So I have a confession to make, I have been a little obsessed with baking with apples this fall – not just a little, a lot – and this is one of the recipes that is definitely worth sharing. For some reason I found myself with tons of apples in the fruit basket, more than one family could ever eat in a week – so I started looking for recipes to try, and this was the first one I found in my Cooking Light magazine.
I wasn’t really sure what to expect – I had never made an Apple Kuchen before – but I love cream cheese, so I knew it couldn’t be bad. The real test though was to see if my husband and older daughter would overcome their fear of cream cheese – and embrace the dessert. That’s exactly what happened – they loved it. Ok, I didn’t actually tell them that the recipe called for cream cheese – but did they really have to know? The cake was moist and tender, yet creamy – and the apples on top were soft and delicious. If you have some apples left over – this is the perfect easy dessert for you to make – and it even tastes fantastic the next day.
Ingredients
- 3 Fuji apples, peeled, cored, and sliced
- 2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
- 1 cup sugar, divided
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/2 teaspoon salt, divided
- 6.75 ounces all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 cups)
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 cup butter, softened and divided
- 3 ounces cream cheese, softened
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2/3 cup nonfat buttermilk
- 1/2 cup chopped walnuts, toasted
- Cooking spray
- 1/4 cup apricot preserves
- 2 teaspoons apple juice
Preparation
Preheat oven to 350°.
Combine apples and juice; toss. Add 1/4 cup granulated sugar, cinnamon, and 1/4 teaspoon salt; toss to combine.
Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, the remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt, and baking powder in a bowl, stirring well. Place remaining 3/4 cup granulated sugar, 6 tablespoons butter, and cheese in a bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until light and fluffy. Add eggs, beating well. Stir in 1 teaspoon vanilla. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to butter mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture, beating just until combined. Stir in walnuts.
Scrape batter into a 13 x 9-inch metal baking pan coated with cooking spray. Arrange apples over batter. Melt remaining 2 tablespoons butter; brush over apples. Bake at 350° for 45 minutes or until set.
Combine preserves and juice; microwave at HIGH for 30 seconds or until melted, stirring once. Brush apricot mixture over apples; cool. Cut into 15 squares.
For a printer-friendly version of this recipe, please click here: Apple Kuchen
First Look, Then Cook 
delicious cake looks yummy
This looks delicious. Thanks for sharing. I never have eaten a kuchen and always wondered what they were. I’ll definitely try this.