 6 large eggs with some milk, flour, sugar, and salt. This can be done with your blender or food processor. Or, if you prefer, use a stand mixer with a whisk attachment. Or just put it all in a large bowl and use a regular hand mixer or whisk. Anything works! Just make sure the batter is mixed until smooth, but don't over mix it.

Put 8 tablespoons of butter in a baking dish or ovenproof skillet and place in the oven that has been preheated to 425 degrees F to melt the butter.

Then add thin slices of apples to the baking dish and leave it in the oven until the butter sizzles. This can take about 5 minutes.

Remove the baking dish from the oven and pour the batter over the warm apples. Sprinkle with some brown sugar, if you wish. (Personally, I usually leave out the brown sugar. The pancake is sweet enough... especially when accompanied with wonderful local Canadian maple syrup!)

Return the dish to the oven and bake 20 minutes or until the edges of the pancake are a deep golden brown and nicely puffed. Depending on the dish size (see the video below), this can take an extra 5 to 10 minutes.

You'll see that it's sort of like a soufflé. It's nicely puffed as soon as it's out of the oven, but will slowly fall as you start to serve it.

That's why I usually call everyone to the table, just before I'm ready to serve. That way, they get to see it in all its puffed splendor.

If you end up with leftovers, they taste great cold as well. :)

Use buttermilk instead?

I had some buttermilk that needed to be used. I thought, "Why not try it in this German apple pancake recipe?" I made no changes to anything else. Just subbed the buttermilk in place of the regular milk.

The end result?

YUMMY! In fact, I may just plan on buying buttermilk on purpose, just for this.

The resulting pancake with the buttermilk is just a bit fluffier. Wunderbar! Here's how it looked:

If you'd like extra fluffy pancakes but don't have buttermilk at home, you can easily make a substitute by adding vinegar or lemon juice to regular milk.

To make 1½ cups of buttermilk substitute, add 1½ tablespoons of vinegar or lemon juice to a liquid measuring cup. Then, add milk to the 1½-cup line and stir.

Feeling peachy?

If you don't have apples on hand, you can experiment with different fruits such as pears, peaches, blueberries, or even strawberries.

Here's a delicious peach pancake I made using canned peaches, sprinkled with almonds.

I used this cast iron skillet that fits great into this air fryer, to get an extra-crispy top. Note that I needed to halve the recipe to fit it in the pan (or you can just make two batches... because leftovers are always great to have!).

Oma's Says

I used this German apple pancake recipe to show my two young granddaughters how to make pancakes. Their dad likes to make them pancakes on Sunday mornings, but this one is just a bit different from what they are used to.

It's become an "Oma" tradition when they sleep over. That's what they come to expect for a late breakfast the next morning. Late, because it's always holidays and we stay up late the night before.

Because it's usually late in the morning, this oven-baked puffy pancake filled with fresh apples and served with maple syrup is usually all they want until an early afternoon snack.

In fact, it's become a comfort food for us. I'll often make this German pancake recipe for supper for hubby and I after a busy day and I've not had a chance to prepare anything. The ingredients for this are always available in my pantry and fridge. Easy breezy supper that we both love.

Need that “all’s good with the world” feeling? Comfort food will do that. Get your copy of Oma's German favorites in her Comfort Foods e-Cookbook.

Take a peek at all Oma's eCookbooks. They make sharing your German heritage a delicious adventure!

What to serve with fluffy German pancakes

This recipe is delicious all on its own, sprinkled with a little bit of powdered sugar and/or drizzled with maple syrup. But if you're having company or you just want a more substantial meal, here are some ideas.

You can stick to an all-sweet breakfast, brunch, or dinner:

• Serve with fresh berries, or other fresh fruit such as extra apple slices, banana slices, peach slices, or mandarin segments (or make a fruit salad!)
• Serve with extra caramelized apples and a dollop of whipped cream
• Serve with waffles and/or French toast
• Serve with blueberry syrup, strawberry syrup, or raspberry syrup
• Serve with jam, marmalade, or applesauce
• Serve with plain or fruit yogurt

Or you can add other breakfast favorites for a sweet-and-savory affair:

• Serve with scrambled eggs and ham
• Serve with hash browns or home fries and toast
• Serve with a delicious spinach quiche 
• Serve with breakfast sandwiches

Want more delicious German apple recipes?

• Oma's Apfelstrudel ~ German Apple Strudel Recipe 
• Heidi's Apple Pudding Cake 
• Oma's German-Style Apple Crisp 
• Oma's Apfelkuchen ~ German Apple Cake Recipe 

Oma's favorite breakfast recipes

• Kaiserschmarrn ~ Oma's German Torn Pancakes 
• Oma’s German French Toast ~ Arme Ritter 
• Oma's Sweet Roll Recipe 
• Mutti's Berliner Hoppel Poppel 
• Oma's Scrambled Eggs with Ham 
• Oma's Easy Waffle Recipe 

Ready to make delicious apple pancakes?

Print Recipe

Apfelpfannkuchen -The Tasty, “Controversial” German Apple Pancake Recipe

My German Apple Pancake recipe, aka Apple Dutch Baby, is so quick and easy to make and tastes absolutely wunderbar! Made with simple ingredients, this is an easy breakfast casserole or brunch dish that the whole family will love. But, is it German. Check the article above!

It's also one of those special breakfasts that is perfect for Christmas morning, since the batter and the apples can be prepared a day ahead of time.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Bake Time 25 minutes

Total Time 45 minutes

Servings:

Makes 4 - 6 servings

Ingredients:

• 6 large eggs
  
• 1½ cups (360 milliliters) milk or buttermilk
  
• 1 cup (130 grams) all-purpose flour
  
• 3 tablespoons (39 grams) granulated sugar
  
• ½ teaspoon (3 grams) salt
  
• ½ cup (114 grams) butter
  
• 2 large apples, peeled and sliced
  
• 2 tablespoons (30 grams) brown sugar (optional)

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425°F (218°C).
2. In a blender jar or food processor, add eggs, milk, flour, sugar, and salt. Blend until smooth. Or, if you prefer, just put into a large mixing bowl and use a whisk or hand mixer till smooth. 
3. Place butter in 10x13-inch baking dish (see video above for more ideas) and place dish in the hot oven to melt butter.
4. Add apple slices to baking dish and leave in oven until the melted butter sizzles. This can take about 5 minutes. Do not let the apples brown.
5. Remove baking dish from oven and pour batter on top of the apples. Sprinkle with brown sugar (if using). Return to the oven and bake 20 minutes or until golden brown and nicely puffed. Depending on the dish size (see video above), this can take an extra 5 to 10 minutes.
6. Serve immediately.

Notes/Hints:

• Best apples for this recipe? Whatever you happen to have handy in your crisper!

Sprinkle with ½ cup (50 grams) of sliced almonds after the batter has been poured over the apples.

• Add 1 teaspoon (5 milliliters) almond or vanilla extract to pancake batter.
• Add ¼ teaspoon (0.75 gram) ground cinnamon to batter, or top baked pancake with cinnamon sugar (mix ¼ cup (50 grams) sugar with 1 teaspoon (3 grams) ground cinnamon).
• Add some raisins to the apples.
• Try it with pears instead of apples.
• Wanting to make an exceptional German pancake? Try Kaiserschmarrn!

Unless otherwise noted recipe, images and content © Just like Oma | www.quick-german-recipes.com

05.13.2023 revision update

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Hi, I'm Oma Gerhild! As a food writer and cookbook author, I'm always looking to find ways to pass on my German heritage using local ingredients. Quick and easy. That's my goal. Wunderbar food. That's the result.