Allgau Specialty Onion Cake – Zwiebelkuchen

The region Allgäu of the South is a popular vacation destination for all seasons. The region is known for their good food specialties and milk products as well. Popular is the Allgäuer Bergkäse” a cheese that is made in the mountains. Today learn how to make the Allgau Specialty Onion Cake – it’s a flat tart topped with onions, bacon (Speck) and cream. The original recipe is using the popular cheese from the Allgäu mountains and it is called “Bergkäse”. Unfortunately this cheese is not available in the USA or if any, you can find it in special cheese stores. We recommend to use cheese like Emmenthaler, Gruyere or a flavorful hard cheese; we don’t recommend to use American cheese. Happy Cooking!

Ingredients Allgau Specialty Onion Cake

For the Dough
350 g flour – Find German Flour Here – 
1/2 cube fresh yeast or dry yeast (depending on the yeast you use see instruction on package, normally it is 1 package yeast for 500g flour)
1 dash sugar
1/2 tsp salt
150 ml warm water or 100ml water and 50 ml light beer

Topping
1 kg onions
clarified butter
100 g smoked bacon (preferably German Speck)
pepper, caraway seeds, salt to taste
2 eggs
200 g creme fraiche
75 g grated cheese
caraway seeds if you like

Cooking Instructions Onion Cake

Make the Dough
– Place flour in a bowl, make a mold, add salt around the edges, yeast in the middle.
– Add sugar and the liquid, mix with yeast.
– Cover and let rise for 15 min.
– Mix yeast-dough with flour. Knead well.
– Cover and let rise for 15 min.

Make the Topping
– Peel onions, cut in fine stripes. Cut Speck in small cubes.
– Heat clarified butter, add Speck, fry for 1-2 min. Add onions.
– Saute for about 25 min. Spice to taste.
– On a floured baking board knead dough and roll to a rectangle form.
– Layer a high sheet baking tray or 2 round spring forms (10 inches) with parchment paper.

– Pre-heat oven to 390 F (200C).
– Roll the dough so it will fit onto the tray or into the forms – place dough along the rim as well.
– Spread onions evenly on the dough.
– Mix eggs with creme fraiche, salt, and pepper to taste.
– Pour the topping on top of onions.
– Sprinkle with cheese and caraway seeds

– Bake for 25 min, then reduce heat to 370 F, and bake for another 10 min.
– Let sit for 5 min before you cut the onion cake.