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These are the German cakes I grew up eating, from Black Forest Cake to Marmorkuchen to Pflaumenkuchen. Real recipes from my Oma’s kitchen, with step-by-step photos.
Traditional German cakes are all about letting great ingredients shine. I grew up eating these at birthdays, weddings, and other special occasions, but also every Kaffee und Kuchen, the afternoon coffee-and-cake tradition that’s basically sacred in Germany.
My Omas baked most of them from memory, and their recipes are the backbone of this collection. From German fruit cakes loaded with plums, strawberries, and apples to cozy German coffee cakes perfect with a cup of coffee to German yeast cakes that take a little patience but are so worth it, these are the recipes I actually grew up on.
Whether you’re looking for traditional German cakes to bake for the holidays, a showstopper like Black Forest Cake for a special occasion, or a simple everyday Marmorkuchen, this roundup has you covered. I’ve included German Christmas cakes like Stollen, easy sheet cakes, and a few classics that might be new to you. Every recipe is tested, photographed, and written by me, a German who’s been eating (and baking) these cakes her whole life.
1. Gedeckter Apfelkuchen (Covered German Apple Cake)
A shortcrust pastry shell filled with cinnamon-spiced apples and sealed with a top crust. This is the apple cake you’ll find at every German bakery, and it travels beautifully for potlucks.
4.75 from 4 votes
The German version of Apple Pie
This covered Apple Cake is filled with cinnamon-seasoned apple chunks and topped with a vanilla shortbread crust. You can get this cake in every German bakery!
A soft, buttery cake batter with apple slices pressed right into the top. It’s the simplest version of German apple cake and the one my Oma made most often on weekday afternoons.
4.88 from 75 votes
Juicy apples wedged in tender cake
German Apple Cake (Versunkener Apfelkuchen) is a traditional German dessert that is so easy to make even if you aren’t totally kitchen confident! This easy coffee cake is the perfect fall dessert that tastes best with a dollop of whipped cream on top. CHECK OUT THE RECIPE VIDEO BELOW!
3. Apfelkuchen vom Blech (German Apple Streusel Sheet Cake)
Apples on a shortbread base with a thick layer of butter streusel on top. This is the sheet cake version you’d get at a German bakery, baked on a big tray and cut into squares.
4.95 from 52 votes
A cake for a crowd
Apple Streusel Sheet Cake is so easy to make from scratch and tastes amazing! A simple but so flavorful German apple cake that’s topped with the most delicious cookie-like streusel.
Thin pastry wrapped around a filling of spiced apples, raisins, and breadcrumbs. It takes a little more effort than most cakes on this list, but pulling that strudel dough is a skill worth learning. Serve it with homemade Vanillesoße (vanilla sauce) or vanilla ice cream!
4.93 from 94 votes
Apples rolled up in a thin dough
Apple Strudel is much easier to make from scratch than you think and tastes amazing dusted with powdered sugar! Everyone will love this traditional Apfelstrudel that has a flaky crust and is filled with juicy spiced apples.
A sponge cake base topped with fresh strawberries and a shiny glaze. This is THE German summer cake. Every bakery has it the moment strawberry season hits!
5 from 7 votes
Classic German summer dessert
This German Strawberry Cake is bursting with fresh berries and so delicious with whipped cream! A colorful, easy summer dessert that everyone will love.
A simple batter topped with halved plums and streusel. This one is very popular in Germany from late summer through fall and faster to make than the yeasted version. Serve it with a big dollop of whipped cream – so good!
4.92 from 147 votes
Buttery streusel and lots of fruit
German Plum Cake is a juicy coffee cake made with a simple batter, fresh plums, and a sweet, crumbly streusel topping! So easy to make from scratch.
Tangy rhubarb on a soft cake base with a buttery streusel topping. This is a classic German coffee cake, perfect for Kaffee und Kuchen when rhubarb is in season.
5 from 1 vote
Rhubarb and buttery streusel
Rhubarb Coffee Cake is topped with crunchy streusel and every bite is studded with juicy rhubarb! An easy-to-make sheet cake that’s perfect for spring and summer!
A light sponge rolled up with whipped cream and fresh strawberries. The Biskuitrolle is a staple of German baking, and once you get the rolling technique down, you can fill it with whatever fruit you like.
4.96 from 21 votes
Light, airy, and sweet
Strawberry Roll Cake (Biskuitrolle) is a light and refreshing cake that's perfect for summer! A fluffy cake roll that tastes delicious and is perfect for guests.
A warmly spiced cake loaded with cinnamon, cloves, and allspice. This is a cozy fall and winter cake that comes together fast and tastes even better the next day.
4.87 from 15 votes
A Christmas classic
This easy Spice Cake Recipe is an old family recipe and makes your house smell amazing! A moist and chocolatey spiced sheet cake made with holiday spices that is easy to make from scratch and tastes even better on the next day.
A moist cake flavored with Eierlikör, a German egg liqueur, but it tastes as delicious made with North American eggnog. This one is a holiday favorite and popular in Germany during Easter but also makes a great Christmas cake.
4.84 from 30 votes
Old fashioned and delicious
Eggnog Cake with a delicious eggnog glaze is the perfect holiday dessert!
Made with quark (or Greek yogurt in this case) instead of cream cheese, so it’s lighter and less sweet than American cheesecake. If you’ve never had German cheesecake, this will change how you think about cheesecake entirely.
5 from 3 votes
A German classic
German cheesecake (Käsekuchen) has a light and fluffy texture and is easy to make. This authentic recipe can be made with or without quark!
A bar version of German cheesecake with a shortcrust base. These are easy to slice, easy to share, and perfect when you want something a little more portable. The added
5 from 3 votes
Fruity, juicy and creamy
These Greek-yogurt-based German Cheesecake Bars are lighter and fluffier than traditional cheesecake and so much easier to make!
The most-baked cake in Germany, hands down. A simple vanilla and chocolate swirled Bundt cake that every German kid grows up eating. My Oma’s version uses Rumaroma for that authentic flavor you can’t get from vanilla extract alone.
No ratings yet
Swirled vanilla and cocoa batter
A classic German Marmorkuchen from my Oma's handwritten recipe book. Tender vanilla-rum batter swirled with a dark cocoa batter, finished with a shiny chocolate glaze. This simple German classic is popular for Kaffee und Kuchen but also as a birthday cake.
A deeply moist chocolate-spice cake made with red wine. This is a classic fall and winter cake in Germany, rich and warming, and it gets even better the day after you bake it.
5 from 1 vote
Don’t judge before you try it
This Dark Chocolate Red Wine Cake, called Rotweinkuchen in German, is probably the most baked cake in our family!
A savory yeasted dough topped with caramelized onions, bacon, and a creamy egg custard. Technically a Kuchen, not a sweet cake. In Germany, this one shows up every fall alongside Federweißer (young wine) and it’s the ultimate cozy seasonal treat.
5 from 1 vote
Savory but still sweet with caramelized onions
Traditional German Onion Pie (Zwiebelkuchen) is loaded with bacon and sweet, caramelized onions! A savory, easy fall bake for wine nights, easy dinners, and Oktoberfest gatherings
A soft, buttery braided yeast bread that’s a staple at Easter but honestly great year-round. The dough is lightly sweet and rich with butter and eggs. Once you nail the braiding, it looks as impressive as it tastes.
5 from 7 votes
An Easter classic
This Hefezopf, also known as German Sweet Bread or Osterbrot in Germany, is one of my favorite recipes to bake for Easter, but it tastes great all year round!
Layers of chocolate sponge, whipped cream, and sour cherries soaked in Kirschwasser. This is probably the most famous German cake in the world, and the real version is nothing like the grocery store knockoffs.
4.90 from 59 votes
Showstopper for special occasions
Black Forest Cake is a fluffy chocolate sponge cake with a delicious homemade cherry filling and whipped cream. A flavorful and beautiful German dessert! PLEASE READ THE POST BEFORE STARTING TO BAKE, IT HAS ALL MY TIPS AND TRICKS.
A moist chocolate Bundt cake made with real Glühwein, marzipan, and sour cherries soaked in mulled wine. This is a German Christmas cake through and through, inspired by the flavors you’d find at any Weihnachtsmarkt.
5 from 3 votes
Christmas in a cake
Mulled Wine Cake with Cherries is a great cake for the holidays! It’s a fluffy, moist cake which is perfect to enjoy with a cup of coffee or hot chocolate on a cold winter day.
My grandmother used to make quite a few of them and gave them as presents to her friends and family for Christmas. Baking Christmas stollen takes a bit of time because it is a yeasted dough, and it needs to be shaped in a special way, and then it needs to be buttered and sugared after baking, but it is well worth the time and effort.
5 from 6 votes
My Oma’s recipe
This traditional German Christmas Stollen recipe is a very special treat that has a long history and is very popular during the Holidays.
Every birthday or holiday wasn’t complete in my husband’s family without his Oma’s Nusskranz! Often she had to make two because everyone loved it so much. I’m very honored that I’m allowed to share her recipe with you. I didn’t change a thing because we all know: Oma knows best!
4.50 from 4 votes
Easy Nut Roll Recipe
This easy Nut Roll recipe is my husband’s grandma’s which she makes at every special occasion! It’s made without yeast and filled with ground hazelnuts.
German cakes don’t rely on layers of frosting or fondant to be good. They let the ingredients do the work: good butter, seasonal fruit, a little patience with yeast dough, and you’re there. If you’re looking for more beyond cakes, check out my German recipes for everything from Schnitzel to Spaetzle to Sauerbraten.
Hi, I'm Julia! Born in Germany, I call Canada now my home and love to share my favorite dishes with you! Here you'll find hundreds of recipes, all made from scratch, with lots of tips and detailed step-by-step instructions.
