Recipe: German Apple Pancakes

Here is a collection of 6 German apple pancakes, including one Penndutch version. See if you have tried them or if any of these are close... I have tried this dish in Germany and I reckon the first recipe is closer. (But it might not be the one you are looking for...)

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German Apple Pancakes
from 1st Traveler's Choice

I concocted this recipe when I was singlehanding my sailboat from San Francisco to Costa Rica. I had left San Diego with 25 pounds of apples which were going to spoil in the warm climes if I didn't use them up quickly! I didn't want to waste fridge space on apples -- I needed it for cheese. My Dad was very formal European and never set foot in our kitchen. "Dats your Modder's domain," he would say. But once a month, magically, would appear on our dining room table German Apple Pancakes. He never ever admitted he made them! Sandra CH Smith

3 large eggs (preferably chicken)
3/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon pure almond extract
3/4 cup flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
1-1/2 Tablespoons butter
Curried apples (see below)
Powdered sugar
Whipped cream
Toasted almonds (or pecans)

Heat a 12-inch cast iron skillet (no other will do) in 450-degree oven for five minutes.

Mix first 3 ingredients in bowl and beat at medium speed with electric mixer until smooth. Add flour and salt and beat five minutes -- don't beat any longer. Melt butter in the pre-heated skillet.

Bake mixture at 450 degrees for 15 minutes; reduce heat to 350 degrees and bake 8 minutes more -- will be puffed up. Remove from oven and cut with bread knife into quarters and transfer each to plate. Spoon one-quarter of apple mixture into pancake and sprinkle edges with powdered sugar and top with dollop of whipped cream, sprinkled with toasted almonds or pecans.

Curried Apple Filling

1/4 cup butter
1 Tablespoon curry powder
3 hefty dashes of Tabasco pepper sauce
4 Large Granny Smith apples, cored and sliced
1/4 cup sugar
1/4 cup rum (Medium or Gold Label -- not light or darkest)
1/4 cup dark raisins
Melt butter in large pan or skillet; add curry and Tabasco sauce, stirring to mix into butter. Add sliced apples and stirfry on medium-high, stirring constantly until tender (about 10 minutes). Stir in sugar and rum and cook until bubbling. Lower heat and add raisins, keeping warm until ready to serve.

Serves: 4 -- recipe may be doubled to serve 8. When doubling recipe, use two cast iron frypans.

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German Apple Pancake with Creme Fraiche
Source: Rockenwagner by Hans Rockenwagner

Pancake Batter:
7 large eggs
1 tbs. pure vanilla extract
3/4 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 sp. baking powder

Apples:
2 tbs. unsalted butter
3 Golden Delicious apples, peeled if desired, cored and cut into 1/2-inch wedges
1 1/2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 1/2 tbs. granulated sugar
1 tbs. confectioners sugar
1/4 cup creme fraiche
1 cup strawberries, for garnish

Batter: In a blender or food processor, combine the eggs, vanilla and sugar and blend for about 15 seconds, or until combined. Add the flour and baking powder and mix for 60 seconds more, or until very smooth.

Apples: Preheat the broiler to medium-high heat. Heat a 12-inch nonstick skillet over medium heat and add the butter. Add the apples and saut for 4 to 5 minutes, or until softened. Add the cinnamon and sugar, sprinkling them evenly over the apples, and stir for 2 minutes, or until the apples are glazed and slightly translucent at the edges.

Assembly: Distribute the apples evenly in the skillet and pour the batter over them. (You may also make four individual pancakes, using a smaller pan. Just use one-fourth of the apples and one-fourth of the batter for each). Cook until the bottom seems quite firm -- about 8 minutes. Transfer the pan to the broiler and, while watching carefully, cook until the pancake is firm throughout and golden on top. Cut the pancake into 4 wedges and transfer them, apple side up, to serving plates. Sprinkle with confectioners sugar, place a dollop of the creme fraiche on top and garnish with the strawberries.

Yield: 4 servings.

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German Apple Pancake
Source: Bon Appetit, October 1990
2 servings

3 large eggs
2/3 cup half and half
1/2 cup all purpose flour
4 tbsp unsalted butter, melted
4 tbsp sugar
3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
pinch of salt

1 large green apple, peeled, halved, cored
1 teaspoon powdered sugar

STEEL KNIFE: Place eggs, half and half, flour, 2 tbsp melted butter, 1
tbsp sugar, 1/4 tsp cinnamon and salt in work bowl. Process until
mixture is smooth, scraping down sides of work bowl once, about 20
seconds. (can be prepared 1 day ahead. Transfer batter to bowl. Cover
and refrigerate. Stir thoroughly before using.)

Preheat oven 450 degrees F.

MEDIUM SLICER: stand apple in feed tube. Slice using medium
pressure. Transfer apple to small bowl.

Brush remaining 2 tbsp butter over bottom and sides of 10 inch
cast-iron or other ovenproof skillet. Add apple slices. Sprinkle
remaining 3 tbsp sugar and 1/2 tsp cinnamon over apples. Cook over
medium-high heat until slices are just tender, stirring occasionally to
prevent burning or sticking, about 6 minutes. Pour batter over
apples. Place skillet in oven and bake until pancake is puffed and
deep brown, about 15 minutes. Remove hot skillet from oven. Cut
around pancake. Invert onto platter. Sift powered sugar over and serve.

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Apfelpfannkuchen (Apple Pancakes)
Makes 4 Servings

2/3 c Flour; Unbleached; Unsifted
2 ts Sugar
1/4 ts Salt
4 Eggs; Large; Beaten
1/2 c Milk
2 c Apple; Slices
3/4 c Butter Or Margarine
2 tb Sugar
1/4 ts Cinnamon

Sift together the flour; 2 t sugar, and the salt.

Beat eggs and milk together. Gradually add flour mixture; beat until
smooth. Saute apples in 1/4 c of butter until tender. Mix 2 T sugar and
the cinnamon together; toss with apples. Melt 2 T butter in a 6-inch
diameter, deep frypan. Pour in the batter to a depth of about 1/4-inch.
When set, place 1/4 of the apples on top; cover with more batter. Fry
pancake until lightly browned on both sides. Keep warm.

Repeat the procedure 3 times, until all batter and apples are used. Serve
immediately.

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Apfelpfannkuchen (Apple Pancakes)
Makes 4 servings

2/3 C Flour
2 Tsp Sugar
1/4 Tsp Salt
4 Lg Eggs -- Beaten
1/2 C Milk
2 C Apple -- Slices
3/4 C Butter -- or margarine
2 Tbsp Sugar
1/4 Tsp Cinnamon

Sift together the flour, 2 t sugar, and the salt. Beat eggs and milk
together. Gradually add flour mixture; beat until smooth. Saute apples
in 1/4 c of butter until tender. Mixt 2 T sugar and the cinnamon
together; toss with apples. Melt 2 T butter in a 6-inch diameter, deep
frypan.
Pour in the batter to a depth of about 1/4-inch. When set, place 1/4 of
the apples on top; cover with more batter. Fry pancake until lightly
browned on both sides. Keep warm. Repeat the procedure 3 times, until
all batter and apples are used. Serve immediately.

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***This one is Pennsylvania Dutch version.

APFELPFANNKUCHEN (GERMAN APPLE PANCAKES)
Makes 6 servings

2 lg Cooking apples (Yellow
-Delicious, or Granny Smith)
1/4 c Butter
1 c Flour
1 c Milk
1 t Vanilla extract
1/2 ts Salt
1/4 ts Nutmeg, grated
Confectioners sugar

Preheat oven to 475. Peel, core and very thinly slice the apples: you should have approximately 1-1/2 cups. Melt 3 T sp. of the butter over medium low heat in a small fry pan, and saute the apples until they are just tender. Keep apples warm while preparing the batter.

Place a 9 or 10 inch cast-iron skillet in the oven to heat for at least 5 minutes--the pan has to be very hot for this to work. When it is well heated, add the
remaining 2 T sp. of butter to melt and put the skillet back in the oven; the butter should be very hot buy not brown when you add the apples and the
batter.

Place the flour, milk, vanilla, salt and nutmeg in a blender and whirl until smooth. Remove the skillet from the oven, quickly arrange the warm apple slices over the melted butter, and pour the batter evenly over all. Bake for 15 min., reduce heat to 375 and bake 10 min longer. The pancake will puff and climb up the sides of the pan. Sprinkle with confectioner's sugar, then cut in wedges and serve with maple syrup.

Note: If you do not use apples, add 1/4 cup (1/2 stick) butter to the hot skillet.