Kuchen (German pronunciation: [ˈkuːxən] ^ⓘ), the German word for cake, is used in other languages as the name for several different types of savory or sweet desserts, pastries, and gateaux. Most Kuchen have eggs, flour and sugar as common ingredients while also, but not always, including some fat. (The sugar might possibly be replaced by honey or even, in cakes directed to diabetic people or people on a diet, a sugar substitute.) In the Germanosphere it is a common tradition to invite friends over to one's house or to a cafe between noon and evening to drink coffee and eat Kuchen ("Kaffee und Kuchen").

The term itself may cover as many distinct desserts as its English counterpart "cake". However, the word "cake" covers both Kuchen and Torte, sometimes confused with one another, the key difference being that a Torte is a Kuchen that is decorated or layered with cream, frosting, ganache, or fruit based filling after baking. A Kuchen is typically less decorative or fancy in nature. On the other hand, the word "Kuchen" covers desserts that English would call "pie", such as Apfelkuchen (apple pie). Examples of a Torte made from a base Kuchen include the Jewish Palacsinken Torte and Mohn Torte (or Kindli).

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People who trace their ancestry to the group known as Germans from Russia call a pastry like the first half of this definition "Kuchen." It is not called Obstkuchen. It is not at all like a fruit cake and it does not have an icing. It is the official South Dakota State Desert. (See the Germans from Russia Heritage Society [grhs.org] and on Facebook, Germans from Russia Food and Culture.)

Kuchen also does not have to fall under a sweet category as there are savory variations of it as well. These are called Pikante Kuchen, with examples such as Zwiebelkuchen, Speckkuchen, and Kartoffelkuchen (often paired with fresh wine or beer).

Several kinds of sheet cake are also part of traditional German cuisine. They are typically not iced or decorated for a specific celebration as American sheet cakes are, and may use any kind of dough such as yeast-leavened or sponge.

Examples of German-style sheet cakes (Blechkuchen, pronounced [ˈblɛçˌkuːxn̩]) include Bienenstich, Donauwelle, Butterkuchen and Schmandkuchen [de].

In the United States, back when Jewish immigrants were first arriving in the country, many of the recipes that they brought with them utilized dried fruits as it was difficult to come across fresh ones in their home countries. One that was particularly favored is compote. Desserts have long since changed to become more sophisticated as fresh fruits are now abundant.