Sometimes the best ideas come from a change in plans. Yesterday I was all set to make this amazing german plum coffee cake also known as a kuchen, that I’ve been making for a couple of years now in the fall. However, Italian Empress plums are pretty delicate and when they’re ripe, they get really really ripe and then they turn to mush. So yes. that happened with my plums. I waited a day too long and they died.
But I’d already started making my kuchen dough so it was either dash to the store and *fingers crossed* find three pounds of perfectly ripe empress plums or come up with another plan. Looking in the fridge, I’ve got apples and raspberries. Having to make this change created a mouthwatering new apple kuchen recipe that is great for dessert, a snack or breakfast. If you don’t know we do go apple and raspberry picking in the fall. We have been picking both a handful of times this year. Fall raspberries are even better than the spring or summer crop. I believe the same flavor enhancers affect apples as well. When those cool temperatures hit the fruit sweetens without getting overly ripe first.
Parcooking your apples keeps them from shrinking while baking and allows the apple cider glaze to soak into your kuchen. This allows your apples to really shine and gives them a huge flavor punch. Coming later this week, I will teach you about how using apple cider is the way to make your apples rock everyone’s world.
You can make the dough one of two ways. If you’ve got a bread machine with a dough cycle, I highly recommend using it as this is a very wet/loose dough. You can also make it the traditional route, but let your mixer do the kneading.
- 1 cup whole milk, 110-120 degrees
- 1 stick unsalted butter, melted and cooled
- 1 ½ Tablespoons dry active yeast
- 4 cups all purpose flour
- ¾ cup + 1 Tablespoon granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
- 4-5 large baking apples (rome/mcintosh/granny smith/aurora), peeled and sliced thin
- 4 tablespoons granulated sugar
- 1 heaping teaspoon cornstarch
- ¼ -⅓ cup apple cider
- 1 (6 oz.) Package raspberries
- 1 cup all purpose flour
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 stick unsalted butter, cold
- Melt butter in small saucepan on stove, when melted add milk and heat until 110-120 degrees. Add to bread machine along with rest of ingredients in order recommended by manufacturer.
- In a small bowl, combine yeast, warm milk (110-120 degrees) and 1 tablespoon granulated sugar. Let sit 5 minutes until foamy.
- Place dry ingredients in mixer, then add the yeast and rest of ingredients. Mix briefly to combine, then using a dough hook mix for 4-5 minutes letting your mixer knead the dough for you. Cover with plastic wrap and allow to rise until double in size.
- Meanwhile prep your apples and streusel.
- In a large deep skillet, combine apples and sugar over medium heat and cook 5-8 minutes until apples are pliable but not mooshy. In a measuring cup, whisk together apple cider and cornstarch. Add to apples in pan and cook until a glaze forms. Toss apples in glaze. Remove from heat.
- In a bowl combine dry streusel ingredients, and then cut in butter like you’re making pie crust.
- Back to the dough, grease a sheet pan. Knock down your dough in the bowl, scrape onto baking sheet and use hands to spread. Its going to spring back but once you start spreading apple slices on it, the dough will be stretched out. Starting laying out apple slices in rows onto dough. Dot raspberries in between apples. Let rise until puffy, 30 minutes to 1 hour.
- Top with streusel. Bake at 350 degrees for 30-35 minutes until golden. Let cool at least 10 minutes before cutting.
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