German Baking Flavourings: Bitter Almond, Rum, Lemon and Butter Vanilla
German baking flavourings explained
German recipes call for flavourings in small glass ampoules rather than the bottles of extract a British baker reaches for. One ampoule holds 2ml, and a recipe will simply say one bottle, meaning the whole thing goes in.
That is the difference that trips people up. There is no measuring, and there is nothing left over.
Why ampoules rather than a bottle
An extract bottle sits open in a cupboard and loses its aroma slowly, because the volatile compounds that carry the flavour escape every time it is opened. A sealed glass ampoule does not, so the last one in the pack is as strong as the first.
It also makes recipes portable. A German recipe can name a unit rather than a quantity and stay correct in any kitchen, which is the same logic behind Backin sachets and vanilla sugar.
The four we stock, and where each belongs
Bittermandel, bitter almond. The most distinctly German of the four, and the one that makes Christmas baking taste German. It goes into Stollen, marzipan-adjacent bakes, cherry cakes and biscuits. It is potent, so a recipe rarely wants more than one ampoule.
Rum. Rum flavouring rather than rum, so it carries the aroma without the alcohol or the liquid. Used in Rumkugeln, in buttercream, in fruit cakes and in anything where a splash of actual rum would loosen the mixture too much.
Zitrone, lemon. Cleaner and more consistent than zesting, and useful when you want the aroma without the moisture or the bits. Standard in lemon cakes, in shortcrust and in glazes.
Butter-Vanille, butter vanilla. The one with no real British equivalent: rounder and warmer than plain vanilla, with a buttery note behind it. It is what gives many German sponges their particular smell, and it belongs in Sandkuchen, marble cake and biscuits.
How to use them
Add the ampoule to the wet ingredients, or to the butter and sugar as you cream them, so the aroma distributes before the flour goes in. Adding it at the end tends to leave it unevenly through the crumb.
Do not double up for a stronger flavour. These are concentrated, and bitter almond in particular turns harsh and slightly chemical if overdone. If a recipe wants more, it will say two.
If you are substituting
One 2ml ampoule is roughly half a teaspoon of a British extract, though extracts vary in strength between brands so treat that as a starting point rather than a rule. For butter vanilla there is no clean substitute: plain vanilla extract will get you part of the way, and the buttery note simply will not be there.
Where to find them
All four sit together in our German baking flavourings section, which is the easiest way to pick up the set rather than hunting them individually.
There is more about the maker on our Dr. Oetker brand page.
The short answer
German flavourings come in sealed 2ml glass ampoules, and one ampoule is one recipe. Bitter almond for Christmas baking, rum for fruit cakes and buttercream, lemon for cakes and glazes, butter vanilla for the smell of a German sponge.
What we stock
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Dr Oetker Bitter Almond Flavouring | 4 x 2 ml
Regular price £1.99 GBPRegular priceUnit price per -
Dr Oetker Rum Flavouring | 4 x 2 ml
Regular price £1.39 GBPRegular priceUnit price per -
Dr Oetker Lemon Flavouring | 4 x 2 ml
Regular price £1.39 GBPRegular priceUnit price per -
Dr Oetker Butter Vanilla Flavouring | 4 x 2 ml
Regular price £1.29 GBPRegular priceUnit price per
