Zwiebelkuchen – Traditional German Onion Cake

Preparation

1. 01

   Step 01

   Warm the milk slightly (approx. 37 °C), dissolve the yeast and sugar in it and leave to stand for 10 minutes until bubbles form.

2. 02

   Step 02

   Place the flour, softened butter and 1 tsp salt in a large bowl. Add the yeast-milk mixture and knead everything with the dough hooks of an electric hand whisk or by hand until a smooth, pliable dough forms. Cover and leave to prove in a warm place for approx. 45 minutes, until the volume has visibly increased.

3. 03

   Medium heat

   Fry the lardons in a large pan over medium heat, without any additional fat, until crispy. Remove and set aside.

4. 04

   Medium heat

   In the same pan, melt the butter and soften the onion rings over medium heat, stirring occasionally, for 12–15 minutes until translucent and lightly golden. Season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and allow to cool slightly.

5. 05

   Step 05

   In a bowl, whisk together the eggs, cream, quark, caraway seeds and nutmeg until smooth. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

6. 06

   Conventional 200 °C

   Preheat the oven to 200 °C conventional. Line a baking tray (approx. 30 × 40 cm) with baking parchment.

7. 07

   Step 07

   Roll out the proved dough evenly on the baking tray using your hands or a rolling pin, pressing up a small border around the edges.

8. 08

   Step 08

   Spread the cooled onions evenly over the dough. Scatter the lardons on top. Pour the egg, cream and quark mixture evenly over the onions.

9. 09

   Conventional 200 °C, middle shelf

   Bake the onion cake in the preheated oven on the middle shelf for 35–40 minutes, until the surface is golden brown and the filling is set. Remove from the oven and leave to rest for 10 minutes. Cut into pieces and serve warm.