German Apple Streusel Cake (Apfelstreuselkuchen)

Close-up of a slice of homemade fruit pie with crumble topping on a white plate.

German Apple Streusel Cake (Apfelstreuselkuchen)

This German Apple Streusel Cake is made with a buttery shortcrust, soft cinnamon apples, a thin layer of fruit jam, and a crumbly streusel topping. It's an easy homemade dessert that uses only basic ingredients and comes out fantastic, like most traditional recipes do!

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Prep Time 45

Cook Time 1 15

Total Time 2

Servings 12 slices

Calories 351

Ingredients

For the Buttery Shortcrust

200 g all-purpose flour
125 g cold unsalted butter cubed
50 g granulated sugar
1 egg
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

For the Caramelized Apple Filling

1.5 kg about 3.3 lbs apples, weighed before peeling
80 g granulated sugar
60 g unsalted butter
1½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
Pinch of salt

For the Streusel Topping

155 g all-purpose flour
75 g granulated sugar
100 g cold unsalted butter cubed
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¼ teaspoon fine sea salt

For Assembling

2 tablespoons about 40 g jam of choice (I prefer a darker jam so it adds a bit of color, like plum or blueberry)

Instructions

Peel, core, and coarsely grate the apples. Melt the butter in a large, wide saucepan over medium heat. Add the grated apples, sugar, and salt, and stir to combine. Cook for 20–30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until softened and most of the liquid has evaporated. Stir in the cinnamon and set aside to cool.
Rub the butter into the flour, sugar, and salt until crumbly. Add the egg and mix just until the dough comes together. Press it into your springform pan, extending it slightly up the sides, and refrigerate for 30 minutes before pre-baking. Don’t wash the bowl yet, since you’ll make almost the same crumbly mixture again for the streusel!
Bake at 350°F (180°C) for 20–25 minutes, until lightly golden. Spread the jam evenly over the warm crust.
Combine the flour, sugar, and salt. Add the cold butter and vanilla, working everything together until coarse crumbs form. Squeeze some of the mixture into larger clusters and refrigerate until needed.
Spread the cooled apple filling evenly over the crust and scatter the streusel on top. Don't press it down.
Bake at 350°F (180°C) for another 45–50 minutes, until the streusel is golden brown. Cool completely before removing the springform ring and slicing.

Notes

Choosing your apples: I’m not at all picky about the apples, I’ve never had problems with an apple variety not working well. Use whichever apples you have on hand - I always use the ugly ones for desserts like this one.

Don't skip cooking the apples. Cooking them beforehand concentrates their flavor and removes excess moisture. Since we're not using any additional thickener in this recipe, make sure to cook off most of the liquid. The finished filling should be soft and juicy, but there shouldn't be a lot of liquid pooling at the bottom of the saucepan. If your apples are particularly juicy, they may need a few extra minutes of cooking.

For the best streusel topping: Use cold butter and avoid working the mixture too much. Leaving some larger chunks creates a more interesting texture and gives you those delicious buttery streusel pieces.

Jam: The thin layer of jam adds a nice fruity flavor, some sweetness and it also helps separate the crust from the apple filling, which looks great visually.

Make ahead: You can make the apple filling a day in advance and refrigerate it in an airtight container. The streusel can also be made ahead and kept in the fridge until you're ready to assemble the cake.

Storage: Store the cooled cake covered in the refrigerator for up to 4 days. For the best texture, let individual slices come to room temperature or warm them briefly in the oven before serving.

Serving suggestions: In Germany and Austria, apple cakes like this are often served with whipped cream (Schlagsahne). A little powdered sugar on top is also nice, although I personally don't think this cake needs the extra sweetness - we just eat it as is!

Using fresh-milled flour: Soft white wheat or spelt work best for this crust and crumble. Replace all-purpose flour 1:1 by weight (200 g for the crust and 155 g for the streusel). Mill finely and let the flour cool before using. If the crumble seems too dry to form clusters, add an extra 5–10 g of cold butter.

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