German Apple Pancake – Barefoot in the kitchen

Forget leftovers with this German Apple Pancakes recipe. You won’t believe how easy it is to prepare such a delicious breakfast.

German pancakes with apples

I first added apples to a batch of these pancakes over ten years ago and my family absolutely loved them. I made this recipe one morning a few weeks ago to reshoot the photos and fell in love with these pancakes all over again.

I liked the German apple pancakes so much that I made them again for a family meal. Whether it’s made from my grandma’s traditional recipe or grain-free and gluten-free, we just love pancakes.

For a fun change, try making Small German Pancakes in a Muffin Pan or these Cranberry Almond German Pancakes during the holidays. (You know I can never have enough cranberry recipes!) However you make them, they’re always delicious.

My grandmother passed down a recipe for sweet orange sauce that has become the traditional way of eating German pancakes in my family. I love this sauce both because it’s delicious and because it reminds me of it.

But to be honest, I like these pancakes with apples best. Sweet enough from the apples, all that was needed for the finished pancake was a light dusting of powdered sugar. (My kids definitely like them with a drizzle of maple syrup, though.)

A word of warning, if you’re making the apples for these pancakes, you may want to make more. It’s hard to resist trying a few straight out of the pot – just try not to eat them all before you can make the pancakes!

Apple Dutch Baby

Depending on where you’re from, you might know these pancakes by a different name. I’ve heard they’re called Dutch Babies and Dutch Puffs, and they’re pretty similar to Popovers too.

The Baby Dutch Apple Pancake brings out the fabulous sweetness and flavor of the fruit, much like you might find in an apple pie. But the Apple Dutch Baby recipe has a lot less added sugar.

We may have different names for this recipe, but everyone who tries a Dutch apple pancake calls it delicious. Light and airy because the egg puffs up in the oven, and with an endless choice of toppings available, this is one breakfast I’ll happily eat as often as possible.

German apple pancake recipe

For this recipe you need the following ingredients:

• Apple
• lemon juice
• milk
• eggs
• butter
• Flour
• salt and ground cinnamon
• light brown sugar and powdered sugar

To start this recipe, preheat the oven to 500°F. Place the apples, sugar, cinnamon, and lemon juice in a small saucepan. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring occasionally, until golden brown – about 5 minutes.

While the apples cook, whisk together the flour, salt, and milk. Add the eggs, whisk again and set aside. Place the butter in a glass pie plate and melt in the oven, this should take about 2 minutes.

When the butter has melted, carefully remove the hot pan from the oven and turn in your hands to coat the bottom and sides. Put the apples in the mold and spread them on the bottom. Pour the pancake mixture over the apples.

Place pan back in oven and reduce heat to 425°F. Bake 18 minutes; The sides of the pancake will stick out over the edge of the cake stand and will brown slightly.

Remove from the oven and place a large plate on top of the pancake. Turn the cake pan over the plate to release the pancake. Dust generously with powdered sugar, slice and serve.

I triple this recipe for my family and it easily feeds six. I divide the triple recipe between a pie plate (⅓ of the mix) and a 9×13 baking pan (2/3 of the mix).

German apple pancakes

If you liked these German apple pancakes and want to try a different breakfast with apples, you have to try this old-fashioned apple crisp. It’s really wonderful. (And yes, an apple chip can be breakfast. Oats + apples = my way of starting the day.)

You might also like this Apple Cinnamon Oatmeal Recipe. (I love a hearty bowl of steaming hot oatmeal!) But I also love the texture oatmeal gets when it’s baked, like in this Oatmeal Baked Apple Pie.

I’m considering these Apple Cinnamon Muffins for my next breakfast. The recipe reminds me of banana bread, which I love.

{originally posted 7/12/12 – recipe notes and photos updated 5/10/23}