German Butter Cake with Almond Topping

Hello everyone!

I'm super excited to finally share this very special recipe with you. Some of you might have already heard of this typically German Butter Cake with almond topping. In Germany also known as "Butterkuchen".

As I myself am from Germany it always reminds me of my childhood. But I can guarantee you that you are about to fall in love with this cake just like I did!

Taste and Occasion

Butter cake is one of those cakes that are often underestimated. To me, such a moist butter cake with almonds and cream topping is actually one of the most delicious sheet cakes ever. Even though it actually looks rather dull at first - similar to sand cakes.

Recipe Recommendation

German Bee Sting Cake

Incredibly delicious classic: this fluffy bee sting made from yeast dough is filled with a custard cream, but it also tastes great without the filling as an especially quick alternative.

Check out this recipe!

But then, just the smell when the freshly baked cake just comes out of the oven! The wonderful combination of fluffy, moist yeast dough and crispy sugar crust! My easy, quick butter cake recipe regularly takes me to seventh cake heaven 🙂 !

You should definitely try it once. And convince yourself that butter cake with almonds has what it takes to become your favorite cake.

Ingredients

The recipe for yeast dough and toppings is based on the my bee sting recipe. However, unlike the traditional German bee sting, butter, sugar and almonds are not cooked here and refined with honey, but are easy to spread on the dough. The result: incredibly delicious!

The fact that fat is the flavor carrier is immediately noticeable in this recipe… Typical for a butter cake like from the baker is that you first press many holes into the yeast dough, into which the butter flakes are then placed.

How to make the German Butter Cake with Almond Topping

The recipe for this delicious butter almond cake is fairly simple. If you manage to get a nice yeast dough you are almost there.

To make this work, first crumble the yeast into a cup of lukewarm milk. Add a teaspoon of the sugar and stir until the sugar and yeast have dissolved. Place the flour in a bowl and make a hollow in the middle. Pour in the yeast-milk mixture.

Add the remaining sugar and mix it with some flour in the hollow. Cover the bowl with a cloth and let it stand in a warm place for about 10 minutes.

Then, add the egg, softened butter and salt. Knead the dough with a food processor for about 5 minutes until it is smooth. Cover it with a cloth and leave the dough to rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes.

When you take it out, knead again briefly and roll out the dough on a deep baking sheet covered with baking paper. Allow it to rise for another 20 minutes. In the meantime, preheat the oven to 374°F/190°C degrees.

Use a spoon handle to press small hollows into the risen dough. Spread butter in flakes on the dough. Sprinkle it evenly with sugar and almonds.

Bake the German butter cake for about 20 to 25 minutes until it gets a golden brown color. Pour the liquid cream over it while it is still hot. The butter cake with almond topping tastes best when it is served freshly baked. But the cake can be frozen, as well.

Top Tip

Fresh from the oven, Granny's butter cake is moist and fluffy, perfect for immediate enjoyment. If you want to serve it later or like it even more moist, you can prepare the butter cake with icing.

To do this, simply spread some liquid cream over the still-hot cake. Absolute insider tip! Just like the butter cake with almonds and yeast in total. A real "hidden champion".

Well, getting appetite…?

Recipe Card

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4.8 from 4 votes

German butter cake with almond topping

This delicious German butter cake with almonds is a popular sheet cake classic without much effort. The cream icing makes it exceptionally moist.

Prep Time15 minutes mins

Baking Time20 minutes mins

Resting Time1 hour hr

Servings: 1 baking sheet

Calories: 230kcal

Equipment

• Baking Sheet

Ingredients

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For the dough

• 200 milliliters (13.5 tablespoon) milk , lukewarm
• 1 cube fresh yeast
• 70 grams (2.5 oz) sugar
• 500 grams (4 cups) all-purpose flour, preferably Type 550 or Wiener Griessler
• 1 egg, medium-sized
• 100 grams (3.5 oz) butter, soft
• 1 pinch salt

For the topping

• 150 grams (5.3 oz) butter
• 120 grams (4.2 oz) sugar
• 100 grams (3.5 oz) flaked almonds

For sprinkling

• 120 milliliters (8.1 tablespoon) cream

Instructions

• Crumble the yeast into a cup of lukewarm milk. Add a teaspoon of the sugar and stir until the sugar and yeast have dissolved. Place the flour in a bowl and make a depression in the middle. Pour in the yeast-milk mixture. Add the remaining sugar and mix with some flour in the hollow. Cover the bowl with a cloth and let it stand in a warm place for about 10 minutes.
• Add the egg, softened butter and salt. Knead the dough with a food processor for about 5 minutes until it is smooth. Cover with a cloth and leave to rise in a warm place for about 30 minutes. Knead again briefly and roll out on a deep baking sheet covered with baking paper. Allow to rise for another 20 minutes.
• Preheat oven to 374°F/190°C degrees. Use a spoon handle to press small depressions or hollows into the risen dough. Spread butter in flakes on the dough. Sprinkle evenly with sugar and almonds.
• Bake butter cake for about 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown. Pour liquid cream over it while still hot. Best served freshly baked; the cake can also be frozen.

Ingredient substitutions

Do you want to replace some ingredients? Here you find tips for baking ingredient substitutions!

Similar Recipes

The butter sheet cake is real classic in Germany and very popular among young and old. Are you interested in other typical German recipes? Then, I can absolutely recommend you my easy recipe for a German bundt cake (or how we call it: Gugelhupf 😉).