German Butter Cake (Butterkuchen)

Overhead image of a plate stacked with many squares of butterkuchen with more pieces around.

5 from 12 votes

German Butter Cake (Butterkuchen)

Classic German Butterkuchen is fluffy, sweet, and delicious! It's a simple yeasted cake topped with blocks of butter and sprinkled with sugar!

Prep Time30

Cook Time30

Resting Time1 20

Total Time2 20

Course: Afternoon Kaffee, Breakfast, Dessert

Cuisine: German

Keyword: butterkuchen, cake

Servings:

Calories: 175kcal

Equipment

Stand Mixer

Ingredients

Dough

500 grams ap flour
10 grams instant yeast
50 grams granulated sugar
300 ml milk lukewarm
1/2 tsp almond extract
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 egg room temperature
1/2 teaspoon salt

Topping

125 grams butter cold
100 grams granulated sugar

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Instructions

Making the Dough

In a large stand mixing bowl, add flour, sugar and yeast, and whisk together.
Add lukewarm milk, egg, salt and extracts and knead together with the dough hook on low speed for 10-15 minutes or until the dough has come together.
Place the dough in a greased bowl.
Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or proofing bag and set it somewhere warm to rest for 45 minutes to 1 hour until it has doubled in size.

Shaping & Baking the Butterkuchen

Preheat the oven to 350 F.
Line a baking sheet with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat.
After the dough has doubled in size and be very soft and puffy.
Knock out any air in the dough by briefly kneading it and place it on the lined baking sheet.
Gently stretch and press the dough out from the center until the dough reaches the edges of the pan.
Cover the pan and let the dough rest somewhere warm for 10 more minutes.
While the dough rests, cut the cold butter into 1/4" cubes.
After 10 minutes, dimple the dough about every 3/4" with the handle of a wooden spoon.
Press the cubes of butter into the dimples. If you don't have enough dimples for the butter, just add more!
Sprinkle the sugar over the top of the cake - don't miss the edges.
Let the assembled dough rest for 10 more minutes.
Bake for 30 minutes on the middle rack, rotate the pan after 15 minutes so that it bakes evenly.
Remove from the oven and let cool on a cooling rack before slicing.

Notes

This is best served immediately after baking. If you plan to have leftovers, try not to cut the portion that you are saving and wrap it up with plastic or a different airtight container. To reheat, preheat the oven to 350 F and place the leftover cake on a baking sheet. Bake the cake for about 8 minutes and then let it cool for 5 minutes before serving. The cut edge will dry out slightly but you can just cut of about an inch at the edge and the rest should still be perfectly moist.

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