This is a popular dessert from Transylvania, known as German Peach Kuchen. It's made with peaches, custard, and a shortbread crust.
It is tasty, simple to prepare, and just right for summer. Think of it as peaches and custard baked together until they're soft and juicy, all on top of a soft cookie base.
If you like German recipes, you might also enjoy this German Plum Kuchen- Pflaumenkuchen, a fabulous German Riesling Apple Cake, or this Walnuts And Cinnamon Coffee Cake.
For a savory delicious side dish you could try this Baked Cheesy German Spaetzle pasta with caramelized onion.
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What is a German Peach Kuchen/Tart?
A typical kuchen consists of sweet dough and a fruit or custard filling, which is exactly how this dessert is prepared.
The German Peach Kuchen features a crust adorned with peaches, sugar, and cinnamon, all baked briefly. Then, a blend of egg yolks and sour cream is poured over it, and it's baked until it's just right.
There's a huge variety of kuchen recipes and styles, as many as the people who make them. But this specific recipe is my favorite. Its simplicity and delicious taste are what make it stand out.
You can enjoy it warm with some ice cream or just as it is when it's cold. It's such a beloved recipe that I even found a version of it in a Saxon Cookbook from 1955, written by Transylvanian Saxons who moved to the U.S.
Of all the versions I've tried, this is hands down the best one.
Transylvania's cuisine is diverse, drawing influences from many cultures. Germans, Romanians, Hungarians, and others lived together harmoniously for years, sharing their cultural heritage.
If you have ties to Eastern Europe, this delightful dessert might bring back pleasant memories.
What type of peaches should you use?
I've received many inquiries about the kind of peaches to use, so I thought I should clarify.
This recipe is designed for fresh summer peaches. I've only used fresh fruit in this recipe, so I'm not sure how to advise on using canned or frozen fruit. But I can offer my personal recommendation if you don't have fresh fruit available.
Fresh peaches: Some folks have reported that the peaches were too juicy and made a mess in the oven.
To fix this, combine the peaches with sugar and cinnamon, and let them sit for about 10-15 minutes. This will cause some juice to leak out from the fruit, which you should remove. Then, place the fruit on the crust and bake it as directed.
This approach should solve the issue of overly ripe, excessively juicy fruit.
Canned Peaches: These peaches are generally preserved in water and sugar, which might affect the amount of sugar used in the recipe. Make sure to drain the fruit thoroughly. Since the peaches are already in syrup, use only half or three-quarters of a cup of sugar. Proceed with the recipe from there.
Frozen peaches: When they defrost, frozen peaches release a lot of water, which could result in a soupy tart and a soggy crust. To avoid this, thaw the peaches first, drain them thoroughly, add the sugar and cinnamon, and follow the rest of the recipe.
Ingredients Needed
For the crust:
- Unsalted cold butter: Choose butter that's very cold and cut it into small cubes. This will mix well with the flour and sugar, creating delicious spots of flavor as the crust bakes.
- All-purpose flour: I've only used regular all-purpose flour for this recipe, so I can't advise on using other types of flour.
- Baking powder and salt: These are essential for the crust. The baking powder acts as a rising agent, making the crust light and fluffy when it bakes. Meanwhile, the salt enhances the crust's overall flavor, balancing out the sweetness and elevating the other flavors.
- Granulated sugar: Take two tablespoons of the sugar meant for the fruits and mix it with the flour and butter instead.
For the filling:
- Peaches: For this recipe, you'll need fresh peaches sliced in half with the stone removed. The juicy sweetness of fresh peaches is vital for the authentic flavor of this dessert.
- Granulated sugar: This is used to sweeten the peaches and the overall dessert. It helps bring out the flavor of the peaches while balancing the other ingredients.
- Cinnamon powder: A sprinkle of this warm, fragrant spice will be added to the peaches, lending a delightful layer of complexity to the dessert's taste.
- Egg yolks: These are used in the custard part of the filling. They give the custard its rich and creamy texture.
- Sour cream: For this recipe, it's important to use full-fat, genuine sour cream. This contributes to the rich and creamy texture of the dessert. Substituting it with something else would significantly alter the dessert's texture and could compromise the end result.
How To Make The Best Peach Kuchen
Step 1. Preheat the oven, gather and weigh the ingredients.
Step 2. Prepare the crust. Combine the butter, flour, baking powder, salt, and two tablespoons of sugar. Blend until the mixture resembles cornmeal.
Press this dough into an 8-inch round or square pan that isn't greased. Use your hands to form a consistent layer along the bottom and halfway up the sides of the pan.
You don't need to chill or roll the crust first, making it simpler for those with limited baking equipment.
You could also use a food processor to save time when making the dough, though this isn't a requirement.
Tip: Consider doubling the batch and freezing half for a future tart.
Step 3. Prepare the fruits. Refer back to the section detailing the different ways to prepare peaches, such as using fresh, frozen, or canned ones. This step is crucial for an excellent kuchen.
Arrange the fresh peach halves or slices with the cut side facing up on the crust in an appealing pattern. Dust a combination of cinnamon and the remaining sugar over the peaches, then bake for 15 minutes.
Step 4. Make the custard. In a small bowl, whisk together the egg yolks and sour cream. Pour this mixture over the baked peaches, then bake for an additional 30 minutes.
Serve your kuchen 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 to bake this recipe.
How to store
Store at room temperature for up to two days, in the refrigerator for up to a week and in the freezer for up to three months.
Recipe Faqs
While this recipe is designed for peaches, you can certainly try using other fruits. Apricots, plums, or berries could also work well. Just make sure the fruit you choose isn't overly juicy to avoid a soggy crust.
For a dairy-free version, you can use a dairy-free margarine(or coconut oil) instead of butter and a dairy-free sour cream substitute. However, making it vegan is a bit more challenging due to the egg yolks in the recipe, which provide a custard-like texture. You might try a vegan egg substitute, but the results may vary.
This dessert can be served either warm or cold. It's delicious on its own, but it also pairs wonderfully with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or a dollop of whipped cream. You could also serve it with a warm cup of coffee or tea.
More Recipes To Love
📖 Recipe
German Peach Kuchen
Equipment
Ingredients
Crust:
- ½ cup unsalted cold butter
- 2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
Filling:
- 12 peach halves
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon
- 2 egg yolks
- 1 cup full fat sour cream
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 400F/200C.
To make the crust:
- 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.
- 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.
Filling:
- Mix egg yolks and cream, pour over the peaches and bake 30 minutes longer.
- Serve hot with ice cream or cold.
Liz says
Hi, I made this today and it was delicious. It was very runny, though, as my peaches were quite juicy. Can I cut back on the heavy cream and only use 1 egg yolk? Or reduce my temp to 350 and bake until firm?
Thanks so much!
The Bossy Kitchen says
I would not cut back on ingredients or reduce the oven temperature, as it will change the whole entire flow of the recipe. I would use only fresh fruit and less juicy.
Liz says
@The Bossy Kitchen,
Thanks. I thought that changing the amounts up would be a problem. It did firm up, and we still had some the next day and it was perfect. Definitely a company worthy dessert!
The Bossy Kitchen says
I am glad everything worked out!
4waystoyummy says
Somehow I missed the listed sugar in the filling recipe....and apparently, it didn't need it. My girlfriends all said it was so delicious and "not too sweet." The peaches were fresh and divine! I only sprinkled some sugar/cinnamon on top of the peaches. I did add a little rum to the custard. I'd love to post a photo but the link is not working on Pinterest. Thanks!
The Bossy Kitchen says
I am glad you liked the recipe, but I am sorry the link doesn't work. Can you please send it to me here, so I can check it? Thank you so much.
John says
Do the peaches need to be very ripe?
The Bossy Kitchen says
No, It would work better with less juicy peaches. Also, if you make this dessert with canned peaches, make sure you drain them really well before.
Donna says
Thanks for this recipe. I will be trying it today with my lovely fresh peaches.
I would like to suggest a very minor change in your wording if I might; when mentioning frozen peaches, you have written “unthaw” where I believe you mean thaw, as to “unthaw” means to freeze. Thank you again for what I hope will be a delicious dessert.
The Bossy Kitchen says
I made the correction, thank you for letting me know. I hope you like the recipe.
Carrie says
Hi
Apologies if this is a silly question! Do you peel the fresh peaches or not? It doesn’t say to in ingredients if instructions, but from photos I assume they’re peeled?
Thank you!
The Bossy Kitchen says
Hi, not a silly question. The peaches are not peeled if they are fresh. If you use frozen or canned, they might come without the skin and also sliced. I have an entire chapter on the article about the peaches, but to answer your question, if they are fresh, do not peel them unless you absolutely hate the skin. 🙂
Kandi says
Thank you for posting this recipe!! This is the style peach kuchen I grew up with, with a shortbread base. I lost the family recipe and I searched thru many recipes online, but they all had a soft cake-like base that just wasn’t right. Your recipe is perfect and exactly what I remember! It also works well with plums – pflaumenkuchen.
The Bossy Kitchen says
Thank you for your comment! I am so happy you found the recipe, and I totally understand the joy of finding an old treasure you grew up with. For years, I looked for a recipe that my grandma used to make and when I found it, it was pure happiness. I have two more recipes on the blog that you might like as well. One: https://www.thebossykitchen.com/german-plum-kuchen-pflaumenkuchen/ and two: https://www.thebossykitchen.com/plum-tart/ Enjoy!
Martin Wohlgemuth says
Thank you for this recipe. Love all the elements, just did one and had some issues.
1) It seems the butter / flour ratio was light on the butter. Couldn’t get all the dry ingredients incorporated, so needed more butter and ran out so add a small part of lard.
2) after had great dough, but the finished pie was tan on the bottom but I don’t think baked through. Should I have pre-baked the crust first, then put on the peaches and then bake stopping to put on the custard.
All in all I enjoyed it but it will be amazing when I get everything right !
Martin
Montreal
The Bossy Kitchen says
Hi there, I am not sure why you had these issues, but I wonder if accidentally you measured more flour than you needed. The ratio between butter and flour is the right one, so this is why I am asking. Also, the entire time for baking the kuchen is about 45 minutes. The crust is baked for 15 minutes with the fruits, before the custard is added. 45 minutes is more than enough time for the dessert to bake through, but sometimes ovens don't perform the way they should. It happened to me before and each stove is different. However,you are right, it is a good dessert and I hope you will get better results next time! Thank you for writing back.
Claudia jeldrez says
This recipe is delicious, i made it almost exactly, i didn't had sour cream so i used full fat yogurt...It tourned out very very good! Oh and used a bit less suger sprinkled on the peaches, but taht depends on the ripness of them i supose. Thank you ver much for your generosity 😀
Pam Henning says
Can you substitute brown sugar over the peaches for the remaining 15 minutes before adding the filling?
Gabriela says
Yes, you can.
April says
Looks good! I wanted to make something nostalgic for my dad for his birthday, and I saw a recipe similar to this in an old Mennonite cookbook. I wanted an updated version that had been tested for modern kitchens, so I was glad to try yours. I made no changes to your recipe other than I could only fit nine peach halves in my 8x8 square pan. The filling came up to the top and the bake time was the same, so maybe my peaches were just a little large. I'll definitely make again for my own family so we can try it too! Smells great and I love how it kind of combines cake and pie.
Nervous baker says
Before I give this a try, 2 questions:
1. The pictures show custard on the bottom (on top of the crust) but the recipe says to put the peaches on the bottom. Do they magically switch places?
2. The recipe says to put half a peach on top of the crust, cut side up. An entire half of a peach? Not sliced up?
Thank you. I CANNOT wait to try this.
Gabriela says
Hi there! Thank you for your questions. I’m excited that you’re planning to try this wonderful kuchen!
Custard Placement: Great observation! The peaches are placed directly on top of the crust first, cut side up. After you’ve arranged the peaches, you pour the custard mixture (made of egg yolks and sour cream) over the top. As it bakes, the custard settles around the peaches and over the crust. So, while it might look like the custard ends up on the bottom in the photos, it’s actually filling in all the gaps and mingling with the crust and peaches as it bakes.
Peach Halves vs. Slices: Yes, you use half of a peach, cut side up, directly on the crust. This gives a beautiful presentation and allows the peaches to cook through evenly. However, if you prefer or if your peaches are quite large, you can slice them up instead. Slicing might help with distributing the fruit more evenly if you want a bit of peach in every bite. Both methods work well—it’s just a matter of personal preference!
I hope this helps, and I can’t wait for you to try it! Please let me know how it turns out, and feel free to share any other questions you have. Happy baking!