In a traditional German bakery, the icing goes on the flat underside, not the domed top. That is what sets a proper Amerikaner apart from an ordinary drop biscuit, and it is exactly the point we got wrong ourselves at first. We explain why that matters and how the Thermomix® brings the dough together in 15 sec / speed 4.
The Amerikaner is a classic German bakery and school bake that many people remember from childhood. It is not an American pastry, the name is disputed. What defines it: a soft, slightly sandy dough made with the Thermomix®, baked until the underside is flat and smooth, then spread with icing or chocolate on that flat side only. We have been making these for children’s birthdays for years because 12 pieces can be ready in just over an hour.
Party Amerikaner Biscuits with the Thermomix®
Ingredients 0 / 11 ✓
- 1/2 vanilla pod
- 120 g sugar
- 300 g flour
- 120 g butter
- 1 tbsp lemon juice
- 3 eggs
- 1/2 sachet baking powder
- 50 g milk
- icing sugar
- couverture chocolate
- sugar pearls as preferred
Instructions 0 / 4
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1
Preheat the oven.
Preheat the oven to 180 °C (fan 160 °C, gas mark 3) and line two baking trays with baking paper.
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2
Mix the dough.
Slit the vanilla pod lengthways and scrape the seeds into the mixing bowl. Add the remaining dough ingredients to the mixing bowl and mix for 15 sec / speed 4.
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3
Shape and bake the Amerikaner.
Using a tablespoon, place 6 mounds of dough on each baking tray and bake one tray at a time on the middle shelf for approximately 12 to 15 minutes.
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4
Decorate the Amerikaner.
Once cooled, spread the flat underside of each Amerikaner with either icing sugar glaze or couverture chocolate and decorate with sugar pearls.
Nutrition per serving
What makes the Amerikaner dough work
The dough is intentionally soft. 300 g flour, 120 g butter, 3 eggs, 50 g milk and 1/2 sachet of baking powder produce a dough that cannot be rolled or cut with cutters. It is dropped onto the tray in loose mounds with a tablespoon. Anyone expecting a firm dough has the wrong approach. The soft consistency is deliberate: it gives the Amerikaner its flat, even shape and the characteristic smooth underside after baking.
The Thermomix® has a real advantage here. All the dough ingredients go into the mixing bowl at once: vanilla seeds, 120 g sugar, 300 g flour, 120 g butter, 1 tbsp lemon juice, 3 eggs, 1/2 sachet baking powder, 50 g milk. 15 sec / speed 4. That is it. No stirring by hand, no whipping air in, no alternating flour and milk. By hand with a stand mixer and several bowls, this takes 10 minutes. In the Thermomix® it is done in one minute, including scraping out the vanilla pod.
The icing on the right side. Once cooled, the glaze goes on the flat underside, not the domed top. That is the classic bakery method. The flat surface takes the glaze evenly and it sets cleanly. On the domed side it runs off.
Where things go wrong
Portions too large
If the mounds are too big, the centres will still be raw when the edges start to brown. Use a tablespoon to place 6 mounds per tray with enough space between them. They spread during baking. Placed too close together, they stick to each other.
Too hot or baked too long
180 °C top and bottom heat, 160 °C fan. The 12 to 15 minutes on the middle shelf is the upper limit. Baking too long produces hard Amerikaner that will not be soft the next day. Our approach: Check from minute 12. The underside should be pale golden, not brown. The surface will still look almost pale at that point. That is normal and exactly right.
Icing on the wrong side
The domed top does not take an even coat of glaze. Spreading icing on the top leaves uneven dry edges and a soggy centre after 10 minutes. Our approach: Turn the Amerikaner upside down, flat side up. Spread a thin layer of icing sugar glaze or melted couverture chocolate with a pastry brush. Leave to dry briefly before decorating with sugar pearls.
Icing variations
Classic icing sugar glaze: Stir icing sugar with a little lemon juice or water until smooth and thick. It sets quickly and stays white. This is our standard version for children’s birthdays because it takes food colouring well.
Chocolate glaze: Melt couverture chocolate in the mixing bowl at 50 °C / speed 2 until liquid and glossy. This gives the dark, shiny glaze you get from a bakery. We always wait until the Amerikaner are completely cool first, otherwise the couverture runs too much and sets unevenly.
Half and half: Half with icing sugar glaze, half with couverture chocolate. We do this at children’s birthday parties almost every time because it looks better on a buffet table and caters to different tastes.
Keeps for 3 days in a tin, freeze without icing
Un-iced Amerikaner keep well in an airtight tin at room temperature for 3 to 4 days. Iced Amerikaner can stick when stacked on top of each other. We always place a sheet of baking paper between the layers.
For parties: the Amerikaner can be baked the day before and stored without decoration. Spread the icing on the day of the party and leave to dry. Freezing works well, but only before icing. Apply fresh icing after thawing.
Other party classics with the Thermomix®
On a birthday buffet, the Amerikaner go well alongside an advocaat sheet cake for the adults. If you want something to drink: our 17 best liqueur recipes from the Thermomix® range from a simple advocaat to a fruity raspberry liqueur. For the children, choux mango cream puffs make another great party bake.
How other recipes do it differently
Goes well with: Milk.
Part of the Thermomix® community swears by ammonium bicarbonate instead of baking powder. This produces firmer, flatter Amerikaner with the classic old-fashioned bakery flavour. We use baking powder because the result is softer and easier for children to bite into. Other recipes use a mini format and portion the dough with two teaspoons, giving 24 pieces instead of our standard 12 Amerikaner at around 7 cm in diameter. For the icing, we often see half icing sugar and half chocolate on one tray, topped with chocolate buttons or coloured sprinkles. We stick to plain lemon icing sugar glaze on the underside because it is traditional and sticks less when stacking in a tin.
