Rich Fruit Kuchens

Fruit desserts like this German kuchen recipe are always a treat. A thin, yeasted flour-based crust, custard, fruit and streusel bake up into a warm, comforting dessert that you can have after a meal or as a snack when you want something that’s a little sweet, but not too much. This recipe makes four kuchens, so you can use different types of fruit for each one.

Kuchen is the German word for “cake,” but in the culinary world, kuchen can refer to any number of baked desserts with fruit. Some are more like a standard cake with fruit baked into the very top, while others are more similar to a fruit pie with a top and bottom crust. Yet others, including this recipe, contain fruit and custard baked over a thin crust. The final dish looks a bit like a pie at first, but when you taste it, you’ll realize it’s so much more than just pie. This is a great recipe for those who want a lot of fruit in each bite of their dessert.

German Kuchen Recipe Ingredients

• Active dry yeast: Despite the pielike look of the crust, this is more of a thin cake layer.
• Warm water and warm milk: Warm water activates the yeast initially, and warm milk helps ensure that the yeast’s rising power won’t be affected by cold liquid.
• Sugar: This helps make the thin crust have a more cakey texture.
• Egg: Eggs, as you’ve probably guessed, bind everything together.
• All-purpose flour: Despite the cakelike nature of the crust, you want to use all-purpose flour here and not something like cake flour. All-purpose has a good amount of protein and thus gluten to give the crust structure when baked.

CUSTARD:

• Eggs: Eggs provide structure for the custard as it bakes and solidifies.
• Heavy whipping cream: Cream will add more fat and a rich texture to the eggs.
• Sugar: Whipping cream alone won’t sweeten the custard, and the fruit will be drained, so you won’t have fruit juice sweetening the mix, either.
• Sliced, peeled fruit: You can use anything from apples to peaches to berries here. Peel apples, but you can leave thin peels on plums and peaches or nectarines for added color. Drain any excess juice and water.

TOPPING:

• Sugar: Streusel topping is sweet, so don’t forget the sugar.
• All-purpose flour: The flour will absorb the butter and caramelized sugar to create a crumbly and delicious topping.
• Cinnamon: This adds a little extra flavor to the topping, although you can adjust the amount if you’re not a cinnamon fan.
• Butter: Use cold butter when making the topping; that will help stop the sugar from totally melting and also make the topping more tender.

Directions

Step 1: Form the dough

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The evening before you want to make the kuchen, dissolve the yeast in the warm water in a large bowl. Add the milk and sugar along with salt and oil; add the egg and 2 1/2 cups of the flour. Beat everything until you have a smooth mixture; start adding more flour in small amounts to turn the mixture into a soft dough that you can handle. Grease a bowl, place the dough in the bowl and then turn the dough over to ensure the grease in the bowl covers all of the dough. Don’t knead the dough; just turn it. Cover the bowl and place it in the refrigerator, and let it sit there overnight.

Step 2: Start making the custard

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The next day, when you’re ready to make the kuchen, whisk the eggs, whipping cream and sugar in a large bowl. Set that aside, take the dough out of the refrigerator and divide the dough into four portions.

Step 3: Assemble the unbaked kuchen

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Spread a little flour onto the surface you’ll use for rolling out the dough. Roll each portion into a 10-inch circle. Take four ungreased 9-inch pie plates and place each circle into a plate. Press the dough onto the bottom and up the sides of each plate. Put 2 to 2 1/2 cups of fruit in each dough circle/pie plate, and then pour the custard over each pile of fruit. You should be able to pour 1 cup of custard into each pie plate.

Step 4: Make the topping and bake the kuchen

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Preheat the oven to 350°F. Mix the sugar, cinnamon and flour for the topping in a small bowl. Cut in the cold butter until the whole mixture looks like coarse crumbs. Sprinkle 1/3 cup of the topping over each pie plate. Cover the edges of the dough on each plate with foil, and then bake the kuchen for 35 to 40 minutes. When done, the kuchen should be lightly browned on top, and an instant-read thermometer inserted in the custard filling should read 160°.

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German Kuchen Recipe Variations

• Go beyond basic fruits: Apples, peaches, berries and other common fruits do very well in kuchen, but don’t be shy about trying other fruits such as persimmon slices in this recipe.
• Try a veggie: You can even try sweet vegetables, such as thin slices of pumpkin or other squash. Experiment with sweet, cooked carrots, too, if you like. You’ll probably want to add appropriate spices to these, such as cinnamon. But if you can put the fruit or vegetable in a sweet pie or cake, try it in this kuchen recipe.

How to Store German Kuchen Recipe

Leftover kuchen can be stored in an airtight container in the refrigerator for two to three days. The crust and topping will likely get softer as they absorb more moisture from the custard and fruit.

Can you freeze this German kuchen recipe?

Yes, you can freeze this kuchen. First of all, basic freezing instructions are to cut the kuchen into servings and place the servings on a flat sheet (like a baking sheet). Freeze them for about 30 minutes to make the custard and fruit firm up, and then wrap each slice tightly in freezer-safe wrap. Place the wrapped slices in a freezer bag and squeeze out as much air as possible without crushing the slices. Keep those for up to three months, and let them thaw in the refrigerator when you want to eat them. Be aware that the fruit may have a more watery texture when it thaws just because of all the ice crystals that formed in it when you froze the slices. Also, the kuchen won’t reheat well, so plan to eat it cold once thawed.

German Kuchen Recipe Tips

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Can you use store-bought pie crust for these kuchen?

Pie crusts don’t contain yeast and therefore won’t rise like the cake in this recipe will. The cake layer here may seem very thin, but pie crust would be even thinner. That could actually be good if you don’t want a lot of crust or cake, but the final texture will be different, and this will end up being more of a custard and fruit pie.

Can you use frozen fruit instead of fresh or canned fruit?

In some cases, yes. If the fruit isn’t mushy before baking, then it could work. Baking makes the fruit softer, so starting with fruit that’s already very soft could lead a mushy final result. Thawed berries, for example, could end up too soft, not to mention they could inundate the custard with excess berry juice. Frozen berries, not thawed, might be an option, but be prepared for them to leak a lot of water and juice. Frozen peaches (that you’ve thawed) should work just fine, and frozen, thawed cherries may do well, too. Both of those fruits tend to be relatively firm after thawing.

What can you serve this kuchen with?

If you’re not having this kuchen as dessert after a meal, have a small slice as a snack with tea or coffee. This is a fantastic recipe to have waiting should a neighbor come over to visit and chat.