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German Apple Pancake with Brown Sugar Sour Cream

By Jessica Rudolph

Published on June 12, 2020

Time

1 hour

Yield

Serves 4 to 6

German Apple Pancake with Brown Sugar Sour Cream

Ingredients

½ cup sour cream ½ cup packed (3½ ounces/99 grams) brown sugar, divided¾ cup (3¾ ounces/106 grams) all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon table salt, divided5 large eggs 1 cup whole milk 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 4 tablespoons unsalted butter 1 ¼ pounds (567 grams) Granny Smith apples, peeled, halved, cored, and sliced ¼ inch thick¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon Confectioners' sugar

Before You Begin

You can substitute low-fat or skim milk for the whole milk, if desired, but the pancake will taste slightly eggier. You will need a 12-inch ovensafe skillet for this recipe. We do not recommend using a nonstick or cast-iron skillet here, as the bottom of the pancake will get too dark. The pancake will puff up during baking and deflate shortly after it comes out of the oven—that's supposed to happen. The interior will be no less delicious.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Combine sour cream and 2 tablespoons brown sugar in small bowl; set aside.
  2. Whisk flour, ¾ teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons brown sugar together in large bowl. Whisk eggs, milk, and vanilla together in separate bowl. Whisk half of egg mixture into flour mixture until no lumps remain. Slowly whisk in remaining egg mixture until smooth; set aside batter.
  3. Melt butter in 12-inch ovensafe skillet over medium-high heat. Add apples, cinnamon, remaining ¼ cup brown sugar, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until apples are softened, browned, and glazy, 8 to 10 minutes.
  4. Scrape any apples off sides of skillet and distribute evenly over bottom of skillet. Working quickly, pour batter around and over apples. Immediately transfer skillet to oven and bake until edges of pancake are browned and have risen above skillet, about 18 minutes.
  5. Transfer skillet to wire rack. Cut pancake into wedges in skillet and dust with confectioners' sugar. Serve hot from skillet with reserved sour cream mixture.
German Apple Pancake with Brown Sugar Sour Cream
Photography by Steve Klise. Styling by Elle Simone.

German Apple Pancake with Brown Sugar Sour Cream

Save

Time

1 hour

Yield

Serves 4 to 6

Ingredients

½ cup sour cream
½ cup packed (3½ ounces/99 grams) brown sugar, divided
¾ cup (3¾ ounces/106 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon table salt, divided
5 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 ¼ pounds (567 grams) Granny Smith apples, peeled, halved, cored, and sliced ¼ inch thick
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Confectioners' sugar

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

½ cup sour cream
½ cup packed (3½ ounces/99 grams) brown sugar, divided
¾ cup (3¾ ounces/106 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon table salt, divided
5 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 ¼ pounds (567 grams) Granny Smith apples, peeled, halved, cored, and sliced ¼ inch thick
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Confectioners' sugar

Test Kitchen Techniques

Ingredients

½ cup sour cream
½ cup packed (3½ ounces/99 grams) brown sugar, divided
¾ cup (3¾ ounces/106 grams) all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon table salt, divided
5 large eggs
1 cup whole milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 ¼ pounds (567 grams) Granny Smith apples, peeled, halved, cored, and sliced ¼ inch thick
¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon
Confectioners' sugar

Test Kitchen Techniques

Why This Recipe Works

This simple (yet impressive) skillet pancake starts with an easy, stir-together batter of flour, milk, eggs, brown sugar, salt, and a touch of vanilla. The batter is looser than a typical pancake batter, which allows it to puff dramatically while it bakes. The extra moisture turns to steam in the oven, causing the pancake to balloon up, especially around the edges where it touches the hot skillet. For our version, we wanted tender, flavorful apples baked right into the pancake. Caramelizing Granny Smith apples in butter with brown sugar and cinnamon gave us the perfect sweet-tart flavor to stand up to the rich, custardy pancake. A tangy sauce of sour cream and brown sugar makes this breakfast extra-special.

Before You Begin

You can substitute low-fat or skim milk for the whole milk, if desired, but the pancake will taste slightly eggier. You will need a 12-inch ovensafe skillet for this recipe. We do not recommend using a nonstick or cast-iron skillet here, as the bottom of the pancake will get too dark. The pancake will puff up during baking and deflate shortly after it comes out of the oven—that's supposed to happen. The interior will be no less delicious.

Instructions

  1. Adjust oven rack to lowest position and heat oven to 425 degrees. Combine sour cream and 2 tablespoons brown sugar in small bowl; set aside.
  2. Whisk flour, ¾ teaspoon salt, and 2 tablespoons brown sugar together in large bowl. Whisk eggs, milk, and vanilla together in separate bowl. Whisk half of egg mixture into flour mixture until no lumps remain. Slowly whisk in remaining egg mixture until smooth; set aside batter.
  3. Melt butter in 12-inch ovensafe skillet over medium-high heat. Add apples, cinnamon, remaining ¼ cup brown sugar, and remaining ¼ teaspoon salt. Cook, stirring frequently, until apples are softened, browned, and glazy, 8 to 10 minutes.
  4. Scrape any apples off sides of skillet and distribute evenly over bottom of skillet. Working quickly, pour batter around and over apples. Immediately transfer skillet to oven and bake until edges of pancake are browned and have risen above skillet, about 18 minutes.
  5. Transfer skillet to wire rack. Cut pancake into wedges in skillet and dust with confectioners' sugar. Serve hot from skillet with reserved sour cream mixture.

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