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FOOD AND DRINK

10 classic sweet treats to try at least once in Germany

Kaffee und Kuchen - or coffee and cake - is a strong German tradition. So of course there is a huge selection of sweet treats across the country. Here's 10 that we think you should try.

Published: 7 October 2022 16:40 CEST
A piece of Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte or black forest cake in Germany.
A piece of Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte or black forest cake in Germany. Photo: picture alliance / dpa | Patrick Seeger

Bienenstich

Despite its slightly disturbing name, the “bee sting cake” is a much-loved favourite in Germany, and you’ll find it in almost every bakery. It’s absolutely delicious and is likely to become one of your top choices for a Kaffee und Kuchen Pause (coffee and cake break). Components of this classic are a sweet yeast dough, a filling of vanilla or cream, honey and a topping of flaked almonds that caramelises during baking.

It also has an interesting back story. According to legend, a feud between the towns of Andernach and Linz escalated into violence when the former was attacked by the latter. However, the residents of Andernach managed to fend the residents of Linz off by throwing beehives at the attackers, who promptly fled. To celebrate the event, the people of Andernach invented the cake and named it after the event which inspired it. 

 
 
 
 
 
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Spritzkuchen

A specialty of Eberswalde, in north-eastern Germany, the Spritzkuchen is a bit like a sugar-glazed donut, but with a slightly different texture. The trick is that the dough gets cooked while the ingredients are mixed before it’s fried. These treats are said to have originated in 1832 in the town of Eberswalde in Brandenburg near Berlin.

A server with Spritzkuchen and doughnuts during a food event in Berlin in 2018.

A server with Spritzkuchen (on the right) and doughnuts during a food event in Berlin in 2018. Photo: picture alliance / Wolfgang Kumm/dpa | Wolfgang Kumm

READ ALSO: Kaffee und Kuchen – the history behind a very German tradition

Pflaumenkuchen

July through to October is plum season in Germany, so it’s the perfect time to get your hands on a slice of Pflaumenkuchen or “plum cake”. Bakeries are often lined with quartered plums called Zwetschgen nestled together on the delicious base. It’s also sometimes known as Zwetschgenkuchen. 

Pflaumenkuchen or plum cake being served.

Pflaumenkuchen or plum cake being served. Photo: picture alliance/dpa/dpa-tmn | Florian Schuh

Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte

It’s hard to compile a roundup of German deserts without mentioning the famous “black forest cake” or “gâteau” (pictured at the top of the article).

This delicious treat is considered one of the most popular German cakes and is known around the world. It typically consists of several layers of chocolate sponge with whipped cream and cherries. It also has whipped cream, maraschino cherries and chocolate shavings on top.

If a dessert is labelled as Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte, then under German law it has to contain Kirschwasser, a brandy made from the distillation of morello cherries. 

READ ALSO: A guide to the best international supermarkets in Berlin

Frankfurter Kranz

Frankfurt’s speciality is the Frankfurter Kranz or “wreath”. This Bundt cake (baked in a Bundt pan) is typically layered with jam and buttercream and sprinkled with caramelised nuts. 

 
 
 
 
 
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Donauwelle

The Donauwelle or “Danube wave” likely gets its name from the wave-like pattern on this yummy sweet treat. This cake has layers of plain and chocolate pound cake combined and contains sour cherries. It’s usually topped with buttercream and chocolate glaze. The Donauwelle is baked on a sheet pan and then cut into rectangular pieces and served. 

 
 
 
 
 
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Käsekuchen

Germans love their cheesecake. The classic German Käsekuchen is made with Quark cheese, unlike the American type which uses cream cheese. The base is usually made of a shortcrust pastry, but there are quite different variants, such as bottomless cheesecake and variants with berries or other fruit.

 
 
 
 
 
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Prinzregententorte

If you’re in Bavaria, make sure to try out the Prinzregententorte, which is a torte consisting of at least six – and usually seven – thin layers of sponge cake interlaid with chocolate buttercream.

 
 
 
 
 
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Kalter Hund

The Kalter Hund – or “cold dog” is actually nothing to do with dogs. It’s a chocolate-style no-bake dessert that no doubt brings back sweet childhood memories back to many Germans. The Kalter Hund is generally made with a cocoa coconut fat cream and butter biscuits. The biscuits are layered in a loaf pan and spread with the cocoa cream.

Germany's Kalter Hund dessert being sliced up.

Germany’s Kalter Hund dessert being sliced up. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Stephanie Pilick

Hefezopf 

The Hefezopf, which literally means “yeast wreath” or “yeast braid” is a sweet bread popular in German-speaking countries and often in different variations across Europe. It’s a staple at Easter brunch with the family. The sweet yeast dough is divided into three parts, rolled into long “sausages” and then braided into a plait. Last but not least, it is brushed with a little milk and sprinkled with sugar before going into the oven. 

 
 
 
 
 
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ECONOMY

Why two leading grocery delivery apps are leaving Germany in May

Speedy delivery services boomed during the Covid years, offering customers the chance to have groceries delivered in minutes. But now two of Germany’s bigger players are leaving the country entirely. Could this be the end of the on-demand delivery trend?

Published: 29 April 2024 12:39 CEST
Why two leading grocery delivery apps are leaving Germany in May

Speedy delivery start-ups Getir and Gorillas will leave Germany by mid-May.

After the 15th, customers will no longer be able to order groceries via the Getir or Gorillas apps, and delivery couriers in Getir’s branded purple suits, or Gorilla’s black jackets, will no longer be seen making dizzying laps on Germany’s urban streets.

Getir’s remaining warehouses will be closed down over the next couple weeks. According to WirtschaftsWoche, 1,800 Getir employees in Germany have already received termination notices.

The Gorillas app has continued to serve customers but is owned entirely by Getir, meaning that grocery delivery by Gorillas will also cease in Germany this month.

Why are grocery delivery apps failing?

The speedy grocery sector, sometimes called quick commerce (Q-commerce), grew immensely in recent years. But none of the fast grocery delivery start-ups have managed to turn a profit. 

They have instead been fuelled by large sums of investor money, which was easy to grab when customer numbers rose through the Covid pandemic.

Turkey-based Getir was founded in 2015 and began rapidly expanding in Europe six years later. At its peak, it had a valuation of $12 billion (€11.2 billion).

Meanwhile, Berlin-based Gorillas was founded in 2020, and expanded rapidly across the capital city, subsequently rolling out across Germany and the EU and even entering the US.

Shortly after Gorillas came Flink: yet another Berlin-based grocery delivery start-up, but in pink. Both Gorillas and Flink succeeded in achieving unicorn status, meaning that they grew to a $1 billion valuation within their first year of business.

However, Gorillas’ shining success was short-lived. From early on, the start-up faced criticism from workers who complained about physically hazardous working conditions, faulty gear, and stressful performance demands. 

Meanwhile the company was rapidly burning through investment capital in its efforts to expand into new markets and coax in new customers with hefty discounts.

READ ALSO: German discount supermarket Aldi Süd launches delivery service

Getir bought Gorillas at the end of 2022, despite signs that Gorillas was crashing at the time.

One year later, the writing was on the wall for Getir as it began winding down operations in France, Italy, Spain and Portugal. In August of 2023, Getir announced that it was laying off 2,500 workers, equal to about 11 percent of its staff at the time.

According to British broadcaster Sky, shareholders have agreed to give further funding to Getir on the condition that the company withdraw from the UK, Germany and the Netherlands to instead focus on expansion in its home market in Turkey.

With Getir and Gorillas out of the way, Flink has secured its position as Germany’s market leader. According to Flink, its annual turnover is twice as much as Getir’s, at €560 million.

But even as the clear market leader, whether or not Flink can succeed in making rapid delivery profitable remains to be seen.

The company reportedly secured a further €100 million to extend its runway in Germany for the time being.

Betting on speed was a fatal miscalculation

Those who lived in Germany’s bigger cities in 2020 or 2021 may recall a period when delivery apps like Gorillas, Flink and others were dominating advertisement spaces on the streets and in U-bahn stations.

Gorillas infamously promoted deliveries in “ten minutes” on its billboards, and even on the backpacks and jackets that its riders wore.

Gorillas backpack on a rider

“Groceries delivered in 10 minutes” was among Gorillas’ initial marketing campaigns. Photo: picture alliance/dpa | Annette Riedl

Eventually the brand phased out the ten minute suggestion, presumably because most deliveries took longer than that. But it stuck with speed-focused marketing, turning instead to slogans like “faster than you”.

But market analysts have since determined that the focus on speed was a mistake. Logistically, providing super quick deliveries requires too many warehouse locations and too many employees.

With rents and other costs increasing recently, the weaknesses of the speed-based delivery business model were exposed.

Delivery jobs can be hazardous and exploitative

Delivery start-ups also faced protests and bad press as delivery and warehouse workers complained that they suffered immense stress on the job, and bodily injuries. 

Furthermore many delivery companies stood accused of trying to circumvent workers’ protections, traditionally seen as a key pillar of Germany’s social market economy, by hiring most of their workforce as “self-employed” contractors rather than full or part-time employees.

Gorillas, in particular, faced an onslaught of bad press for years as the so-called Gorillas workers’ collective organised countless protests against the company, and dozens of cases of wage-theft were brought in Berlin’s courts.

Even as Gorillas and Getir exit Germany, these issues can be expected to continue.

On Friday, German and Dutch food couriers protested in front of the headquarters of Just Eat Takeaway in Amsterdam. Just Eat Takeaway is the parent company for Lieferando, which has about 7,000 employees in Germany. 

In response to these kinds of labour disputes, the EU Parliament recently adopted a Platform Directive aiming to improve the working conditions and rights of platform workers at food delivery companies, including measures to prevent companies from hiring “self-employed” workers.

The EU directive also hopes to provide protections for consumers. Companies with delivery apps will be obliged to provide more transparency about how their algorithms work.

READ ALSO: REVEALED – Where to buy groceries on a Sunday in Berlin

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