German Apple Cake Bread – Authentic, Delicious and Easy

Recently I was invited to an Oktoberfest style food gathering with some friends of mine.  Now, here’s the thing, German food is not something that I cook on a regular basis.  In fact, I can only think of a handful of German dishes I have ever prepared!  Those along the lines of cabbage, potatoes and sausage immediately come to mind.  But these are not just any old friends, these friends are all Chef’s.  YES!! Now, am I coming in clearer?  So, German Food for Chef’s…and I’m bringing dessert.  After a little research on German Desserts; the following came up – Cream Puffs, Éclairs, Black Forest Cake and Fruit Breads.  Because the first few are so very common, I thought I would freshen up the baking skills with some homemade bread, German Apple Bread to be exact.

I chose to prepare this bread the in same method as preparing zucchini bread, so instead of leaving the apples in cubes or chunks I used a box grater to shred the peeled apples.  This way the apples become a part of the bread and help keep it extra moist.  Variations of this bread have raisins, nuts, apple chunks or all of the above.  To ensure this was a crowd pleaser I omitted nuts and added extra raisins.  This bread being a quick bread and not a yeast bread is a perfect option for dessert, with coffee or tea.

So, on for the test.  By the way, only a group of Chef’s would have authentic German natives at their food gathering!  So not only are we trying on our German cuisine skills, we are also being tested by two foreign exchange students from Germany.  I had to be completely honest with the gals about my NON-German cuisine skills.  However, I passed the test!  Both girls said that the bread tasted delicious and authentic, a “very nice dessert course for a kaffeeklatsch” (an informal gathering where coffee is served).  They even asked to save a few slices to have with their coffee in the morning. 

Overall, it was a great experience, not knowing about the taste testers was a surprise I will admit.  But I really enjoyed the chance to make something that is both uncommon and even foreign to me as well as try a few new food items from around the globe with great company.