This Easy German Apple Pancake Recipe can be served for breakfast, brunch or even dessert! One pan serves 8 generously and can be eaten hot out of the oven or at room temperature.
If it is possible to make the perfect fall dish, this is IT. Caramelized apples, butter, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla, all baked into the most delicious family style pancake! The caramelized apples give this recipe just the right amount of sweet.
I prefer to eat this German Apple Pancake with a sprinkle of powdered sugar on top, but if you want to top it with syrup, I highly recommend either Creamy Maple Syrup, or this recipe for Caramel Syrup.
Our German Apple Pancake is the ultimate recipe for a crisp fall weekend, a holiday celebration or even a lazy weekend at home.
Tips for baking ABK’s Easy German Apple Pancake Recipe:
- Use a mixture of Granny Smith and Honey Crisp apples for the best blend of tart and sweet.
- Use fresh apples instead of canned pie filling for best results and fresh flavors!
- A cast iron pan will help to retain heat and produce a perfectly golden brown pancake.
- Butter the sides of the pan to prevent sticking.
- Let the baked pancake rest for 5 minutes before inverting onto plate when done.
This recipe is best served warm, but can be served at room temperature as well. I love it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream for brunch or dessert. a light sprinkle of cinnamon on the vanilla ice cream adds a nice bit of color and little extra flavor! If you love nuts, 1/2 cup of pecans work well in the caramelized apple layer.
Tools to make this recipe easy!
Three tools I use when making this recipe are my trusty apple peeler, corer and slicer. Can’t live without this tool when making anything that includes peeled and sliced apples! A good quality cast iron skillet is a kitchen essential you’ll use forever. This is the 10 inch Lodge pan I use for this recipe. The last tool I use often is this sugar shaker it gives a nice even sprinkle of powdered or cinnamon sugar to finish off many dishes!
Don’t be intimidated by this recipe. It is very simple and can be broken down in a few easy steps…
How to make German Apple Pancakes:
- Preheat oven. Very important to have the oven HOT for this recipe.
- Prepare the pancake batter (this may be done up to 24 hours ahead and stored in fridge).
- Cut the apples, melt butter and sugars and spices in pan. Add apples and caramelize.
- Pour pancake batter into hot pan of caramelized apples.
- Bake pancake, remove and serve!
I hope you love this tasty new recipe. Let us know in the comments if you make ABK’s German Apple Pancake for your family!
Easy German Apple Pancake Recipe
Ingredients
- 4 large eggs, room temperature
- 1 cup milk (whole is best)
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, melted
- 1 cup all-purpose flour*
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 3 apples, about 3 cups loosely packed
- 1/4 cup unsalted butter
- 1/2 cup light brown sugar
- 1/4 cup white sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
- 1 tablespoon white sugar for topping apples
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 475 degrees with oven on middle rack.
Batter for pancake
- In blender or a large bowl, mix eggs, milk, vanilla and melted butter.
- Add flour, baking powder, 1 tablespoon sugar, and salt. Mix just until blended. Let rest for 30 minutes.
Apple filling
- Peel, core and slice the apples into 1/8 inch pieces. Set aside in bowl.
- Melt butter in a 10-inch cast iron or other stove and oven-proof dish over medium heat. Swirl butter to cover sides and bottom of pan. Place sugars and spices into the melted butter in pan. Stir. The mixture may look dry, but it will melt as the pan continues to heat up.
- Add the cut up apples to the pan and cook for about 5 minutes. If the mixture is not bubbly, turn the heat to medium-high. The sugar mixture should be bubbly and start to caramelize. Evenly spread the apple slices around. Sprinkle the top of the apple slices with 1 additional tablespoon of white sugar.
Assembly and bake
- Pour the batter mixture over the apples and sugar and turn off stove heat. Carefully transfer the hot pan to the oven. Close oven door and immediately reduce temperature to 425, Bake for 15 minutes.
- After 15 minutes, reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees (do not open oven door) and bake for an additional 10 minutes.
- Remove from oven and let sit for 5 minutes. The pancake will pull away from sides of the pan a bit. Run a knife or spatula around edge of pan to loosen the pancake. Place a plate (larger than cast iron pan) on top of the pan and carefully invert the pancake onto a plate. Sprinkle with powdered sugar and serve.
Notes
- It is very important to remember to turn the heat in the oven down when the pan is placed in the oven and also at the 15 minute mark. Set a timer and stay close to the kitchen.
- All-purpose flour works well in this recipe. At my elevation (about 4800 feet above sea level) I have the best luck with 1 cup of flour. Many recipes for German apple pancakes use as little as 1/2 cup of flour. I have also had success with 3/4 cup of flour, but find the pancake seems a little more doughy with less flour.
- Unsalted butter is best, but salted butter will also work.
- I like a mixture of Granny Smith apples and Honey Crisp for this recipe.
- I have used 2 tablespoons instead of 1/4 cup of butter in the apple layer and found there is not a lot of difference in the flavor overall, but the caramelization of the apples is not quite as good!
- Any oven proof dish will work when baking the pancake.
- The finished pancake may also be served straight out of the pan without inverting.
Equipment
- cast iron pan.
Did you make this recipe?
Be sure to leave a comment and give this recipe a rating, letting me know how you liked it. I’d love to see a photo, tag @abountifulkitchen on Instagram!
Jann Williams
So excited to try this because we are fans of the German pancake, aka Dutch baby. This recipe was somewhat similar but so much more! The apples not only added a healthy aspect but combined with the cinnamon, sugar and nutmeg – it was delish! I always like to add a little crunch, so I added chopped pecans. I did not have a cast iron skillet and my oven proof skillet worked perfectly. Wondered how buttermilk would be vs. the whole milk?
Super Yum – Thanks Si.
Si Foster
Hi Jann,
So glad that you enjoyed the apples and cinnamon! Butter milk will also work with this recipe. It will be delicious, I’m sure!
XO,
Si
Andrea Dansie
I tend to make this late Sunday morning after church. It smells incredible and tastes even better. It reminds me of pannenkoeken, a Dutch food. This is the best right out of the oven so the caramelization of the sugar is still crispy. But I will eat it cold or re/warmed. This recipe is the first thing I’ve confidently and successfully made in my cast iron Lodge skillet.
Bob Carstensen
Delish!!
Ruth
My daughter and myself just made this and something went wrong because it didn’t puff up at all? We used a large glass pan. To honest, it came out horrible. I have no idea what we did wrong?
Ruth
I’m getting ready to make this and pray I get it right. It sounds so so delicious I can’t wait to try it out.
KellY
Can this be made a day ahead and still taste as good?
Si Foster
Hi Kelly!
Great Question! I’d make the batter ahead and store in the refrigerator. You can also slice the apples, add sugar and spices and place them in a ziplock bag or plastic container. Then when ready to serve, just heat the skillet, add butter and cook. That being said, I have eaten this recipe a day after it is made, and it was delicious. I guess it just boils down to how much time you have. Hope this helps! Thank you for reading ABK.
xo,
Si
JWilles
So excited about this! I made this recipe. I didn’t carmelize the sugar and apples long enough fearing I would burn them and they floated around once I poured the batter in. It was my error. It was still really good-I will try again. I had one in a German restaurant so I’m excited to get it right. 😊
Si Foster
Here’s hoping the apples still tasted fantastic even if they were floating around a bit! Hope the caramelized apples work out better next time! I tried this recipe with a blend of Honeycrisp and Granny Smith apples and it tasted fantastic. Try it again! I’m sure you’ll love it.
Thank you for reading ABK!
xo,
Si
Suzi Hughes
My husband loved this recipe! He ate 3 pieces. It was fun to make with apples right out of our orchard. We loved the crunchy sweet carmel crust. It’s an easy fun recipe and everyone loved it.
Si Foster
Hi Suzi,
It doesn’t get any better than apples straight out of the orchard and into a German Apple Pancake! A perfect fall treat! Thank you for your feedback and thanks for reading ABK!
xo,
Si
Shannon
Delicious! We had 5 people over for breakfast and everyone loved it!! I made the batter the night before. In the morning I sliced the apples (Granny Smith & honey crisp) and did the sugars in a cast iron pan.
I added this to my recipe box because it was so yummy!!
Rachel
Easy! And so tasty. The whole family loved it. I didn’t let the batter sit for 30 min but I did blend it longer. It probably sat for about 15 or so while I worked on other things. And it turned out beautifully. Also, the cast iron skillet is definitely the way to go! It makes the best crispy crust.
Si Foster
Rachel,
So glad your family loved this recipe! I agree about the cast iron skillet, it gives the pancake the most beautiful golden finish!
Thanks for your feedback,
XO
Si