Welcome to South Dakota!
We celebrate by enjoying the state dessert, Kuchen. Kuchen is the German word for cake and can refer to a variety of desserts.
The selection of Kuchen as the state dessert of South Dakota pays homage to the many German immigrants who made the state their home in the late 19th and early 20th century.
We chose to make a version using custard and apples.
My grandmother and her family were of German descent and immigrated to nearby Nebraska during this time and this version is one that I remember her making. Enjoy!
Kuchen
Ingredients:
Dough:
3/4 C Canola or Vegetable Oil
1 C Sugar
2 Eggs
2 C Flour
1 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Salt
1 tsp Cinnamon
Apples:
3 Apples, Peeled and Thinly Sliced (Recommended: Granny Smith)
Custard:
1 C Half and Half
1/2 C Sugar
2 Eggs
Cinnamon for Sprinkling
Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 F.
To make the dough: combine oil, 1 C sugar and 2 eggs. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking soda, salt and cinnamon.
Add this mixture to the oil/sugar/eggs mixture and gently combine. Coat a cookie sheet (standard size, 10″x15″) with vegetable spray and press dough into it.
Layer the sliced apples over the dough. For the custard, combine the remaining 1/2 c sugar, the remaining 2 eggs and the half and half.
Pour the custard over the apples.
Bake at 350 F for 45 minutes until the custard is set. After removing from the oven, sprinkle with cinnamon.