Easy German Dessert Recipes: Oma's Deutsche Dessert Rezepte (2024)

FAQs

What is the number one dessert in Germany? ›

1. Bienenstich (Bee Sting Cake)

A pie-like pastry, with a thick, "cakey" crust and a sweet custard based or chopped fruit topping, known as an Obstkuchen or a type of fruit cake. This variation sometimes has a sweet icing or decorative cream topping.

Baumkuchen is not only the king of cakes but also the cake of kings. In 1843, King Friedrich Wilhelm IV of Prussia (see photo) visited the town of Salzwedel in Germany, which is famous for Baumkuchen.

Of all these regional and national dishes, Germany is most famous for Currywurst, sausages, pretzels and Black Forest Gateau, but as you can see, there is plenty more to German cuisine than just these.

One of the most beloved German hazelnut candies is Duplo – chocolate bars with gooey hazelnut cream centers. Or, get your hazelnut cream fix with another popular German candy, Kinder Schoko-Bons.

Rote Grütze (Red Berry “Pudding”)

If so, you'll love this traditional northern German dessert. Rote Grütze is basically a “pudding” made from raspberries, strawberries, blueberries, blackberries, cherries, and red currants, and then topped with cold fresh cream (my favorite), vanilla sauce, whipped cream or ice cream.

Milka is one of the most renowned chocolate brands in Germany and internationally. The eye-catching lilac packaging is easy to spot on any supermarket shelf. Milka was originally founded in Switzerland, but the company is now US-owned, and the chocolate bars have been manufactured in Germany since 1901.

Kuchen (pronounced “koo-ken”) is the German word for “cake,” but a real kuchen is so much more than that! Traditional kuchen is like a delicious mash-up of cake and pie, topped with creamy custard.

But only AFTER you finished your meal. My dad served in the US Army and when we were stationed in Germany, we learned the European way of eating: dessert first. Throughout Europe it's common for a meal to begin with a fruit tart or pastry.

Why is it called miserable cake? ›

The next cake is called “Les Miserables”, which has nothing to do with the article written by French writer Hugo, but is a traditional cake from Belgium. It is said that at that time, more water was used to make custard sauce instead of milk, which meant “tragic”.

Marmorkuchen, or marble cake, originated in Germany in the nineteenth century and is popular to this day.

German Fruitcake

Stollen: Flattened with a chewy crust, Stollen is often baked more like a traditional loaf of sourdough bread. Stollen also forgoes the usual candied cherries and pineapple in exchange for citrus zest, candied citrus peels, raisins, and almonds.

A strudel is a type of sweet or savory layered pastry with a filling inside. The history of strudel dates back for hundreds of years, it was made as an easy yet satisfying meal by the poor. The name Strudel comes from the German word for "whirlpool" or "eddy".

Stollen, a dense and heavy sweet bread dense straddled with various ingredients like candied or dried fruit, nuts, spices, and rum-softened raisins, has been a staple of German Christmas celebrations since at least the early 14th century. This is not to say that no other desserts contest stollen's place at the top.

There are many popular pastries in Germany, including the franzbrötchen and the Berliner pfannkuchen. Franzbrotchen is a sweet pastry similar to a cinnamon roll. After being folded multiple times, it is filled with cinnamon and sugar and glazed with butter, leading to a sticky, caramelized surface.