19+ Best German Desserts

German baking is built on butter, fruit, and patience, and it shows in every slice. From cherry-studded cake to spiced Christmas cookies, these are the sweets that fill German bakery windows and family kitchens alike. Many trace back generations, tied to harvest season, Christmas markets, or Sunday coffee with the grandparents.

Whether you’re craving something rich and chocolatey or light and fruity, this collection covers the full range of 19+ best German desserts worth baking at home. Some take an afternoon, others need a full day of chilling and resting, but none require special equipment you don’t already own.

Black Forest Cake stands out as the showstopper for special occasions, thanks to its layers of chocolate sponge, cherries, and whipped cream. If you want something simpler for a weeknight, German Apple Cake or Dampfnudeln come together with pantry staples.

Quick picks:

Best showstopper: Black Forest Cake, for birthdays and holiday tables
Best weeknight bake: German Apple Cake, simple and fast
Best for cookie swaps: Vanillekipferl and Zimtsterne, both freezer-friendly
Best nostalgic treat: Spaghettieis, fun for kids and summer parties

1. Black Forest Cake (Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte)

This chocolate sponge cake layered with cherries, kirsch-soaked syrup, and whipped cream is Germany’s most famous export to dessert menus worldwide. The real version uses tart cherries, not the canned pie-filling kind, and a generous splash of cherry brandy in the syrup.

Yield: 12 servings | Prep: 1 hour | Bake: 25 minutes | Chill: 2 hours

Ingredients:

6 large eggs
1 cup granulated sugar
¾ cup all-purpose flour
¼ cup cocoa powder
1 tsp baking powder
24 oz jarred sour cherries, drained (reserve ½ cup juice)
3 tbsp kirsch (cherry brandy)
3 cups heavy cream
¼ cup powdered sugar
Chocolate shavings for garnish

Method:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease two 9-inch round pans.
Beat eggs and sugar until pale and thick, about 5 minutes.
Fold in flour, cocoa, and baking powder.
Divide batter, bake 20-25 minutes. Cool completely, then slice each layer in half.
Mix reserved cherry juice with kirsch; brush over layers.
Whip cream with powdered sugar to stiff peaks.
Stack layers with cream and cherries between each. Frost outside, top with chocolate shavings and extra cherries.

2. German Cheesecake (Käsekuchen)

Käsekuchen uses quark instead of cream cheese, giving it a lighter, tangier bite than the dense New York style. It sits on a thin shortcrust base rather than a graham cracker crust, which keeps the whole cake from feeling heavy.

Yield: 10 servings | Prep: 25 minutes | Bake: 55 minutes

Ingredients:

1½ cups flour
½ cup butter, cold
⅓ cup sugar (crust)
1 egg
2 lbs quark (or well-drained cottage cheese, blended smooth)
1 cup sugar
4 eggs
¼ cup cornstarch
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup melted butter

Method:

Pulse flour, cold butter, sugar, and egg into dough. Press into a 9-inch springform pan.
Preheat oven to 325°F.
Beat quark, sugar, eggs, cornstarch, vanilla, and melted butter until smooth.
Pour over crust.
Bake 55 minutes until center jiggles slightly. Cool in the oven with the door cracked to prevent sinking.

3. Bee Sting Cake (Bienenstich)

Bienenstich gets its name from a honey-almond topping baked right onto sweet yeast dough, with a vanilla custard filling sandwiched inside. The contrast between the crunchy caramelized top and soft cream center makes every bite interesting.

Yield: 10 servings | Prep: 2 hours (includes rising) | Bake: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

3 cups flour
1 packet (2¼ tsp) active dry yeast
⅓ cup warm milk
¼ cup sugar
1 egg
⅓ cup butter, softened
½ cup butter (topping)
½ cup honey
1 cup sliced almonds
2 cups vanilla pudding or pastry cream

Method:

Mix yeast with warm milk and a pinch of sugar; let foam 10 minutes.
Combine with flour, sugar, egg, and butter into a soft dough. Knead 8 minutes, rise 1 hour.
Press into a 9-inch springform pan, let rise 20 minutes.
Melt butter, honey, and almonds; spread over dough.
Bake at 375°F for 20-25 minutes until golden. Cool, slice horizontally, fill with pastry cream.

4. German Apple Cake (Apfelkuchen)

Apfelkuchen is the cake you bake on a random Tuesday because you have extra apples and want something warm in the house. It’s a simple butter cake studded or topped with sliced apples, sometimes with a streusel crumb.

Yield: 9 servings | Prep: 20 minutes | Bake: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

1¾ cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
½ cup butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
2 eggs
¼ cup milk
4 apples, peeled and sliced
1 tsp cinnamon
2 tbsp sugar (for topping)

Method:

Preheat oven to 350°F. Grease a 9-inch springform pan.
Cream butter and sugar, beat in eggs.
Fold in flour, baking powder, and milk.
Spread batter in pan, arrange apple slices on top in a fan.
Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
Bake 40-45 minutes until a toothpick comes out clean.

5. Apple Strudel (Apfelstrudel)

Apfelstrudel wraps spiced apples, raisins, and breadcrumbs in paper-thin pastry rolled into a log and baked until golden and flaky. Store-bought phyllo dough makes this far less intimidating than stretching your own.

Yield: 8 servings | Prep: 30 minutes | Bake: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

8 sheets phyllo dough
½ cup melted butter
5 apples, peeled and thinly sliced
½ cup raisins
⅓ cup sugar
1 tsp cinnamon
½ cup breadcrumbs, toasted in butter
Powdered sugar for dusting

Method:

Preheat oven to 375°F.
Toss apples with sugar, cinnamon, and raisins.
Layer phyllo sheets, brushing each with butter. Sprinkle breadcrumbs between layers.
Spread apple mixture along one edge, roll up tightly.
Place seam-side down on a baking sheet, brush with butter.
Bake 30-35 minutes until golden. Dust with powdered sugar before slicing.

6. Christmas Stollen

Stollen is a dense, fruit-studded bread dusted heavily in powdered sugar, baked for weeks ahead of Christmas so the flavors mellow and deepen. The marzipan center is what separates a bakery-quality stollen from an average one.

Yield: 2 loaves | Prep: 2.5 hours (includes rising) | Bake: 45 minutes

Ingredients:

4 cups flour
1 packet active dry yeast
¾ cup warm milk
½ cup sugar
¾ cup butter, softened
1 cup raisins, soaked in rum
½ cup candied citrus peel
½ cup chopped almonds
7 oz marzipan, shaped into two logs
½ cup melted butter and powdered sugar for finishing

Method:

Proof yeast in warm milk with a pinch of sugar.
Mix flour, sugar, butter, and yeast mixture into dough; knead in fruit and nuts.
Rise 1.5 hours.
Divide dough in two, flatten each, place a marzipan log in the center, fold dough over.
Rise 30 minutes. Bake at 350°F for 40-45 minutes.
Brush warm loaves with melted butter, dust heavily with powdered sugar.

7. Berliner Pfannkuchen

Berliners are pillowy fried doughnuts filled with jam and rolled in sugar, the dessert Germans famously eat on New Year’s Eve and during Carnival. No hole in the center here, the jam goes right in the middle through a piping bag.

Yield: 12 doughnuts | Prep: 2 hours (includes rising) | Fry: 3 minutes per batch

Ingredients:

4 cups flour
1 packet active dry yeast
1 cup warm milk
¼ cup sugar
2 egg yolks
¼ cup butter, softened
Vegetable oil for frying
1 cup jam (raspberry or plum)
Granulated sugar for rolling

Method:

Proof yeast in warm milk and sugar.
Mix with flour, egg yolks, and butter into soft dough. Rise 1 hour.
Roll to ½-inch thickness, cut rounds, let rise 30 minutes.
Fry in 350°F oil, 90 seconds per side.
Cool slightly, fill with jam using a piping bag, roll in sugar.

8. Red Berry Pudding (Rote Grütze)

Rote Grütze is a tart, lightly sweetened berry compote thickened just enough to hold its shape, served cold with cream or vanilla sauce. Northern Germany claims this one, and it’s the dessert to make when summer berries are at their peak.

Yield: 6 servings | Prep: 10 minutes | Cook: 15 minutes | Chill: 3 hours

Ingredients:

4 cups mixed berries (raspberries, red currants, cherries, strawberries)
½ cup sugar
2 cups water or berry juice
3 tbsp cornstarch
2 tbsp cold water
Vanilla sauce or cream for serving

Method:

Simmer berries, sugar, and water for 10 minutes.
Mix cornstarch with cold water, stir into berries.
Simmer 2 more minutes until thickened.
Pour into bowls, chill at least 3 hours.
Serve with cream or vanilla sauce.

9. German Plum Cake (Zwetschgenkuchen)

Zwetschgenkuchen is a late-summer yeast cake topped with halved Italian plums arranged in tight rows, their edges curling as they bake. The tartness of the plums cuts through the buttery dough in a way that feels balanced rather than sweet.

Yield: 12 servings | Prep: 1.5 hours (includes rising) | Bake: 35 minutes

Ingredients:

3 cups flour
1 packet active dry yeast
¾ cup warm milk
⅓ cup sugar
⅓ cup butter, softened
1 egg
2 lbs Italian plums, halved and pitted
⅓ cup sugar and 1 tsp cinnamon for topping

Method:

Proof yeast in warm milk and sugar.
Combine with flour, butter, and egg into dough. Rise 1 hour.
Press dough into a greased sheet pan.
Arrange plum halves tightly, skin-side down, in rows.
Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar.
Bake at 375°F for 30-35 minutes.

10. Lebkuchen

Lebkuchen are spiced soft cookies similar to gingerbread, packed with cinnamon, cloves, and nutmeg, often topped with a thin chocolate or sugar glaze. Nuremberg is famous for its version, which skips flour almost entirely in favor of ground nuts.

Yield: 24 cookies | Prep: 20 minutes | Bake: 15 minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups ground almonds
½ cup flour
1 tsp baking powder
¾ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
2 tsp gingerbread spice (cinnamon, cloves, nutmeg, allspice)
Zest of 1 lemon
½ cup candied orange peel, chopped
4 oz dark chocolate, melted, for glazing

Method:

Preheat oven to 325°F. Line a baking sheet with edible wafer paper or parchment.
Beat eggs and brown sugar until thick.
Fold in almonds, flour, baking powder, spice, zest, and candied peel.
Drop spoonfuls onto sheet, flatten slightly.
Bake 12-15 minutes. Cool, then glaze with melted chocolate.

11. Bavarian Cream (Bayerische Creme)

Bayerische Creme is a silky molded custard lightened with whipped cream and set with gelatin, often served with fruit sauce or fresh berries. It tastes rich but eats light, which is the trick behind why it works so well after a heavy meal.

Yield: 6 servings | Prep: 25 minutes | Chill: 4 hours

Ingredients:

2 cups whole milk
4 egg yolks
½ cup sugar
1 tbsp unflavored gelatin
3 tbsp cold water
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup heavy cream, whipped
Berry sauce for serving

Method:

Bloom gelatin in cold water.
Heat milk until just simmering.
Whisk egg yolks and sugar, slowly temper with hot milk.
Cook over low heat until it coats a spoon.
Stir in bloomed gelatin and vanilla; cool to room temperature.
Fold in whipped cream. Pour into molds, chill 4 hours. Unmold and serve with berry sauce.

12. Baumkuchen

Baumkuchen, or “tree cake,” is built from thin layers of batter baked one at a time on a rotating spit, creating rings like tree bark when sliced. This one takes patience and a broiler instead of a traditional spit, but the layered effect still comes through at home.

Yield: 10 servings | Prep: 1 hour | Bake: 40 minutes (in layers)

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
¾ cup sugar
6 eggs, separated
1 cup flour
½ cup cornstarch
1 tsp vanilla extract
6 oz dark chocolate, melted, for glazing

Method:

Preheat broiler. Line a round cake pan with parchment.
Cream butter and sugar, beat in yolks and vanilla.
Whip egg whites to soft peaks, fold in alternately with flour and cornstarch.
Spread a thin layer of batter in the pan, broil 2-3 minutes until just golden.
Repeat layering and broiling until batter is used, 8-10 layers.
Cool completely, glaze with melted chocolate.

13. Dampfnudeln

Dampfnudeln are fluffy steamed yeast buns cooked in a covered pan with milk and butter, forming a golden crust on the bottom while staying soft on top. Southern German families serve them with vanilla sauce or stewed fruit instead of baking them.

Yield: 8 buns | Prep: 1.5 hours (includes rising) | Cook: 25 minutes

Ingredients:

4 cups flour
1 packet active dry yeast
1 cup warm milk
¼ cup sugar
1 egg
¼ cup butter, softened
1 cup milk, ¼ cup butter, 1 tbsp sugar (for cooking)
Pinch of salt

Method:

Proof yeast in warm milk and sugar.
Mix with flour, egg, and butter into soft dough. Rise 1 hour.
Shape into 8 buns, rest 20 minutes.
Heat milk, butter, sugar, and salt in a wide covered pot.
Add buns, cover tightly, cook 20-25 minutes without lifting the lid.
Serve with the bottom crust up, alongside vanilla sauce.

14. Spaghettieis

Spaghettieis is vanilla ice cream pressed through a potato ricer to look like spaghetti noodles, topped with strawberry sauce “marinara” and white chocolate shavings for “parmesan.” It’s a German ice cream parlor classic that always gets a laugh from kids at the table.

Yield: 4 servings | Prep: 20 minutes | Freeze: 1 hour

Ingredients:

1 quart vanilla ice cream, slightly softened
2 cups strawberries, pureed
2 tbsp sugar
White chocolate, shaved, for garnish

Method:

Simmer strawberries and sugar 5 minutes to make sauce; chill.
Press softened ice cream through a potato ricer directly onto chilled plates to form “noodle” strands.
Top with strawberry sauce.
Garnish with white chocolate shavings to resemble parmesan.
Serve immediately.

15. Vanilla Crescent Cookies (Vanillekipferl)

Vanillekipferl are buttery almond crescent cookies rolled in vanilla sugar while still warm, a Christmas cookie tin staple across German households. They’re delicate and crumbly, almost shortbread-like, with a nutty flavor from ground almonds in the dough.

Yield: 30 cookies | Prep: 20 minutes + 1 hour chill | Bake: 12 minutes

Ingredients:

2 cups flour
1 cup ground almonds
¾ cup butter, cold, cubed
⅔ cup sugar
1 egg yolk
1 tsp vanilla extract
½ cup vanilla sugar for rolling

Method:

Combine flour, almonds, butter, sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla into a dough.
Chill 1 hour.
Shape into small crescents.
Bake at 350°F for 10-12 minutes until edges are just golden.
While warm, roll gently in vanilla sugar.

16. Cinnamon Star Cookies (Zimtsterne)

Zimtsterne are chewy, flourless cinnamon cookies made from ground almonds and egg whites, topped with a crackly meringue glaze. Star-shaped cutters give them their signature look, and they only get better after a day or two in a tin.

Yield: 24 cookies | Prep: 30 minutes + overnight rest | Bake: 20 minutes

Ingredients:

3 egg whites
1¾ cups powdered sugar
3 cups ground almonds
2 tsp cinnamon
Zest of ½ lemon
Extra powdered sugar for rolling

Method:

Beat egg whites to stiff peaks, gradually add powdered sugar until glossy. Reserve ⅓ cup for glaze.
Fold almonds, cinnamon, and lemon zest into remaining meringue.
Roll dough on powdered sugar, cut stars.
Spread reserved glaze thinly on top of each star.
Let sit uncovered overnight, then bake at 300°F for 18-20 minutes.

17. Prinzregententorte

Prinzregententorte stacks up to eight thin sponge layers with chocolate buttercream between each, finished with a chocolate glaze on top. Bavaria’s answer to layer cake, it’s named after a 19th-century prince and shows up at celebrations across the region.

Yield: 12 servings | Prep: 1.5 hours | Bake: 30 minutes (in batches)

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened
1 cup sugar
6 eggs
1¾ cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 cup butter (buttercream)
2 cups powdered sugar
6 oz dark chocolate, melted
4 oz dark chocolate for glaze

Method:

Cream butter and sugar, beat in eggs one at a time.
Fold in flour and baking powder.
Spread thin layers of batter in round pans, bake at 375°F for 6-8 minutes per layer.
Beat butter, powdered sugar, and melted chocolate for buttercream.
Stack cooled layers with buttercream between each.
Glaze top with melted chocolate, let set before slicing.

18. Herrencreme

Herrencreme is a boozy chocolate custard dessert, the name translating to “gentleman’s cream” for its grown-up kick of rum or brandy. Layered in glasses with whipped cream, it’s a make-ahead dinner party dessert that looks fancier than the effort it takes.

Yield: 6 servings | Prep: 20 minutes | Chill: 3 hours

Ingredients:

2 cups milk
4 egg yolks
⅓ cup sugar
2 tbsp cornstarch
4 oz dark chocolate, chopped
2 tbsp rum or brandy
1 cup heavy cream, whipped
Chocolate shavings for garnish

Method:

Whisk egg yolks, sugar, and cornstarch.
Heat milk, temper into egg mixture, return to pot.
Cook until thickened, stir in chocolate until melted.
Stir in rum, cool slightly.
Layer custard and whipped cream in glasses, chill 3 hours. Top with chocolate shavings.

19. Schneeballen

Schneeballen are fried dough balls made from thin strips of pastry wound into a loose ball, then dusted or glazed in flavors from powdered sugar to chocolate. The name means “snowball,” and they’re a souvenir treat from Rothenburg ob der Tauber as much as a homemade dessert.

Yield: 10 schneeballen | Prep: 40 minutes | Fry: 5 minutes each

Ingredients:

3 cups flour
2 eggs
¼ cup sugar
¼ cup sour cream
3 tbsp melted butter
1 tsp rum
Vegetable oil for frying
Powdered sugar or chocolate glaze for finishing

Method:

Mix flour, eggs, sugar, sour cream, butter, and rum into a firm dough.
Roll thin, cut into long strips.
Loop strips loosely into a ball shape, securing with a skewer.
Fry at 350°F for 4-5 minutes until golden, turning once.
Remove skewer, dust with powdered sugar or dip in glaze.

What Makes a Dessert Traditionally German?

Traditional German desserts lean on a handful of consistent building blocks: quark instead of cream cheese, yeast doughs over baking-powder shortcuts, and seasonal fruit like plums, apples, and berries rather than tropical flavors. Warm spices such as cinnamon, cloves, and cardamom show up constantly, especially in Christmas baking.

Many recipes also tie to a calendar event. Stollen belongs to Advent, Berliners mark New Year’s and Carnival, and plum cake shows up the moment Zwetschgen hit the farmers market in late summer. Regional pride matters too; Black Forest Cake comes from the Schwarzwald, while Prinzregententorte and Dampfnudeln are Bavarian through and through.

Technique carries as much weight as ingredients. Baumkuchen’s layered baking method and Schneeballen’s twisted dough strips show a tradition that values patience and precision over shortcuts. A dessert earns the “traditionally German” label when it reflects a specific region, a specific season, or a technique passed down through generations rather than borrowed from somewhere else.