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What to eat in Germany? Top 15 German Cakes

Last update: Wed Jan 29 2025
Top 15 German Cakes
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01
Käsekuchen
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German-style cheesecake is a traditional dessert consisting of a thin layer of shortcrust pastry that is topped with a creamy combination of quark cheese, eggs, and (occasionally) various fruits. Even though käsekuchen is often compared to the classic American cheesecake, the use of lightly acidic quark cheese results in a light, scrumptious treat that perfectly combines sweet and sour flavors.


Usually served dusted with powdered sugar, käsekuchen is a classic German dessert that is commonly enjoyed as an everyday treat alongside coffee or tea.

MOST ICONIC Käsekuchen

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02
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German apple cake is a delightful combination of dense, buttery dough and sliced, halved, or diced apples. Depending on the region, the cake is often dusted with cinnamon sugar, covered in crumbly streusel, or doused in vanilla-flavored custard.


Traditionally baked in round tins, sliced apple cake is usually enjoyed as a filling afternoon dessert that is often paired with coffee or tea.

MOST ICONIC Apfelkuchen

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Black Forest cherry cake is a popular German dessert consisting of chocolate sponges that are coated in whipped cream and dotted with kirschwasser-infused cherries. Some varieties use the kirschwasser brandy to soak the chocolate layers or to lightly flavor the whipped cream.


When assembled, the cake is lavishly decorated with whipped cream, chocolate shavings, and cherries. Among the numerous theories about its invention, it is still debated whether the cake was created by confectioner Josef Keller or pastry chef Erwin Hildenbrand. 

MOST ICONIC Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte

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04
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The German version of spit cake, known as baumkuchen, is just one of many similar cakes found throughout Europe. There are various conflicting theories about its origin—one points in the direction of a German town called Salzwedel in the 19th century, while others say it’s a descendant of the Hungarian wedding cake.


The batter–typically made from flour, eggs, sugar, vanilla, salt, and butter–is thinly coated on a spit that’s rotating over a heat source. Before each new layer is applied, the previous one must be fully dry. Once sliced, the cake has a lovely texture and appearance which resembles growth rings, hence its name–baumkuchen or tree cake
VARIATIONS OF Baumkuchen

MOST ICONIC Baumkuchen

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05
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This classic German cake consists of a creamy filling that is enclosed between two layers of yeasted pastry dough. The cake is topped with a gooey combination of sugar or honey, cream, and slivered almonds, while the fillings typically include sweetened whipped cream or crème pâtissière.


When baked, the honey-almond glaze is caramelized and gives the cake a glossy, crispy top. This sweet treat, which translates as bee sting cake, was allegedly named after the fact that bees were attracted to the sweet, honey-based glaze.

MOST ICONIC Bienenstich

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06

Cake

SALZWEDEL, Germany
4.1
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This German variety of the spit cake is sometimes called the king of cakes, as it was served at the courts of German royalty. This layered pastry was invented in the old Hanseatic League town of Salzwedel in Saxony-Anhalt some 200 years ago.


Salzwedeler Baumkuchen is prepared using a unique baking process – twelve to fifteen layers of batter are applied layer by layer to a spit and baked over an open fire. The typical ingredients are butter, flour, eggs, vanilla, sugar, and salt.


Baking powder is not used. 
07
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Butterkuchen is a simple cake that is mostly sold in bakeries and typically enjoyed with afternoon coffee. In some parts of Germany, it has become such an integral part of life that it’s served for special occasions such as weddings and funerals. Butter cake, as the name translates, is made with yeasted dough consisting of flour, sugar, butter, and milk.


The dough is thinly rolled out in the shape of a rectangle, then poked in order to appear dimpled. Those little holes are filled with butter shavings or small butter cubes, and the entire cake is sprinkled with vanilla sugar and chopped almonds.

MOST ICONIC Butterkuchen

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08

Cake

GERMANY and  one more region
3.9
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Donauwelle is a German and Austrian sheet cake. It consists of two pound cakes, one on the bottom, flavored with vanilla, and one on top of it, flavored with chocolate. Cherries, buttercream, and chocolate ganache are then added to the top, and as the cake bakes, the tart cherries will fall down through the batter, making a wavy pattern (maybe reminiscent of the Danube river?) in the cross-section of the cake.


It's also known as Schneewittchenkuchen and Schneewittchentorte, which means Snow White cake, referring to the colors – black, white, and red.

09
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Mohnkuchen is a German term that encompasses a variety of desserts that are prepared with poppy seeds. Most commonly, it refers to various types of open-faced and streusel cakes that couple the creamy poppy filling with a shortcrust pastry and a crumbly topping, but it can also include different types of sponge or bundt cakes.


Poppy seeds are often enriched with spices, citrus zest, or liquors, and the cakes are often complemented by fruit, marzipan, or sweetened cheese. Mohnkuchen cakes are popular throughout Germany and Austria and can be enjoyed on special occasions or as a simple afternoon dessert.

MOST ICONIC Mohnkuchen

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Cake

EAST FRISIA, Germany
3.9
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Ostfriesentorte is a traditional cake originating from Ostfriesen. It's made with a combination of sugar, flour, baking powder, eggs, bourbon, vanilla sugar, salt, and a thickening agent. The yolks and whites are separated, and the yolks are then beaten with vanilla sugar, sugar, hot water, flour, thickening agent, baking powder, and salt.


The egg whites are then beaten until stiff and folded in with the stock of spirit raisins. The cake is baked, and it's then smeared with a mix of cream, cream stuff, stock of spirit raisins, and spirit raisins in alternating layers. The top is decorated with cream before the cake is served, while the sides can be garnished with chopped almonds.

MOST ICONIC Ostfriesentorte

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Cake
SAXONY, Germany
3.7
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Cake
FRANKFURT, Germany
n/a
15

TasteAtlas food rankings are based on the ratings of the TasteAtlas audience, with a series of mechanisms that recognize real users and that ignore bot, nationalist or local patriotic ratings, and give additional value to the ratings of users that the system recognizes as knowledgeable. For the “Top 15 German Cakes” list until January 29, 2025, 1,264 ratings were recorded, of which 1,095 were recognized by the system as legitimate. TasteAtlas Rankings should not be seen as the final global conclusion about food. Their purpose is to promote excellent local foods, instill pride in traditional dishes, and arouse curiosity about dishes you haven’t tried.

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German Cakes