German desserts include cakes, cookies, truffles, and puddings, often featuring almond paste, chocolate, hazelnuts, and candied fruit. Popular cakes include butterkuchen, bienenstitch, and Black Forest cake, while marzipan is shaped into small animals and fruit. Truffles, rum balls, beignets, and grain puddings are also popular.
German desserts are very varied, ranging from baked goods to steamed puddings. Most German desserts can be classified as some sort of cake or cookie, while another handful can be placed in the truffle category. Many of these dishes include almond paste, chocolate, hazelnuts and candied fruit. Decadent frostings, such as those made with cream cheese or buttercream, are also hugely popular. One category of German desserts is actually made up almost entirely of alcohol-based recipes.
The wide range of German cake recipes available could probably fill an entire recipe book by itself. Some of the more popular cakes include butterkuchen, bienenstitch and Black Forest cake. Butterkuchen is German for “butter cake,” and it generally lives up to the name. The cake batter in this dessert is thick and usually vanilla flavored. The frosting is usually little more than a thick layer of rich milky butter mixed with ground almonds and powdered sugar. It’s popular at potluck gatherings because it’s relatively simple to make.
Bienenstitch means “bee sting” in German. This name refers to the honey flavors found in the cake batter and frosting. A very sweet cake, it is usually assembled in layers with a very rich vanilla pudding or custard in between. Cake batter usually contains honey, as well as sweet syrup usually drizzled on top after it’s done baking. It is also sometimes topped with ground almonds and glazed cherries.
Black Forest cake is one of the most popular and decadent German desserts. The cake itself is chocolate and is usually wrapped in vanilla cream and sprinkled with milk or dark chocolate. The cut reveals a heady, rich center full of booze-soaked cherries. Cherries are usually marinated in brandy, but some cooks also use cherry brandy or even vodka.
Marzipan is another very popular dessert in Germany. In fact, some pastry chefs consider it an art form. In this form, marzipan is shaped into small animals, people, and fruit and then air-brushed with food coloring. Confectioners often sell seasonal shapes, such as rabbits for Easter and pine trees for Christmas.
Pistachio and hazelnut truffles, rum balls, beignets and thick puddings made from grains form another category of German desserts. Truffles can be filled with nuts or fruit soaked in alcohol, while rum balls are usually made with chocolate and a heavy dose of dark rum. Sand puddings are usually topped with a fruity glaze. Cooks sometimes add oomph to macerated fruit to end a meal quickly and deliciously.
Protect your devices with Threat Protection by NordVPN
