Vegetarian German Onion Cake (Zwiebelkuchen) Recipe
Learn how to make a delicious vegetarian German Onion Cake (Zwiebelkuchen) with sautéed onions, zucchini, and a creamy, cheesy topping on a fluffy yeast dough. Perfect for any gathering!
Servings: 20 Servings
Equipment
- 45x37 cm (17.72 x 14.57 inch) baking sheet
- Kitchen machine or hand mixer with dough hooks OPTIONAL
- Bowls
- Saucepan or pot
Ingredients
For the yeast dough
- 500 g (1.1 lbs/ 4 cups + 2 tablespoons) plain flour (all purpose flour) plus extra for dusting
- 1 teaspoon sugar
- 80 g (2.6 oz/ ¼ cup + 1 tablespoon) butter soft
- 300 ml (10.14 fl.oz/ 1¼ cups) milk lukewarm
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 2½ teaspoon dry yeast (7 g/1/4 oz )
- 2 tablespoons sunflower oil
For the filling
- 500 g (1.1 lbs) zucchini
- 1 g (2.2 lbs) onions
- 200 g (7.05 oz) cream cheese / sour cream/ schmand
- 2 tablespoons breadcrumbs
- ½ teaspoon caraway seeds
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
For the topping
- 150 g (5.3 oz/ 1½ cups) grated cheese mild
- 500 g (1.1 lbs) cream cheese / sour cream/ schmand
- 2 large eggs
- ½ teaspoon ground nutmeg
- salt and freshly ground black pepper to taste
Instructions
- Put all-purpose flour or plain flour into a large bowl and make a well in the center. Add sugar, yeast, and lukewarm milk to the well. Stir well and let the mixture stand for 10 minutes.
- Add butter, salt, and oil to the bowl and knead the dough like this:Using a hand mixer or stand mixer with dough hooks: In a mixing bowl, mix all the ingredients until well combined. Then knead the dough for about 10 minutes (I kneaded the dough for about 7 minutes on low speed (speed 1 on a Bosch kitchen machine) and for an additional 3 minutes at medium-high speed (speed 3)).* Adjust the kneading time and mixer speed as necessary to achieve a smooth and elastic dough.By hand:In a mixing bowl, combine all the ingredients together with the help of a fork or similar tool until the flour is well incorporated. Transfer the dough onto a working surface greased with oil and knead with greased hands for about 10 to 12 minutes.* If you're using a heavy-duty kitchen machine, please knead your dough for a maximum of 7 minutes in total; otherwise, you will overwork the dough.
- Shape the dough into a ball. Cover the bowl with cling film and then with a tea towel. Let it rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes or until the dough has doubled in size. * If it's cold where you are, preheat your oven to 50°C (122°F) while making the dough, turn it off, and let the dough rise in the preheated switched-off oven for the indicated time.
- In the meantime, peel the onions, slice them, and set them aside. Next, wash the zucchini under running tap water, pat them dry with paper towels, and cut them into cubes.
- Heat about 3 tablespoons of oil in a pan over medium heat. Add the zucchini and sauté for about 3 minutes. Then add the onions and sauté for about 10 minutes or until they become translucent. Add caraway seeds and season with salt and pepper. Remove from the heat and set it aside to cool.
- In a separate bowl, add cream cheese (or whatever you are using), eggs, and combine them well. Stir in grated cheese, and season with nutmeg, salt, and pepper.
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees with both top and bottom heat (Convection bake function: 180 °C (356 °F)). Grease a large baking dish with oil. I used a 45×37 cm (17.72 x 14.57 inch) baking sheet.
- Once the dough has doubled in size, place it in the middle of the baking dish. Rub your hands with a few drops of oil and pull out the dough to the size of the baking sheet. Alternatively, you could roll out the dough (on a pastry mat with a rolling pin first) into the shape of your baking sheet, then transfer it onto the prepared baking sheet.
- Spread the rolled-out dough with cream cheese and sprinkle it with breadcrumbs. Next, transfer the onion-zucchini mixture onto the rolled-out dough spread with cream cheese, evenly. Then, pour the creamy cheesy mixture all over the top. (Smooth it out with the help of a spoon.) Bake for about 55 minutes or until it's nicely golden brown.