Strawberry Kuchen Recipe – Easy Fruit Dessert

Strawberry Kuchen Recipe has a thin sweet dough layered with fresh strawberries and topped with creamy custard. You’ll love this easy Strawberry Dessert.

Strawberry Kuchen is a slightly sweet recipe that’s perfect for brunch or an easy Strawberry Dessert to share with friends. It looks like you went to a lot of work but it comes together in a jiffy.

Growing up my mother always had an Apricot Kuchen in a white bakery box hidden in the freezer.

The truth is she didn’t need to hide it because we didn’t like it.

This recipe was in her sister’s handwriting, and typical of those ladies, it left out about 60% of what I needed to know in order to make it. I just love those recipes though.

What is a Kuchen?

Kuchen is a German word for “cake”. They were traditionally served to friends along side a cup of coffee.

We always pronounced Kuchen as Ku-gen but it can also be pronounced Koo-ken.

Kugen recipes can be sweet and use a variety of fruit or can be savory such as a Cheese Kugen.

Our strawberries are just beautiful now so we went with a Fruit Kugen which makes the perfect Strawberry Dessert for summer.

Kuchen dough recipe

I made this recipe a couple of times, and the first time I made it I rolled the dough a little thicker and brought it up over the edge of my pie plate.

Leaving the dough thicker makes for a cake-like crust.

Rolling the dough thinner makes it more like a pastry crust. In my opinion, rolling the dough thinner balances the dough with the fruit and custard layers evenly.

Kuchen dough is very easy to work with. It’s soft and tender and is easy to roll. Here are some helpful tips.

Tips for the perfect Kuchen dough

• Ingredients should be room temperature which makes blending them easier.
• Add flour gradually. My dough required about 6 cups. I stirred in 3 cups initially and then gradually added the next 2 to 3 cups.
• Once you can handle the dough, mixing it by hand will give you a feel for the dough consistency. You want the dough soft and tender.
  • Adding too little flour will result in a sticky dough.
  • Adding too much flour will result in a heavier and less tender dough.
• Have an oiled bowl ready for the dough to rise along with a kitchen towel or plastic wrap to cover it until doubled.
  • The dough needs to be covered so it doesn’t develop a crust when exposed to air.
  • Place the bowl in a warmer area without drafts.

There’s a detailed video in the recipe card.

This post is sponsored by Raisenne® Dough Riser. The love of their product and my opinions are 100% my own.

If you remember my Soft Kifli Walnut Roll Crescents, I introduced to you the Raisenne® Dough Riser.

Our experience with yeast dough such as in our Apple Kolache Recipe and our Brioche Bun Recipe is that it takes 1 hour to 90 minutes to double.

Using the Raisenne® Dough Riser our dough doubled in only 35 minutes. Unheard of!

This innovative product is only sold on their website and not available in stores.

Here are a few reasons why I’m promoting this product.

Raisenne Dough Riser is safe! The Raisenne Dough Riser maintains a temperature of 85°F / 29.4°C so it will not burn you or the surface it’s used on. It is designed to shut off rather than overheat.

The Raisenne Dough Riser is made in Wisconsin, U.S.A.

You can easily store the Raisenne Dough Riser between two baking sheets, in a drawer, or in the original packaging. It doesn’t take up precious kitchen space as other appliances can.

Another reason I love the Raisenne® Dough Riser it’s affordable!

They’re also generous! We’re giving one away at the end of this post!

The custard isn’t difficult to make. I wanted my custard less eggy and a little sweeter so added more sugar than what the recipe calls for.

It’s still not real sweet but you can cut the sugar in half if that’s how you like it.

The following tips will help you to make the perfect smooth creamy custard topping.

Tips for the perfect Kuchen Custard

• The Custard can be made as soon as you start proofing the dough, or made first.
• Use all room-temperature ingredients.
• Whisk the eggs together in a separate dish prior to making the custard.
  • I like using a glass measuring cup for my eggs. That makes adding them much easier.
• Don’t be tempted to cook your cream ingredients to quickly. Cook it slow and as soon as it starts steaming it’s hot enough to add the eggs.
• Add the eggs to the steaming cream mixture slowly at a drizzle, whisking the whole time. This is called tempering.
  • If you added them directly all at once, you would have scrambled eggs.
  • If you added the eggs at the beginning with the cream it would be lumpy.
• The eggs are what thickens the cream mixture into a custard. As soon as your custard is slightly thickened, remove it from the heat.
  • The custard will thicken when baked and cooled so don’t over-thicken it. Please watch the video for the consistency.
  • This recipe comes together quickly so there isn’t any need to chill the custard.

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Tips for Strawberry Kuchen assembly

This recipe makes 4 pie plates or more, depending on how thin you roll the dough. You can make this recipe in any container that has sides and is oven-ready.

• Roll the dough thinly and place it in an oiled pie plate. Press the dough up the sides of the pie plate but not over the rim.
• Layer the fruit on top of the dough but don’t go over the sides of the dough. Otherwise, some of the fruit can bake over and behind the dough.
• Sprinkle the top with equal amounts of cinnamon and sugar.

Kuchen should be stored in the refrigerator and can be frozen in an air-tight container for up to 3 months.

If you like this recipe, here are a few more I think you’ll enjoy

• Nut Roll Recipe
• Pull-apart Cinnamon Roll Brioche
• Sweet Chocolate Braid
• Brown Bread Rolls

Pin this amazing Strawberry Kuchen Recipe

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I would love it if you enjoy this recipe that you will leave me a comment and rate the recipe with 5 stars!  ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I may have to start hiding this Strawberry Kuchen in my freezer. It’s that good!

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5 from 4 votes

Strawberry Kuchen Recipe

Strawberry Kuchen Recipe has a thin sweet dough layered with fresh strawberries and topped with a smooth and creamy custard.

Prep Time 30 mins

Proof time 35 mins

Total Time 40 mins

Servings 24

Author Julie Menghini

Ingredients

US Customary – Metric

Kuchen Dough

• 2 eggs room temperature, whisked
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1/4 tsp cinnamon sliced
• 4½ tsp instant yeast (2 packets of rapid rise yeast)
• 1¾ cups whole milk room temperature or warmed to 98°F
• 1/2 cup butter softened
• 6 cups all-purpose flour 4 to 6 cups

Kuchen Custard

• 6 eggs whisked, room temperature
• 3 cups cream
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1/2 cup sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon
• 1/8 tsp salt

Fruit

• 4 cups strawberries sliced

Equal amounts of cinnamon and sugar for garnishing.

Instructions

• Make the dough by stirring the milk, sugar, yeast, cinnamon, and eggs together. Add the softened butter and break it up into pieces with a spatula.
• Add 3 cups of flour and stir together with a spatula. Add additional flour until the dough comes together. Continue adding flour until the dough is soft but not sticky.
• Place the dough in an oiled boil. Cover and let rise until increased in volume 30% to 50%. Please see the recipe notes.
• While the dough is rising, make the custard.

Custard

• Over low heat, combine the cream, milk, cinnamon, sugar, and salt. Heat until steaming. Slowly drizzle in the eggs, whisking continuously until mixture has started to thicken. Remove from the heat and set aside.

Assembly

• Preheat the oven to 350°F. Spray pie plate with non-stick cooking spray.
• Roll out pieces of dough large enough to cover the bottom of a pie plate and 1/2 to 3/4 up the sides of the plate.
• Layer the fruit on the dough. Don't layer above the sides of the dough.
• Spoon the custard over the top of the strawberry layer.
• Sprinkle the top of the custard with a mixture of cinnamon and sugar.
• Bake for 30 to 40 minutes, turning the pan half-way through.
• Cool before serving. Store leftovers in the refrigerator.

Video

Notes

Recipe makes 4 Kuchens. 

We used the  Raisenne® Dough Riser to prove our bread. The dough can take 1 hour to 90 minutes to double without it. Place your dough in a warmer area covered and without drafts.

Nutrition

Calories: 331kcal | Carbohydrates: 37g | Protein: 7g | Fat: 18g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Cholesterol: 108mg | Sodium: 91mg | Potassium: 157mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 11g | Vitamin A: 683IU | Vitamin C: 14mg | Calcium: 70mg | Iron: 2mg

This recipe was calculated using the exact brands and measurements I used to make this recipe. If you are following a strict diet please note changing anything will cause the nutritional info to change. My calculations are intended as a guide only.

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