Classic German Kuchen is incredibly delicious and rich! Baked peaches are smooth and creamy, while the batter is light and tender. The cake is topped with the buttery almond crumb on top and baked until slightly browned on top.
Why you’ll love Classic German Kuchen
Authentic: There are various ways to make traditional german kuchen, but this classic version has almost 3 separate layers: a rolled out batter on the bottom, a peach layer in the middle and a streusel top and uses very few ingredients.
Streusel on top: One of the most popular versions of peach kuchens always include streuselkuchen, made toasted blanched and slivered almonds to make the streusel extra crunchy. In this peach Kuchen recipe, the streusel is sweet, rich and crunchy thanks to the simple combination of almonds, flour, sugar and butter – it just melts when you bite into it, yet the crunch from the almonds makes the bite unforgettable!
Perfect with coffee: You will most commonly find Pfirsich Kuchën in any German bakery; Kaffee and Kuchen (coffee and cake) are ingrained in the German culture and also are a huge part of Sunday afternoons in Germany. Enjoy this peach cake with a hot cup of freshly brewed coffee!
Kuchen Ingredients
- Fresh peaches: I chopped them into small chunks and didn’t peel them.
- Almonds: Blanched and slivered. I also toasted them in the pan and then cooled them right before using them.
- Granulated sugar and corn starch: Use regular white sugar or turbinado sugar.
- Almond & Vanilla extracts: Pure vanilla extract
- Butter: The recipe calls for unsalted butter.
- All-purpose flour, baking powder & salt: Use regular dry ingredients you can find in your pantry.
- Egg: I used one large egg.
How to make German Kuchen
Begin by rubbing the butter into the flour and sugar. Next add the almonds and toss to combine. Set the bowl aside.
Prepare the batter: First combine all the Dry Ingredients: flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and set aside. Next mix Wet Ingredients Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the almond and vanilla extracts, followed by the egg and milk. Fold in the dry ingredients into the wet ones.
Spread the batter in the 9 inch spring form pan.
Prepare peach filling by mixing sliced peaches, sugar, cornstarch and almond extract in a medium bowl and let sit until peaches release their juices.
Next, spread the Peach Filling evenly over the batter. DO not use the peach juices as this will make the batter too runny. I usually just drain my peaches right before adding them.
Sprinkle the Almond Streusel Topping evenly over the top of the cake. Lots of slivered almonds!
Bake until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 35 to 45 minutes.
Because I used plenty of baking powder here, the cake batter will rise quite a bit over the peaches and the streusel will also become incorporated into the cake batter. If you like a flatter Kuchen, reduce baking powder to 1.5 teaspoons.
And don’t forget to sprinkle with some powdered sugar on top before serving this Peach Kuchen to your guests!
FAQ
Can I use canned peaches to make a Kuchen? You can certainly use canned peaches instead of the fresh ones, just make sure that they are drained of any liquid and use 1.5 cups of canned peaches.
Can I cook my peaches instead of using fresh? You can also cook your fresh peaches instead. To do that, bring the medium saucepan with peach filling ingredients to medium heat, bring the mixture to a boil, stirring occasionally.
The liquid will begin to thicken and become translucent. Gently boil for 1 to 2 minutes—until the juices are clear and thick. Transfer to a bowl and stir in the almond extract. Cool completely before using. It is best to make this the day before.
What kind of pan to use to make peach Kuchen? Make sure to use 9 inch spring form pan in order to easily release the cake after it is done.
More peach desserts
- Tarte Tatin with Brandy Caramelized Apples
- Peach and Blueberry Cream Cheese Puff Pastry Tart
- Pumpkin Pecan Muffins with Cinnamon Sugar Streusel
Traditional German Kuchen
Ingredients
Peach Filling:
- 2.5 – 3 cups fresh peaches, ( chopped into small chunks)
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tablespoon cornstarch
- ⅛ Teaspoon almond extract
Almond Streusel Topping:
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- ½ cup all purpose flour
- ⅓ cup sugar
- ⅓ cup almonds (blanched and slivered), lightly toasted and cooled
Kuchen Batter:
- 1 ⅓ cup all purpose flour
- 2.5 Teaspoons baking powder
- ½ Teaspoon salt
- ⅓ cup unsalted butter, (at room temperature)
- ⅔ cup granulated sugar
- ½ Teaspoon vanilla extract
- ¼ Teaspoon almond extract
- 1 large egg
- ⅓ cup milk
- 2 Teaspoons powdered sugar, (for decorating)
Instructions
Prepare Almond Streusel Topping
- In a small bowl, rub the butter into the flour and sugar. Add the almonds and toss to combine. Set aside.
- Preheat an oven to 350º F. Butter a 9 Inch Spring Form Pan and set aside.
Prepare Kuchen Batter:
- Dry Ingredients: Combine the flour, baking powder and salt in a small bowl and set aside.
- Wet Ingredients: Cream the butter and sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in the almond and vanilla extracts, followed by the egg and milk. Fold in the dry ingredients into the wet ones.
- Spread the batter in the prepared pan. Set aside.
Prepare Peach Filling
- Mix sliced peaches, sugar, cornstarch and almond extract in a medium bowl and let sit until peaches release their juices.
- Spread this peach filling evenly over the batter. DO not use the peach juices as this will make the batter too runny.
- Sprinkle the almond streusel topping evenly over the top of the cake.
Bake
- Bake until a wooden toothpick inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, about 45 to 60 minutes.
- Cool the cake in the pan for 15 minutes before removing the springform pan. Do not remove earlier than that.
- Serve warm or at room temperature, sprinkled with powdered sugar.
Nutritional information is provided as a courtesy only. This information comes from online calculators. Although whatsinthepan.com attempts to provide accurate nutritional information, these figures are only estimates.
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