My grandmother made the best kuchen. She made many different kinds, like apple, apricot, rhubarb and sugar. I loved the sugar kuchen the best.
Cook Time: 20 minutes
Ingredients:
- For the crust:
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 pound (2 sticks) unsalted butter, cold and cut into pieces
- For the filling:
- 1 pound cream cheese, at room temperature
- 3/4 cup sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 egg, at room temperature
- For the topping:
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 3 Granny Smith apples, peeled, if desired, cored, and thinly sliced
Preparation:
Preheat the oven to 450 degrees. Lightly grease and flour a 9x13-inch pan.
- Place the flour, sugar, and salt in a large bowl or food processor fitted with a steel blade and mix to combine.
- Add the vanilla and butter, a little at a time.
- Press into the baking pan and bake in oven until slightly golden but not brown, about 12 to 15 minutes.
- Cool.
- Lower the oven temperature to 400 degrees.
To make the filling:
- Mix the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla in mixer (preferably with a paddle) and beat until creamy.
- Add the egg, mix to combine, and pour over the cooled crust.
Topping:
- Place the sugar and cinnamon in a small bowl and mix to combine.
- Place the apples on top of the filling in two or three columns.
- Sprinkle with the cinnamon sugar and transfer to the oven.
- Bake until firm and a rich brown, about 20 minutes. Cut into 20 to 24 pieces.
