German · Authentic-ish German
Apfelkuchen
260 kcal a serving, against 481 for the traditional version. That is 221 kcal off, or 46%, with 7.9g of protein. Serves 10. 1 hour 30 minutes.
What the traditional version is
Classic Apfelkuchen is a tall, buttery sponge holding a mass of sliced apples, sometimes arranged in a pattern, sometimes just jammed in. It's enriched with plenty of eggs, sugar and butter, and often gets a dusting of icing sugar on top. The batter is half cake, half pudding, and it's usually eaten barely warm with a dollop of whipped cream.
What changed, and what each change costs
200g of butter down to 50g
Butter gives you the richness and that tender crumb, but it is a wall of fat that blocks the door. By cutting down to 50g, you keep just enough to stop the texture collapsing into rubber.
What it costs you. You won't get the brown, crisp crust of the real thing. The cake is a bit less forgiving and doesn't keep as well. Eat it on the day. It isn't glorious, but it's respectable.
180g sugar down to 90g
You'd be surprised how little sugar you need if you remember apples are already sweet. I halve the sugar and let the apples do some lifting.
What it costs you. If you expect pudding to be daftly sweet, you'll be disappointed. The apples are the star here, not the sugar. If you can't live with that, just have a biscuit and call it a day.
300g plain flour down to 200g, filling out with 1200g apple
More apple, less cake. The texture ends up closer to a French clafoutis than a British sponge, but nobody ever said no to extra apple. It bumps up the fibre and you don't lose any protein.
What it costs you. It's a denser, wetter cake. If you want an airy bakery-style Apfelkuchen, this won't scratch that itch. But it tastes of apple, which is the point.
Whole milk and double cream served with to semi-skimmed milk and fat-free Greek yoghurt
The original throws a bucket of cream on top for luxury. I'm not allowed that, so it's semi-skimmed milk in the batter, and fat-free Greek yoghurt for serving.
What it costs you. You don't get that soft richness, and the topping is tangier. But it's cold, thick and refreshing after a plate of cake, which is a decent trade.
The numbers
| Per serving | Traditional | Lightened |
|---|---|---|
| Calories | 481 | 260 |
| Protein | 7.5g | 7.9g |
| Fat | 26.6g | 7.1g |
| Saturated fat | 15.7g | 3.5g |
| Carbohydrate | 55.3g | 42.9g |
| Protein per 100 kcal | 1.6g | 3.1g |
Every figure is computed from the recipe's own weighed ingredient list against public food composition databases. The appendix in Authentic-ish German prints the exact database row used for each ingredient, so any number here can be checked.
Allergens. gluten, eggs, milk.
The method is in the book
This version is for people who like their pudding on the lighter, fruitier side. Nobody's grandmother would serve this at Kaffee und Kuchen and expect applause, but you can have a whole chunk and still fancy going for a walk afterwards. You miss the luxury crust and the butter bomb, but all the apple comes forward and it tastes honest. If you want a proper cake, you know what to do.
The quantities and the method for this dish are in Authentic-ish German, along with 54 more. It is not out yet. The swap kit is free in the meantime.