APFELPFANNKUCHEN. It’s so fun to say! Try it with me now. APFEL PFANN KUCHEN. See?? If you’ve never had one of these, it’s like a Dutch baby, just full of apples, so it gets puffy on the edges instead of all over.

Now, unlike with last week’s pasta, I do hold some small claim to German heritage, and would love to tell you this is a family recipe passed down through the ages. But alas. It’s Betty Crocker. So while it is something my mom would make for me, it is not because she was sharing a tradition. It’s because these things are delicious. And so easy! When I was a kid, my mom and I would occasionally be gifted with a “girl’s weekend,” where both dad and brother were away for some sort of skiing, fishing, or business/school trip situation. These nights, we took full advantage of their absence by enjoying manicures, cheesy romantic comedies, and breakfast for dinner. Specifically, German Apple Pancakes. Looking back, I don’t know how we ate this for dinner. It’s just dough and apples. Did we at least have bacon on the side? I don’t remember. For breakfast though, this is a delightful weekend treat. A light and fluffy batter, a crunchy cinnamon-sugared lid, and enough fruit to feel ok about the first two things.

When I first learned this was just a Betty Crocker recipe, I set out to find a more “authentic” version. My google searching yielded quite the variety of methods (some stovetop, some oven, some both), but all had similar ingredient lists. I tried some different things, and ended up landing pretty close to the recipe my mom uses. I added a touch of vanilla, chose to mix the batter up in the blender instead of a bowl ( to avoid clumps), and set the oven to a slightly higher temperature to get a nice golden finish.

This is a simple recipe, but the order of things is important. Make the batter first, so it has a few minutes to set up before you pour it in the pan. Mixing the cinnamon-sugar is sort of a non-step, but it serves the purpose of pushing the apple slicing to the last minute, to avoid browning. Finally, and most critical: eat this right away. As soon as it’s done. If you wait it will start to fall, losing its charming rumpled character, and will therefore be decidedly less enjoyable to consume.

German Apple Pancake

Recipe by Too Many SpoonsCourse: BreakfastCuisine: Pancake

Servings

2

servings

Cost

11

$

Total time

30

minutes

Ingredients

• 2 eggs

• 1/2 cup flour

• 1/2 cup whole milk

• 1/4 tsp salt

• 1/2 tsp vanilla

• 2 tbsp sugar

• 1/2 tsp cinnamon

• 1 large apple

• 2 tbsp unsalted butter

Directions

• Place a 9 inch round baking pan in the oven, and preheat it to 425.
• In a blender, combine the eggs, flour, milk, salt, and vanilla. Blend on medium speed for 30 seconds until well combined. Set this aside while you prepare the other components.
• In a small bowl, mix together the sugar and cinnamon. Set aside.
• Peel and core the apple, then cut it into 1/4 inch slices. I cut the apple into quarters, then cut each quarter into 8 or 9 slices. You may get more or less depending on the size of your apple.
• Remove the pan from the oven (with oven mitts please!), drop the butter into it, and swirl it around until it melts and coats the pan.
• Arrange the apple slices in an even layer over the melted butter. Carefully pour the batter over the apples, trying not to disrupt them too much. It should just cover the apples. Then sprinkle the cinnamon-sugar mixture all over the top of the batter. Place the pan in the oven, and bake 20-25 minutes, until golden brown and puffed and rumpled around the edges.
• To serve, just slide the pancake onto a plate and divide it in half. You can top with maple syrup or whipped cream if you want a little something extra.

Recipe Notes

• Adapted from the “Betty Crocker’s New International Cookbook.”