German Peach Kuchen

German Peach Kuchen– a Transylvanian dessert made with peaches, custard, and a shortbread crust. Delicious, easy to make, and perfect for summer.

This is a top-rated recipe in Transylvania’s Saxon cuisine, peaches and custard baked to a chewy, gooey perfection on a tender cookie crust.

What is a German Peach Kuchen/Tart?

Typically, kuchen is made from sweet dough and contains a fruit or custard filling, exactly how this recipe is made.

This German Peach Kuchen has a crust topped with peaches, sugar, and cinnamon baked for a few minutes. A mixture of egg yolks and sour cream is poured over the kuchen and baked to perfection.

There are about as many different recipes and styles of kuchen as there are people who make it. This one, in particular, is my favorite. I love the simplicity of it and how good it is.

Served hot with ice cream or cold by itself, the recipe is so popular that I even found a version of it in a Saxon Cook Book published in 1955 by the Transylvanian Saxons who immigrated to the United States.

It is, by far, the best recipe from all the variations I found and tried out there.

Transylvania has a rich cuisine that was always a blend of influences from multiple ethnicities. Germans, Romanians, Hungarians, and other nationalities lived together in peace for many years and shared their cultural heritage. 

For many of you out there who have a connection with Eastern Europe, this wonderful dessert might bring sweet memories.

What kind of peaches you can use?

I get many questions about what kind of peaches people should use, so I had to go back to the article and specify a few things.

This recipe was created for summer fresh peaches. I used only fresh fruit in this recipe, so I have difficulty advising how to use canned or frozen fruit. However, I will give you my best personal recommendation and what I think you should do if you don’t have fresh fruit around.

Fresh peaches: Some people complained that the peaches were too juicy and created a hot mess in the oven.

My solution is to mix the peaches with sugar and cinnamon and allow them to sit for 10-15 minutes. You will probably have some juice coming out of the fruits that you will need to discard. Then, place the fruit on top of the crust and bake as the recipe requires.

This will solve the problem of using fruits that are overly riped and too juicy.

Canned peaches: These peaches are usually preserved in water and sugar, so this might change things slightly when it comes to the sugar used in the recipe. One thing you need to do is to drain the fruit really well. Use only 1/2 cup or 3/4 cup of sugar, as the peaches are already marinated in syrup, so they don’t need that much sugar.

Then, continue with the recipe.

Frozen peaches: Frozen peaches contain a lot of water when they thaw, which would create a soupy tart and a soggy crust. For that matter, defrost the peaches first, drain them really well, then add the sugar and cinnamon and continue with the recipe.

What kind of ingredient you need for this recipe:

FOR THE CRUST:

• Unsalted cold butter- Use very cold butter cut in small cubes that will blend with the flour and sugar to create wonderful pockets of goodness while the crust is baking.
• All purpose flour– I used only regular all purpose flour, so I would not be able to advice you on what other types of flour to use.
• Baking powder and salt
• Granulated sugar – Remove 2 tablespoons from the sugar you are going to use for the fruits and add it to the flour and butter.

FOR THE FILLING:

• Peaches– fresh fruit sliced in half. Remove the stone.

• Granulated sugar

• Cinnamon powder- we are going to use it for sprinkling it on top of the fruits.

• Egg yolks

• Sour cream– please use the full fat, real sour cream. Using something else will completely change the texture of the dessert.

How To Make The Best Peach Kuchen:

Step 1. Preheat the oven, gather and measure ingredients.

Step 2. Make the crust.

Work the butter, flour, baking powder, salt, and 2 tablespoons of sugar together until the mixture looks like cornmeal. Place the dough into an 8-inch non-greased round or square pan and pat an even layer over the bottom and halfway up sides of the pan with your hands.

You do not need to refrigerate the crust first or roll it, which makes it even easier for those who do not have baking tools in the kitchen.

The dough can be also made in a food processor if you want to save some time. However, it is not mandatory to use one.

Tip: You can make a double batch and freeze half of it for another tart.

Step 3. Prepare the fruits.

Please read again the paragraph where I explain how to use different types of peaches, like fresh, frozen, or canned. It is an important step if you want to make a great kuchen.

Place the fresh peaches halves cut side up on top of the crust in a nice pattern. You can also use sliced pieces. Sprinkle a mixture of cinnamon and remaining sugar over peaches. Bake 15 minutes.

IMPORTANT: If you notice that the fruit you are going to use is super juicy, do this: grab a bowl, place the peaches, sugar, and cinnamon in it and toss them gently. Allow them to soak a little bit of sugar and release some of the juices, then drain that extra juice and continue with the recipe.

Step 4. Make the custard.

Grab a small bowl, mix egg yolks and sour cream, and pour the mixture over the peaches. Bake for 30 minutes longer.

Serve with your favorite ice cream or simply with a cup of coffee or tea.

An 8 inch round tart pan or a square one is all you need for baking this recipe.

Some other German recipes to love:

German Plum Kuchen- Pflaumenkuchen

German Riesling Apple Cake

Walnuts And Cinnamon Coffee Cake

Baked Cheesy German Spaetzle pasta with caramelized onion

Meringue Farmer Cheese Cake

Recipe of Walnut Cake with Egg Yolk Glaze

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Yield: 12 servings

German Peach Kuchen

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German Peach Kuchen- a Transylvanian dessert made with peaches, custard, and a shortbread crust. Delicious, easy to make, and perfect for summer.

Prep Time 20 minutes

Cook Time 45 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 5 minutes

Ingredients

Crust:

• 1/2 cup/4oz/115g unsalted cold butter
• 2 cups/8.8oz/250g sifted all purpose flour
• 1/4 teaspoon/2g baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon/4g salt
• 2 tablespoons granulated sugar ( from the filling )

Filling:

• 12 peach halves
• 1 cup/7oz/ 200g granulated sugar divided (remove 2 tablespoons for the crust)
• 1 teaspoon cinnamon
• 2 egg yolks
• 1 cup/8oz/226g full fat sour cream

Instructions

1. Preheat oven at 400F/200C.
2. To make the crust:
3. Work the butter, flour, baking powder, salt, and 2 tablespoons of sugar together until the mixture is like cornmeal. Place the dough into the middle of an 8-inch non-greased round or square pan and pat an even layer over the bottom and halfway up sides of the pan with your hands.
4. Place the peach halves cut side up on top of the crust in a nice pattern. You can also use sliced pieces. Sprinkle a mixture of cinnamon and remaining sugar over peaches. Bake 15 minutes.
5. Filling:
6. Mix egg yolks and cream, pour over the peaches and bake 30 minutes longer.
7. Serve hot with ice cream or cold.

Notes

WHAT KIND OF PEACHES YOU CAN USE?

I get many questions about what kind of peaches people should use, so I had to go back to the article and specify a few things.

This recipe was created for summer fresh peaches. I used only fresh fruit in this recipe, so I have difficulty advising how to use canned or frozen fruit. However, I will give you my best personal recommendation and what I think you should do if you don’t have fresh fruit around.

Fresh peaches: Some people complained that the peaches were too juicy and created a hot mess in the oven.

My solution is to mix the peaches with sugar and cinnamon and so to soak in the sugar. You will probably have some juice coming out of the fruits that you will need to discard. Then, place the fruit on top of the crust and bake as the recipe requires.

This will solve the problem of using fruits that are overly riped and too juicy.

Canned peaches: These peaches are usually preserved in water and sugar, so this might change things slightly when it comes to the sugar used in the recipe. One thing you need to do is to drain the fruit really well. Use only 1/2 cup or 3/4 cup of sugar, as the peaches are already marinated in syrup, so they don’t need that much sugar.

Then, continue with the recipe.

Frozen peaches: Frozen peaches contain a lot of water when they unthaw, which would create a soupy tart and a soggy crust. For that matter, defrost the peaches first, drain them really well, then add the sugar and cinnamon and continue with the recipe.

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Nutrition Information:

Yield:

12

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 332Total Fat: 13gSaturated Fat: 7gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 4gCholesterol: 62mgSodium: 138mgCarbohydrates: 53gFiber: 3gSugar: 34gProtein: 5g

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