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Easy German Apple Pancake Recipe

Our Easy German Apple Pancake Recipe is comfort food for fall! Loaded with caramelized apples, cinnamon and butter it bakes up in minutes and can be served for brunch or dessert!

Course Breakfast, brunch, Dessert
Cuisine American, german
Keyword apple, brunch, eggs, fall, family style
Prep Time 10 minutes
Cook Time 20 minutes
caramelize apples 5 minutes
Total Time 35 minutes
Servings 8
Author Si Foster

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

  1. Preheat oven to 475 degrees with oven on middle rack.

Batter for pancake

  1. In blender or a large bowl, mix eggs, milk, vanilla and melted butter.

  2. Add flour, baking powder, 1 tablespoon sugar, and salt. Mix just until blended. Let rest for 30 minutes.

Apple filling

  1. Peel, core and slice the apples into 1/8 inch pieces. Set aside in bowl.

  2. 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.

  3. 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

  1. 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.

  2. After 15 minutes, reduce oven temperature to 350 degrees (do not open oven door) and bake for an additional 10 minutes.

  3. 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.

Recipe 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.