Apple-Fruit Kuchen


This recipe is another winner from The Apple Lover’s Cookbook by Amy Traverso. Kuchen is a “rich German yeast-raised cake filled with fruit and dotted on the top with jam”, although there is no yeast involved in this recipe. I’m not a big fan of cakes, but this was delicious both warm out of the oven and cold the next day. And it was easy. I used Canadian Strawberry for the apple variety which took 20 minutes longer to cook than the recipe called for, but in that time the pastry turned a stunning golden brown. Slightly tarter apples, such as St. Lawrence or Milton would have been good in the Kuchen as well and may have softened a bit more quickly because of their higher acidity. Amy’s recipe calls for apricot jam, but any stone fruit or berry jam would work.

Ingredients:

Dough:

  • 2 1/3 cups flour

  • 1 cup sugar

  • 4 tsp baking powder

  • 1/2 tsp salt

  • 2 large eggs, room temperature

  • 16 TBS (2 sticks) salted butter, room temperature

Filling:

  • 5-6 large, firm-sweet apples (about 2#)

  • 1/4 cup plus 1 tsp sugar

  • 1 TBS lemon juice

  • 2-4 TBS fruit jam (or more to taste)

  • 2 tsp cinnamon

Directions:

  1. Dough - Put flour, sugar, baking powder and salt in the bowl of a standing mixer (or a large bowl if using a hand-held mixer). Use the whisk attachment on low speed to combine the ingredients for 10 seconds. Add butter and eggs, and mix at medium-high speed til the ingredients form a ball, about 1 minute. Divide dough into two equal pieces, wrap in waxed paper, and refrigerate for 30 minutes.

  2. Filling - Core and cut the apples into 1/4” thick slices. Place in a bowl and sprinkle with 1/4 cup of sugar and lemon juice. Stir till sugar and lemon juice are evenly distributed.

  3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees , and set the rack in the middle of the oven.

  4. Press one ball of chilled dough into the bottom and up the sides of a deep- dish, 10” pie plate. Cover the dough with the sliced apples. Top the apples all over with small blobs of jam.

  5. Divide the remaining ball of dough into 15 small balls and arrange them on top of the apples. They spread out as they cook so you may not need all the dough. Sprinkle the top with 1 tsp of sugar and the cinnamon.

  6. Bake for 40 - 60 minutes, depending on which apples you use. The crust should be golden brown and the apples soft.

  7. Remove to a rack, and cool for 20 minutes before serving.