German Butter Cake is a yeasted sheet cake is also known as butterkuchen. It’s a classic German sweet cake recipe that has a gooey buttery topping and a sweet, chewy, base all dusted with powdered sugar.
Why You’ll Love This German Butter Cake
- Authentic! Full disclosure, I am not German in any way…so I certainly hope this is authentic. But you know, authentic or not, it’s delicious…which really is the most important.
- Versatile! This cake can be enjoyed for both breakfast and dessert! I would mostly compare this to a sweet danish-type pastry, so grab a cup of coffee or hot tea and enjoy! But I would never turn a slice down after dinner or as an afternoon snack!
- Taste and Texture! The base is a chewy, yeast cake, and the topping is an ooey-gooey, buttery layer, that gets crunchy on top when baked, but stays gooey on the inside!
Butterkuchen Ingredients
The ingredients for this butter cake are simple, everyday ingredients. “Kuchen” in German literally translates to cake in English. You might even have everything you need in your kitchen right now! Most of the ingredients are used in both the topping layer as well as the yeast cake layer, so don’t let the length of the ingredients fool you, I’ve just divided the list into two parts. Make sure to scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the post for the ingredient list and instructions.
- Milk. You will need warm milk that is between 120°F – 130°F, this is warm to the touch, but not hot. You’ll be dissolving the yeast in the milk, and if the milk is too warm it will kill the yeast, and too cold it won’t activate. You use 2% milk, but you can also use whole milk. You will also use milk in the topping layer as well.
- Vanilla extract. You will need vanilla in both the cake base and the butter topping.
- Yeast. I like to use an instant yeast in this recipe. Some brands are known as “Rapid Rise”. This means will cut your rise time down drastically. If you only have regular yeast you can absolutely still make this recipe. You will just need to allot for a longer time for the dough to double in size.
- Butter. You will need butter in both the base and the topping for this cake. It is a butter cake after all! I use salted butter in this recipe, but you can use unsalted if you prefer.
- Granulated sugar. This is another ingredient you will use in both layer of this cake. It isn’t an overly sweet cake, so you don’t use a large amount, but the granulated sugar adds the perfect amount of sweetness to both the chewy cake layer as well as the buttery topping.
- Egg. I use large sized eggs in this recipe. You will need 3 eggs total, 1 for the cake layer and 2 for the topping. I have seen other German Butter Cake recipes where there is no egg in the topping layer, but in this version I like the custard-style texture the eggs add.
- All purpose flour, again in both layers!
How To Make German Butter Cake
This cake has two steps/layers. Both are very easy with straightforward ingredients, so don’t get intimidated when you see yeast! This is a forgiving recipe and a great recipe to start with if you have never baked with yeast before!
- Make the yeast dough: This goes together very easily. Just warm some milk, add vanilla and the yeast and allow it to dissolve. Mix together the butter, sugar, salt, egg, and flour. Then add in the yeast mixture until combined. Knead the dough until it’s smooth with your dough hook for 3 minutes, or knead by hand. Cover and let it rise in a warm space or in the oven on the proof setting.
- Make the topping: In your stand mixer bowl combine the additional butter, sugar, vanilla, eggs, and flour.
- Assemble: Spread the yeast dough into a 9×13 baking dish. Then spread the topping onto the dough. Cover it and let it rise again for 20 minutes.
- Bake: Bake the cake for 30 – 40 minutes in a 375°F oven until it’s lightly golden. Let it cool completely and then dust with powdered sugar and slice.
Variations
Since this is (mostly) authentic recipe I have made it as traditional as possible. There are lots of versions out there so you can make it your own and here are a few ideas:
- Add nuts: Add sliced almonds on the top for flavor and texture.
- Icing: Instead of powdered sugar make a quick sugar icing to pour on top with powdered sugar and milk.
- Coconut: Add in some flaked coconut to the topping and even replace the vanilla extract with coconut extract.
- Add chocolate: Add in some chocolate chips to the topping! Delish!
- Add fruit: You could definitely add in some fresh berries to this cake in between the cake layer and the topping layer! I think blueberries would be perfect!
More Butter Cake Recipes
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German Butter Cake
- Prep Time: 20 minutes
- Rise Time: 50 minutes
- Cook Time: 35 minutes
- Total Time: 1 hour 45 minutes
- Yield: serves 12 1x
- Category: Cake
- Method: Oven
- Cuisine: Dessert
Description
German Butter Cake is a yeasted sheet cake is also known as butterkuchen. It’s perfect for breakfast with a cup of coffee and also for dessert or an afternoon snack!
Ingredients
Scale
Cake
- 1/2 cup warm milk (120 – 130°F)
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 (1/4 oz) packet instant (Rapid Rise) yeast
- 1/2 cup butter, room temperature
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1 large egg
- 2 1/4 cups all purpose flour
Topping
- 1 cup butter, room temperature
- 2 cups granulated sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 large eggs
- 2/3 cup all purpose flour
- 1/4 cup milk
- Optional – powdered sugar
Instructions
- Cake: In a small bowl, stir together the milk, vanilla, and yeast, until yeast has dissolved. Set aside.
- In the bowl of your stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, mix the butter, sugar, and salt together for 2 minutes on medium speed. Add in the egg and mix for an additional minute, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Turn the mixer to low speed and add in the flour, mixing until combined.
- Pour in the yeast mixture and mix on low speed for 30 seconds.
- Replace the paddle attachment with a dough hook and mix on medium speed for 3 minutes. Alternately, knead dough by hand on a lightly floured surface if you don’t have a hook attachment.
- Transfer the dough to a lightly greased bowl and cover with a clean dish towel. Allow the dough to rise in a warm place, until doubled in size, approximately 30 minutes.
- Topping: Line a 9×13-inch pan with parchment paper and coat with non-stick spray. Set aside.
- In the clean bowl of your stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment, mix the butter and sugar together for 2 minutes until combined. Add in the vanilla and eggs and mix for another minute, scraping the sides of the bowl as necessary.
- Turn the mixer to low and add in the flour and milk and mix until combined and smooth.
- Assemble and Bake: When the dough has risen, spread it out to all four edges of the prepared pan. Press the dough up the sides of the pan.
- Spread the topping mixture onto the dough and cover with a clean dish towel. Allow it to sit for 20 more minutes.
- Preheat the oven to 375°F.
- Bake for 30 – 40 minutes, or until the top is golden but not quite set.
- Allow the cake to cool completely and dust with powdered sugar if desired.
Notes
Store airtight at room temperature for up to 3 days or in the refrigerator for up to 5 days.
Freeze airtight for up to 2 months. Thaw at room temperature.
I grew up in a neighborhood in Philadelphia settled by Germans and this is the cake of my childhood! As the old bakers are passing away and the independent Bakeries are closing, I was sad to think I would never have this again. Any recipes I’ve found use a regular cake (or, heaven forbid, a mix!!) and it most definitely must be a yeast cake. Yours is the authentic butter cake.
I’m looking forward to making this and introducing it to my grandchildren. Thanks so much for sharing!
, it’s pretty, authentic Butter cake has no eggs within the topping simply butter, sugar and cream. and sliced almonds on prime, that provides it a pleasant crunch and texture.
German here, it looks lovely, authentic Butterkuchen has no eggs in the topping just butter, sugar and cream. Plus sliced or sliverd almonds on top, which give it a nice crunch and texture.
Thank you so much for the tips! I bet almonds would be great!
Butter and cake it absolutely the reason I clicked. #noshame
I have never heard of a recipe like this so I am curious! Looks fantastic.