Best German Dessert Recipes

Rote Grütze is a northern German favorite. It's often described as a "red berry pudding" and is served with fresh cream, ice cream or vanilla sauce. My favorite way to eat Rote Grütze is exactly how it was served to me at a friend's house - warm with fresh, cold cream poured over the top. So good!

German cheesecake isn't like cheesecake in the US because it's made with quark rather than cream cheese! Quark is a fresh cheese that you can sometimes buy in the US or you can make it at home. Or you can simply use Greek yogurt. This cheesecake has a light lemon flavor and and is delicious with whipped cream and berries.

German cheesecake is so good that I have two different recipes for you! This one also uses quark (but you can use Greek yogurt instead) but it doesn't have a crust. It's quicker and easier to make than my other German cheesecake recipe, and has a little different texture. Make them both and see which one you like the best!

This cake is one of my all-time favorite German desserts. It's two layers of yeast cake with a creamy filling and a crunchy honey-flavored almond topping.

Don't be put off by the various layers; this cake is very easy to make! There are lots of variations on German Bee Sting Cake but this one is my favorite because it has a nice cake/filling/topping ratio.

The yeast cake balances out the sweet honey almond topping, and the cream center brings it all together deliciously. Whenever I make this cake for an event, it flies off the plate!

German iced coffee is a delicious blend of strong, cold coffee, vanilla ice cream, and whipped cream. Perfect for hot summer days!

When I lived in Germany, vanilla sugar was used in baking instead of vanilla extract. I now make vanilla sugar at home in just a few minutes and keep it in a jar in my cupboard to sprinkle on fruit, in coffee, and anywhere I want a little vanilla flavored sweetness.

In this tutorial, I show you how you can make vanilla sugar using vanilla bean (my favorite), vanilla paste, and vanilla extract. Vanilla sugar in a cute jar makes a lovely gift!

The perfect late summer cake! I was never a fan of plums until I made this cake. It's super popular in Germany, and now I know why. It's SO good! The plums turn sweet and pair so well with the buttery streusel topping. This is another cake that flies off the plate whenever I bring it to a get-together. Add a dollop of whipped cream and you've got a winner of a dessert!

I used to drive across town to our German bakery to buy a loaf of Christmas Stollen. Now? I make it at home! It's easy and so good.

If you're thinking that German Stollen bread is just the German version of fruitcake, STOP! It's nothing like fruitcake. This buttery bread is filled with rum-soaked raisins, citrus zest, and chopped nuts. Sometimes I add craisins and dried currants, and you can also add a marzipan log in the middle, if you'd like.

Topped with a thick layer of powdered sugar, you won't be able to get enough of this delicious, authentic Christmas treat!

These almonds taste just like what you'd find at a German Christmas Market! They're quite easy to make and your house will smell SO good when you do. My tip? Prep all of the ingredients before you begin. The process of making Gebrannte Mandeln is actually pretty quick. I'm sure you'll love them!

Looking for something a little lighter and healthier for the holidays? Try making German quark! It looks like yogurt but quark is actually a fresh, non-aged cheese. It's like Greek yogurt but thicker and not at all sour.

Quark couldn't be easier to prepare, and while you can eat it plain (I love to spread it on toast), adding fresh berries, nuts, and honey makes for a lovely, healthy dessert (or breakfast)!

Whip quark with some heavy cream and jam and you've got a more decadent dessert that's still on the healthier side.

German Hazelnut Cookies are delightfully light, buttery cookies packed with flavorful chopped hazelnuts. These cookies are so good! The recipe is simple and you can be eating these cookies in no time. If you like hazelnuts, you'll love these cookies!