Butterkuchen
Butterkuchen: northern German flat yeast cake with butter pools and almonds
GermanButterkuchen is the cake of northern German celebrations: in Lower Saxony, Bremen and Holstein it is baked on huge trays for funerals, weddings and christenings, which is why it is also called Freudenkuchen, joy cake. A thin, soft yeast base is dimpled all over with your fingertips, the holes filled with butter, then the whole thing showered with sugar and flaked almonds. In the oven the butter and sugar melt into little caramel pools. A common mistake is making the dimples too shallow, so the butter just runs off; press right down to the tray. Chef's tip: as soon as the cake comes out, spoon a few tablespoons of cream over it; it soaks in and keeps the base tender for two days.
- Total time
- 110 min
- Difficulty
- medium
- Serves
- 16
Ingredients
For the yeast dough
For the topping
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Fresh ingredients (5)
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Method
0/5 doneStep 1: Stir the 1 cup whole milk, lukewarm, ¼ oz dried yeast and a pinch of the 2 ⅛ oz sugar and leave until foamy. Add the 1 ⅛ lb plain flour, the rest of the sugar, ½ tsp salt, 1 egg and 2 ⅛ oz soft butter and knead for 8–10 minutes into a soft, smooth dough. Cover and leave to rise for 1 hour, until doubled.
70 minStep 2: Roll out to fit a buttered 30 × 40 cm tray and press into the corners. Cover and prove for 20 minutes, until puffy. Heat the oven to 400°F (350°F fan).
25 minStep 3: Flour your fingertips and press deep dimples all over the dough, about 3 cm apart, right down to the tray. Push a flake of 5 ½ oz cold butter into each hole and scatter the rest over.
10 minStep 4: Mix the 4 oz sugar and ¼ oz vanilla sugar, sprinkle evenly, then scatter over the 3 ½ oz flaked almonds. Bake for 15–20 minutes, until the almonds are golden and the sugar has melted into bubbling pools.
20 minStep 5: Spoon the 4 tbsp double cream over the hot cake straight away. Cool on the tray and cut into rectangles. Best on the day, still good the next.
5 min
Nutrition per serving
- Calories
- 300 kcal
- Protein
- 5 g
- Carbs
- 35 g
- Fat
- 16 g
- Fibre
- 1 g
Nutrition values are estimates.
KrazyBadal
Good to know
- How long does butterkuchen take?
- About 110 minutes in total: 90 minutes to prepare and 20 minutes to cook.
- How many people does it serve?
- 16 as written. Change the servings above the ingredients and every amount scales to match.
- Is it vegetarian?
- Yes. It has no meat or fish.
- What can I use instead of whole milk, lukewarm?
- Semi-skimmed milk with 1 tbsp cream per 240ml (1 cup).
- What can I use instead of plain flour?
- Self-raising flour, same amount (then leave out the baking powder).
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