High Altitude German Apple Cake

A high altitude German apple cake featuring a moist, dense cake subtly flavored with cinnamon, cardamom and almond flour, with sliced apples baked on top and sprinkled with cinnamon sugar. This one layer cake is easy to make, but looks so beautiful for the holidays.

You might also love these high altitude recipes for Italian almond cake, apple hand pies with cinnamon sugar, and French apple walnut tart.

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Why You’ll Love This Recipe

Easy to Make. A German apple cake is a really simple cake to make, even for a beginner baker. You don’t even need a mixer to make the cake batter, just a bowl and whisk. After making the cake batter, peel and slice some apples, then arrange them on top of the batter before baking.

Simple but Impressive. While the cake comes together easily, it makes a gorgeous presentation for a Thanksgiving dessert table. You can arrange the apples any way that you like, in the simple spiral pattern that I did, or even in a slightly more elaborate spiral like on this French apple walnut tart. Or to keep things easy, you can just chop the apples and scatter them on top of the cake batter before baking.

Perfect Textures. The cake is moist, dense and tender, truly one of my favorite cake recipes that I’ve found is incredibly versatile for a variety of uses. With the long bake time, the crust of the cake is golden brown and slightly crunchy, making a wonderful contrast to the tender, buttery cake and soft sliced apples on top.

High Altitude Tested. I develop all the recipes on my site for Denver’s altitude of 5,280 feet. If you’re at a lower or higher elevation, please see my FAQs for guidance on adjusting recipes for your altitude.

See the recipe card at the end of the post for the full ingredients list and instructions.

Ingredients

• Butter. To add the most incredible flavor to this cake, don’t skip the step of browning the butter first.
• Granulated Sugar. Adds sweetness and moisture, as well as creates the caramelized, golden brown edges on the cake.
• Eggs. Add moisture and strength.
• Vanilla Extract. Flavor.
• Whole Milk + Sour Cream. Adds fat and moisture for a moist, tender cake.
• Flour. All-purpose flour gives the cake structure and strength.
• Salt. Balances the sweetness and enhances the flavor of the almonds.
• Baking Powder. Leavening agent, so the cake rises when it bakes.
• Cardamom + Cinnamon. The spices add a little warmth to complement the flavor of the apples.
• Almond Flour. The almond flour not only adds a subtle almond flavor, but also moisture and a nutty richness that makes this cake just so good. You can also use very finely chopped almonds if you don’t have almond flour.
• Apples. I used Honey Crisp apples for my German apple cake, but a variety of firm baking apples would work.

Instructions

Make the cake batter.

• Preheat the oven to 350 F, and position a rack in the center of the oven. Spray an 8 or 9 inch springform pan with a removable bottom with non-stick baking spray.
• In a saucepan, melt the butter over medium heat. Continue to cook the butter until nutty, golden brown milk solids form at the bottom of the pan. This process might take about 10 minutes. First the butter will hiss and splatter as the water evaporates, then as it quiets down, a layer of foam will form on top of the butter. This means the butter is done. Immediately remove from the heat, and scrape the butter, including the brown milk solids, into a large bowl. Let cool for 10 minutes.

• In a bowl, whisk together the cooled brown butter with the granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, milk and sour cream, until combined.
• In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, baking powder, cardamom and cinnamon. Add the almond flour, then whisk until everything is evenly distributed.
• Add the dry ingredients to the wet, whisking just until moistened, then spread the batter into the prepared pan.

Arrange the apples on top.

• Peel and core the apples. You can thinly slice the apples like I did, or cut them into thicker slices, or even chunks. Arrange the apples over the cake batter any way that you like, then sprinkle the apples with 2 tbsp of the cinnamon sugar.

Bake the cake.

• Bake the cake for about 80-90 minutes (for an 8 inch pan), until a cake tester inserted in the center of the cake comes out clean, or with moist crumbs clinging to it. It seems like a very long bake time, but with the moist apples on top of the batter, the cake does take this long to bake through in the middle. Baker’s Note: I used an 8-inch pan and my cake was done at 85 minutes. If you use a 9-inch pan, you’ll likely need to bake your cake for 10-15 minutes less.
• Set the pan on a cooling rack and let the cake cool for 1 1/2 – 2 hours. Loosen and remove the collar from the pan, and serve the cake warm, or at room temperature. Before serving, sprinkle the top of the cake with the remaining 1 tbsp of cinnamon sugar.

Be sure to read all of my BAKING FAQs where I discuss ingredients, substitutions and common baking questions, so that you can be successful in your own baking!

Frequently Asked Questions

How should I store leftover German apple cake?

Store leftover cake in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the refrigerator for up to 4-5 days.

What if I don’t have a springform pan?

A springform pan with a removable bottom makes it easy to remove the cake from the pan without turning it out onto the sliced apples. So if you don’t have a springform pan, you can use a regular cake pan, and line it with parchment paper, including paper tabs up the sides of the pan that allow you to lift the cake out of the pan.

Can I make the cake without the almond flour?

The almond flour adds a subtle almond flavor, but also keeps the cake really moist and tender. If you don’t have almond flour, you can use very finely chopped almonds, walnuts or pecans (chopped finely in a food processor).

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