Zwiebelkuchen ~ German Onion Cake

Authentic Zwiebelkuchen (German Onion Cake)

This delicious German Onion cake recipe is great for entertaining. Filled with sweet onion and bacon, it is the perfect hearty snack or can be enjoyed as a main course.

Ingredients

For the yeast dough
180 ml  lukewarm milk 6 fl oz / ¾ cup
½ teaspoon sugar 
7 g instant yeast (2 teaspoon or 0,24 oz, 1 pouch)
1 teaspoon salt
300 g flour 11 oz / 1 ¾ cups + 2 tbsp (Germany type 405, UK plain flour, USA all purpose) 
2 tablespoons vegetable oil

For the onion filling

1 kg onions or 35 oz
200 g smoked bacon 7 oz
1 tablespoon vegetable oil
¼ teaspoon ground caraway seeds you can subsitute 1 teaspoon caraway seeds or can be obmitted.
400 g sour cream 14 oz / 1 ¾ cps
3 eggs medium size
salt and pepper to taste

To Garnish (optional) 

4 tbsp chopped chives 

Directions:

Equipment 1 baking tray (mine was 30 cm x 40 cm, 12" x 16") 

Add the instant yeast and sugar into the lukewarm milk. Mix and leave to rest for 10 minutes. The yeast should activate and you should see little bubbles forming on the surface.

Combine the flour and salt in a bowl. Pour in the yeast-milk mixture and the oil. Using a stand or hand mixer with a dough hook, knead the dough for about 5 minutes until the dough comes together and pulls away from the sides of the bowl.

Lightly grease a large bowl with oil or use nonstick spray. Place the dough in the bowl, turning it to coat all sides in the oil. Cover the bowl with aluminum foil, plastic wrap, or a clean kitchen towel. Allow the dough to rise in a relatively warm environment for 45 minutes.

In the meantime, we can start with the onion topping. Peel the onions and chop them into thin rings. Cube the bacon.

Heat 1 tablespoon of oil in the frying pan and fry the bacon until crispy. Now add the onions and fry them with the bacon on low to medium heat until translucent. You do not want to hurry up this step, as it will add to the sweetness. Slow-cook the onions for about 10 minutes.

Leave the onion mixture to slightly cool.                                                                                                     

 In a separate bowl mix together the sour cream and eggs. Then add the egg-sour cream mix to the onions and bacon and caraway and mix well. Season with salt and pepper to taste. 

¼ teaspoon ground caraway seeds, 400 g sour cream, 3 eggs, salt and pepper to taste

Preheat the oven to 200°C/ 392°F. Either grease the baking tray with some butter or line it with baking parchment.

Once the dough has risen, knead the dough one last time by hand on a floured surface. Then roll it out into a thin rectangle. Lift the dough into the 30 cm X 40 cm or 12"x16" baking form and press the dough into the corners with your finger to create a small rim. 

Pour the onion mixture onto the yeast base. bake in the oven for 35 minutes.  Serves 12.
Notes

Recipe Variations: Use a different cake tin. Instead of a baking tray use a 10-inch round cake tin. The baking time will be longer.

Use shop-bought pizza dough or puff pastry as your base. If you need to save time, this is an effective shortcut to take.

Vegetarian Onion Cake. To make a vegetarian version of this onion cake, just omit the bacon in the recipe. Instead, you can also add in some leeks.

Add cheese- you can sprinkle some grated cheese such as gouda and cheddar on top. 

Some recipes like to add thyme to the onions, which adds another complementary flavor.

Storage Instructions Store any leftover onion cake in an airtight container in the fridge. Consume within three days.

Freezing?

Thankfully yes. Divide it into portions and place it in an airtight container. It can stay frozen for up to three months. Defrost at room temperature. If you like to eat it warm, place it in the oven for 5 minutes to crisp up.