flipSchwäbischer Apfelkuchen (Swabian Apple Cake)
Schwäbischer Apfelkuchen (Swabian Apple Cake)
Why this dish? The German ritual of "Kaffee und Kuchen" — coffee and cake shared with family on Sundays — is an institution to which Einstein, a passionate coffee drinker, was a faithful adherent. Apple cake was the humblest and most widespread of South German Kuchen.
A moist cake studded with thin slices of tart apples, scented with cinnamon and lemon, golden from the oven. Served warm with a mountain of black coffee.
On Sundays, you see, we didn't discuss physics: we cut the Kuchen and filled the cups. I've always thought that coffee and cake settled more quarrels than all the treaties in the world. Choose very tart apples, ones that stand up to the sugar — a bit like a good experiment stands up to a pretty theory. A hint of cinnamon, the zest of a lemon, and the house smells wonderful all the way up the stairs. And never forget: eat the Kuchen while it's still warm, otherwise what's the point!
- •Tart apples from the orchard — several (topping)
- •Flour — enough for a dough (base)
- •Butter — a good knob (moistness)
- •Eggs — a few (binder)
- •Sugar — to taste (sweetness)
- •Cinnamon and lemon zest — a pinch, one fruit (flavor)
Schwäbischer Apfelkuchen (Swabian Apple Cake)
A moist cake studded with thin slices of tart apples, scented with cinnamon and lemon, golden from the oven. Served warm with a mountain of black coffee.
Why this dish? The German ritual of "Kaffee und Kuchen" — coffee and cake shared with family on Sundays — is an institution to which Einstein, a passionate coffee drinker, was a faithful adherent. Apple cake was the humblest and most widespread of South German Kuchen.
On Sundays, you see, we didn't discuss physics: we cut the Kuchen and filled the cups. I've always thought that coffee and cake settled more quarrels than all the treaties in the world. Choose very tart apples, ones that stand up to the sugar — a bit like a good experiment stands up to a pretty theory. A hint of cinnamon, the zest of a lemon, and the house smells wonderful all the way up the stairs. And never forget: eat the Kuchen while it's still warm, otherwise what's the point!
Ingredients (period version)
- Tart apples from the orchard — several (topping)
- Flour — enough for a dough (base)
- Butter — a good knob (moistness)
- Eggs — a few (binder)
- Sugar — to taste (sweetness)
- Cinnamon and lemon zest — a pinch, one fruit (flavor)
Ingredients
- Apples (Reinettes, Boskoop) — 4 (topping)
- Flour — 200 g (base)
- Soft butter — 120 g (moistness)
- Sugar — 120 g (sweetness)
- Eggs — 3 (binder)
- Baking powder — 1 packet (leavening)
- Cinnamon — 1 tsp (flavor)
- Lemon (zest + juice) — 1 (acidity and flavor)
- Powdered sugar — for dusting (finish)
Method
- Preheat the oven to 180°C (350°F) and butter a cake pan.
- Beat the soft butter with sugar until pale, add eggs one by one, then lemon zest.
- Fold in flour and baking powder to obtain a thick batter; pour into the pan.
- Peel and thinly slice the apples, toss with lemon juice, arrange in a rosette on the batter, sprinkle with cinnamon and a little sugar.
- Bake for 40-45 minutes until a skewer comes out clean.
- Let cool slightly, dust with powdered sugar and serve with a large black coffee.
How it was made : Home Kuchen were baked on Saturday or Sunday morning, often taken to the neighborhood baker who lent his large oven still warm after the bread batch. Apples, stored all winter in the attic on racks, were the quintessential keep-fruit.
The contemporary twist : A spoonful of barely sweetened whipped cream on the warm slice, and you have the "Kaffee und Kuchen" Princeton style, terrace in the sun.
Albert Einstein · Charactorium
