German wiener apfelkuchen (apple cake from Vienna) is an apple cake recipe with a shortcrust base, chopped apples, and a lemon-flavored cake layer. The sugar and almonds sprinkled on top make a delightfully crunchy topping. It's a great change from a pie.
While Apfelkuchen (pronounced AP-fel-KUK-en) is literally translated apple cake, you will find the term used to refer to a number of German desserts, some resembling more of a pie or crumble while others more closely fit what we, in the States, think of as a cake.
Versunken Apfelkuchen is incredibly easy to make. The cake is just a basic butter cake that comes together quite quickly, and is incredibly moist and tender. Apples are arranged over top of the batter like we described above. Some recipes use slices (like we did), while others will use peeled and cored apple halves.
Gedeckter Apfelkuchen literally translates to “ covered apple cake “. This version is similar to what we think of as a double crusted apple pie, however the top and bottom crust are thicker than a traditional pie crust an more closely resemble a dense sponge cake.