This German apple cake is a delightful twist on a classic, blending the comforting flavors of tender apples and warm spices with the rich depth of rum-soaked raisins.
The cake itself is moist and hearty, studded with plump raisins that have been plumped up in dark rum for an extra layer of flavor.
Fresh apple chunks are layered throughout, offering a sweet and tart flavor that balances the richness. It’s finished with a simple brown sugar glaze that makes each bite irresistible.
Perfect for a cozy afternoon treat or a rustic dessert, this cake brings a taste of German tradition with a spirited touch.
To Make This Recipe You Will Need:
- rum or brandy
- raisins
- all-purpose flour
- baking powder
- cinnamon
- salt
- eggs
- sugar
- unsalted butter
- vanilla extract
- apples
- mixer with bowl
- whisk
- small dish
- springform pan
- parchment paper
- baking sheet
- cooling rack
To begin, place your raisins in a small dish. Pour the rum or brandy over the top and let them sit for one hour.
After an hour, drain the rum/brandy from the raisins, but reserve the liquid for later.
Line the bottom of a springform pan with parchment paper. Spray the inside of a 9-inch spring form baking pan with baking spray, or brush well with additional butter, or my baking spray replacement. Set it aside for now.
Preheat your oven to 350°(F).
In a bowl combine flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir those together and set aside for a moment.
In your mixing bowl, beat the eggs until they are foamy.
Mix in the sugar; the reserved rum/brandy and the vanilla extract.
Add in half of the dry mixture, and mix.
Mix in half of the butter.
Mix in the remaining dry ingredients, and then finally the remaining butter. Make sure to scrape the mixing bowl with a rubber spatula to incorporate everything.
Fold in apple chunks and the raisins.
Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan.
Place the pan on a baking sheet and place them in the center of the oven.
Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the cake tests done when a knife is inserted into the center.
Cool the cake in the pan for 5 minutes on a cooling rack.
Gently run a knife around the edge of the cake to make sure that no apples stick to the pan.
Carefully remove the spring form sides.
Allow the cake to cool completely.
To Make the Glaze
Combine the sugars, butter and half & half in a small saucepan. Bring it to a boil, stirring continually. Allow it to boil for one minute.
Add in vanilla extract while stirring. Remove it from the heat and drizzle over the cake.
Enjoy!
You May Also Like: Apple Pumpkin Quick Bread
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German Apple Cake with Rum Raisins
Ingredients
- 3 Tb rum or brandy
- ⅓ c raisins
- ¾ c all-purpose flour
- ¾ teaspoon baking powder
- ¼ teaspoon cinnamon
- pinch salt
- 2 eggs
- ¾ c sugar
- ½ c butter, unsalted, melted and cooled
- ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 3 medium apples, cored and cut into chunks (peeling isn’t necessary, but you can if you prefer)
For the Glaze (optional)
- 2 Tb butter
- 2 Tb brown sugar
- 2 Tb granulated sugar
- 2 Tb half and half
- ¼ teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- To begin, place your raisins in a small dish. Pour the rum or brandy over the top and let them sit for one hour.
- After an hour, drain the rum/brandy from the raisins, but reserve the liquid for later.
- Preheat your oven to 350°(F).
- Line the bottom of a springform pan with parchment paper. Spray the inside of a 9-inch spring form baking pan with baking spray, or brush well with additional butter, or my baking spray replacement. Set it aside for now.
- In a bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, cinnamon, and salt. Stir together and set aside for a moment.
- In your mixing bowl, beat the eggs until they are foamy.
- Mix in the sugar.
- Mix in the reserved rum/brandy and the vanilla extract.
- Mix in half of the dry mixture.
- Mix in half of the butter.
- Mix in the remaining dry ingredients.
- Mix in the remaining butter. Make sure to scrape the mixing bowl with a rubber spatula to incorporate everything.
- Fold in the apple chunks and the raisins.
- Pour the batter into the prepared baking pan.
- Place the pan on a baking sheet and place them in the center of the oven.
- Bake for 50-60 minutes, or until the cake tests done when a knife is inserted into the center.
- Cool the cake in the pan for 5 minutes on a cooling rack.
- Gently run a knife around the edge of the cake to make sure that no apples stick to the pan.
- Carefully remove the spring form sides.
- Allow the cake to cool completely.
To Make the Glaze
- Combine the sugars, butter and half & half in a small saucepan. Bring it to a boil, stirring continually. Allow it to boil for one minute.
- Add in 1/4 tsp vanilla extract while stirring. Remove from heat and drizzle over the cake.
- Enjoy!
Equipment Used
Nutrition
If nutritional values are provided for this recipe, they are an estimate and will vary depending on the brands of ingredients you use. The values do not include optional ingredients or when ingredients are added to taste or for serving. If nutritional values are very important to you, I suggest using your favorite nutritional calculating tool with the brands you use.
Unit Conversions:
Unit Conversion for measurements (if displayed), going from US to Metric is an auto-generated conversion. If you are using the metric measurements, please double-check to confirm that these are accurate with your favorite preferred conversion tool.
This post was originally written in 2017, updated in 2024.
I made the German Apple cake with rum raisins today it was delicious. My husband can’t eat raw apples so I was happy that he could enjoy this and he did. Thanks for sharing the recipe.
I made this and it was delicious – very light and moist. I only used 1/4c of sugar and that was sweet enough for us. Also, I used currants instead of raisins and it worked out great. Thanks for a lovely recipe.
Wonderful!
Thank you for sharing. This looks so delicious. I will have to get some apples to make this soon.
Oh man this looks crazy amazing. LOVE LOVE the you put the rum soaked raisins in there. This would be the perfect dessert for the fall months.
Amazing! Those apples are shining through. Top it with some ice cream and I’m in heaven.
Brandy-soaked raisins? Yes, please! I bet this would be perfect for an Oktoberfest celebration.
this is my husbands favorite cake! I can’t wait to make it for him after we go apple picking tomorrow!
Mmmmm, rum soaked raisins and chunks of apples! DELICIOUS! :-)
You had me at rum soaked raisins, your apple cake looks delicious. Bookmarking to try later, thanks for sharing :-)
What a divine looking cake! Perfect for this apple season! Plus Germans always knows the best when it comes to sweets! Yum!
This sounds really good and if I wasn’t diabetic I’d definitely want to try this. I mean… raisins soaked in rum? I’m all in for that!
This cake made think of Christmas, because of the raisins soaked in brandy! My mom makes a cake that is always a success fro Christmas dinner, I guess we can try something different this year!
Oh my, this looks like a dessert out of this world! Never seen anything like it but it looks good and I’m sure tastes good as well. I would love to try it straight out of the oven with some ice cream!
I do add raisins to my bake, but never tried soaking them in Rum and brandy. I would definitely try this recipe. Photos looks yummy!! :)
With apple season just getting started here, this is the perfect dessert to celebrate with. I have make German Apple Pancakes…so I know I would love this too.