German Peach Kuchen
German peach kuchen is a simple fruit cake made with fresh peaches and a creamy custard topping. The cake is tender and lightly spiced with nutmeg, and juicy fresh peaches are baked on top. Partway through making, an almond scented custard is poured over everything where it settles around the peaches and soaks slightly into the cake as it finishes baking.
Kuchen simply means “cake” in German, but that little word actually covers a huge variety of baked treats – everything from simple butter cakes and fruit topped cakes to cheesecakes and more elaborate creations. The tradition of Kaffee und kuchen, an afternoon gathering with coffee, cake, and conversation is popular for a reason.
This peach kuchen follows that same unfussy idea – a simple homemade cake, plenty of fresh fruit, and nothing elaborate required.
Why you’ll love this recipe
- It’s surprisingly simple. The cake batter comes together quickly, and peaches get arranged on top, and there’s no decorating required.
- The custard is where the magic happens. Instead of sitting as a completely separate layer, the creamy almond custard works its way into the cake as it bakes, giving you little pockets that are almost pudding like next to soft cake and juicy peaches.
German food has so much more to explore! If your family want so keep your culinary adventure going, try making a complete meal with pork schnitzel, homemade spaetzle, and German cucumber salad!
How to make this simple cake
Here is a brief overview of how to make this recipe. For the full set of written directions, please make sure you scroll down to the recipe card below.
Make the cake batter
Whisk together the dry ingredients for the cake batter in a medium sized mixing bowl. Rub in the butter with your hands or a fork until it resembles coarse sand. In a separate bowl, whisk together the eegs and milk and then gently mix this into the flour mixture until everything comes together. Press the batter evenly into a 9 inch springform pan.
Add the peaches
Slice the peaches and arrange them on the top of the batter, gently pressing them into the batter.
Place the springform pan on a rimed baking sheet (because occasionally springform pans choose violence) and bake for about 15 minutes.
Add the custard
While the cake bakes, whisk together the custard until smooth. Pour the custard evenly over the partially baked cake, trying to keep the custard from going all the way to the edges (if it gets below the cake part it makes it hard to remove the springform cleanly later) . Reduce the oven temp and bake until the cake is golden and the custard is set.
Allow the cake to cool in the pan for at least 15 minutes before carefully removing the sides of the springform pan. Once cooled, generously dust the top of the kuchen with powdered sugar.
Storage Info
Because of the custard layer, I recommend refrigerating any leftovers. Store covered for up to 2 days. You can enjoy them cold or warm them up in the microwave for a few seconds.
Discover your next culinary adventure
If this is your kind of cake, make sure you also try my plum cake, Italian pear cake, or simple strawberry cake, too. Each one uses the same basic magic – turning seasonal fruit and a simple batter into a cake thats beautiful enough to share but easy enough to make because you have fruit sitting on the counter.
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German Peach Kuchen
Ingredients
Method
- Preheat oven to 400 F and grease a 9 inch springform pan.
- In a medium sized mixing bowl, whisk together the flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt.
- Use your fingers or a fork to rub the butter into the flour mixture until it resembles course sand.
- In a small bowl, whisk together the egg and milk, and then combine into the butter/flour mixture until it just barely comes together.
- Spread the cake into the prepared 9 inch springform.
- Slice the peach and arrange on the top of the cake batter, gently pressing into the batter.
- Bake for 15 minutes.
- In a second medium mixing bowl, whisk together the cream, sugar, egg, flour, almond extract and salt.
- Pour the custard over the top of the partially baked cake, trying to not get it all the way to the edges of the cake (just to help remove the springform pan cleanly later).
- Reduce the oven temperature to 350 F.
- Bake for 35-40 minutes, or until the top is golden and the custard is set.
- Allow the cake to cool for at least 15 minutes before releasing the springform, and then let cool more before generously dusting with powdered sugar.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is provided as a general estimate and may vary based on ingredients, brands, and substitutions. For specific dietary needs, we recommend calculating nutrition using your preferred tool.
Needs a little more humidity, but it’s good~!
Love the simplicity of this recipe. Cake looks delicious.