Dimpled Kuchen

This traditional German morning cake makes a sweet start to any day.

1 hour, 15 minutes + cooling

Serves: 12-16

Medium

Cinnamon, sugar and butter are the heroes in this very yeast-y German version of a coffee cake.

This Dimpled Kuchen recipe sure looked interesting when I came across it in Grandma’s recipe box. I don’t remember her ever making it and either did Mom. It’s another mystery recipe but I was intrigued to give it a try. Yeast dough, tons of butter, cinnamon and sugar — what’s not to love!

Of course, “kuchen” means “cake” in German and this is definitely a morning / coffee style cake. But “kuchen” can also mean a very specific type of cake that’s almost pie like (learn more here) – and this recipe is definitely not for that. I did a little more research and found recipes for Butterkuchen – which all seemed much more like the recipe I found for Dimpled Kuchen.

Dimpled Kuchen Techniques

To make the dough, you heat the milk, 1/4 Cup butter and 1/2 Cup sugar, then bloom yeast and combine all that. Next you beat the eggs and a bit of the flour, then slowly add the remaining flour and milk mixture alternating between the two. Grandma’s recipe just says to beat the mixture, but I think when I try this again I will kneed the dough for a bit to help build the structure.

Another technique I found in similar recipes but wasn’t noted on the recipe card was, after the dough as proved, you can actually use a wooden spoon to make 80 dimples in the dough and then press the butter into that. I didn’t do that for this bake and the cubed butter still created quite a few dimples – but I think it’d be even more noticeable if you did.

For the topping, it’s a pretty simple mix of sugar and cinnamon – and really, what could be better? But I think you could mix that up quite a bit if you wanted. I think cardamom would be great! Another very traditional topping is sliced almonds which would be great.

Serving

We found that this Dimpled Kuchen was really great the first day. It quickly dries out though, so the left overs the following day(s) weren’t any where near as good. I would definitely plan on baking this right before you plan to serve. Since this is a morning bread, an easy way to do this would be to make the dough and allow it to proof in the fridge overnight. Then, the morning you want to bake, simply take the dough out of the fridge, create your dimples and fill with butter and bake.

I hope you give this Dimpled Kuchen a try. It’s really a great treat and quite a bit easier to make than a lot of other morning pastries. It’s great for a beginner baker to start to learn about dough and pastry. Plus, it works as a great base recipe to really play around with different flavors and toppings. If you give this a try, let me know what you think in the comments or share a picture with me on Instagram (@bdhbakes).

Steps:

Plump the Raisins
Before getting ready to bake, plump your raisins to make them extra juicy. Simply put them in a small bowl and cover with water and leave for at least a half hour or up to overnight. If you wanna really add some flavor, you can use brandy or any other liquor to plump them as well.
Warm Milk, Butter and Sugar
Add your milk and 4 Tablespoons of butter to a medium sauce pan and warm over medium low on your stove. Add 1/2 Cup sugar and stir until the mixture is very warm, the butter is fully melted and the sugar is dissolved. You should see steam rising and some bubbles forming around the edges of the pan, but don't allow it to boil. Set aside and allow to cool. If you're in a hurry, pop the pan in the fridge to help it to cool down. You want it to cool to about 80º - 100º so it doesn't kill the yeast in step four.
Bloom the Yeast
In a large mixing glass with a spout, add your yeast, 1/4 Cup warm water, and teaspoon of sugar. Whisk well. Allow the mixture to site for five minutes or until it become very frothy.
Combine the Milk and Yeast
After the yeast has bloomed and the milk mixture is cooled, slowly add the milk mixture to the yeast mixture and stir to combine.
Combine Flour and Egg
In the bowl of a stand mixer or a large mixing bow, add the two eggs and 1 Cup of flour. Beat together on low until there are no longer any dry spots of flour.
Alternate Adding Flour and Milk Mixture
Next, add another cup of flour and mix on low until just combined. Follow that with half of the milk mixture and again, mix on low until just combine. Add the remaining flour, mix on low, followed by the remaining milk and again, mix on low until it is all combined and a smooth dough.
Add Raisins
Add the raisins (drained) to the dough and again, mix on low until evenly distrubuted.
Prep Pan
Next, prep a 13" x 9" baking pan with a thin layer of butter or a light spray of cooking spray.
Proof
Add the dough to the pan and spread it evenly with a spatula. Cover with cling wrap and allow to proof until double in size. About 1 to 1 1/2 hours.
Preheat Oven to 375º
Cube Butter
While the oven is preheating and the dough is proofing, take the remaining butter and dice it into about 80 cubes. This is easily done by taking each of the 10 tablespoons and cutting each into eight squares. To make this super easy, slice the butter into the 10 Tablespoons and pop them in the freezer for about 15 minutes. Then, take out each tablespoon - one at a time - and cube and then pop them back into the freezer until ready to use.
Mix Sugar and Cinnamon
In a small bowl, combine the remaining 1/2 Cup of sugar and a generous teaspoon of Cinnamon and mix until evenly distributed.
Top the Kuchen
Once the dough has doubled, we are ready to bake. Take the butter out of the freezer and drop it evenly over the dough. Then, cover the entire kuchen with the cinnamon and sugar mixture.
Bake for 35 - 45 Minutes
Bake the kuchen in the preheated oven for 35 - 45 minutes. Rotate the tray about half way through the bake. The kuchen is ready once a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Allow to cool on a wire wrack for about 10 minutes before slicing. Serve and eat immediately!