German Apple Crumb Cake | Apfelstreuselkuchen
Every fall, as soon as apples are in season, I make this German apple crumb cake, or as we call it in Germany, Apfelstreuselkuchen. This is an updated version of the cake we had at my Oma’s table. It has a buttery shortcrust, a layer of sautéed apples, and a generous crumbly streusel on top, and it always impresses family and friends. You don’t need any special ingredients: it takes about 30 minutes to prepare and bakes in under an hour.
Short on time? My easy one-dough Streuselkuchen uses the same dough for the base and the crumbs. For this apple version, though, it’s worth making a separate shortcrust and streusel, because that is exactly what my Oma did.
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What makes this apple crumb cake special
Apple Crumb Cake Ingredients
Short crust:
- Flour: I use regular AP flour but you can also use white spelt flour
- Sugar: I like using organic cane sugar
- Baking powder: just a pinch to give the crust a bit of a lift
- Salt: sweet recipes taste flat without a bit of salt
- Vanilla: brings out the sweet flavors
- Egg: this keeps the crust nicely together
- Butter: I always prefer using European-style butter for its high fat content
Apple filling:
- Apples: I love using tart or heirloom apples but any variety will work
- Sugar: you can use regular sugar or brown sugar for a deeper flavor
- Cinnamon: just a pinch to complement the apple flavor
- Butter: helps sauteeing the apples and deepen their flavor
Crumb topping:
- Flour: again, simple AP flour or white spelt flour
- Sugar: just cane sugar
- Butter: here, too, I prefer European-style butter but use what you have
- Vanilla: makes everything taste better
👉 Helpful Tools
Here are some tools that you will need to make this apple crumb cake.
Tips
Anja’s Tips for Success
- While you can press the entire crust dough into the springform pan and skip forming the edge later, it will get dark brown during the baking. Therefore, I recommend you only bake ⅔ of the dough into the crust and add the remaining ⅓ formed as an edge during the second baking.
- European-style butter contains less moisture and makes the crust and crumbs extra buttery and crumbly.
- For this recipe it is worth finding really good, flavorful apples. I always love tart varieties or heirloom apples.
How to make this Apfelstreuselkuchen
⭐️ This is a summary of the steps involved. For the complete instructions, please scroll down to the recipe card at the bottom of the post.
- Mix all the ingredients into a smooth dough.
- Press the dough into a prepared springform pan. Bake for 15 mins.
- Peel, core, quarter, and slice the apples. Stew them in butter, sugar, and cinnamon.
- Mix the crumb ingredients into streusels.
- Spread the apple mixture on the crust.
- Add the crumb topping and bake for 50 mins.
How to serve
We love to serve it slightly warm or at room temperature. A dollop of whipped cream is the “icing on the cake”. However, you can also serve it with some vanilla ice cream.
How long does apple crumb cake last?
You can keep this cake covered at room temperature for up to 3 days but if you want to keep it for up to 5 days, I recommend storing it in an airtight container in the refrigerator.
For longer storage, you can cut it into slices and freeze it in a ziplock bag or airtight freezer bag for up to 3 months. Simply thaw it at room temperature.
German Apple Crumb Cake | Oma’s Apfelstreuselkuchen
Ingredients
For the short crust:
- 1 ⅛ c AP flour
- 1 pinch baking powder
- ⅓ c sugar
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 egg
- 5 TBSP butter at room temperature
For the apple filling:
- 2 pounds apples
- ½ c sugar
- 1 dash cinnamon powder
- 1 TBSP butter
For the crumb topping:
- 1 c AP flour
- ½ c sugar
- 1 ½ tsp vanilla
- 6 TBSP butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 400˚F. Lightly grease and flour a 10" springform pan.
Make the short crust:
- In a medium mixing bowl, mix the flour with baking powder, salt, and sugar.
- Add the remaining ingredients and process everything with a mixer (kneading hook) first on the lowest, then on the highest setting into a dough.
- Roll out 2/3 of the dough on the bottom of the springform pan and pierce several times with a fork. Put the rim of the springform pan around it. Put the mold on the rack in the oven and pre-bake the bottom.
Make the apple filling:
- Peel the apples, cut them into quarters, core, and cut them into small pieces.
- In a medium saucepan over medium heat, stew the apples with sugar, cinnamon, and butter while stirring for about 10 minutes. Let the apple mixture cool slightly.
- Form the remaining dough into a long roll, place it as an edge on the pre-baked bottom, and press it against the mold so that an approximately 1" high edge is created.
- Spread the apple mixture on the pre-baked crust.
Make the crumb topping:
- In a medium mixing bowl, mix the flour with sugar, and vanilla extract. Add butter or margarine and process into crumbs of your preferred size. Spread the crumbs evenly over the filling.
Bake the cake:
- Bake the cake in the hot oven for 40 minutes or until golden brown on top.
- Remove the ring of the springform pan and let the cake cool on a wire rack.
Notes
- I love using tart or heirloom apples but you can also add a splash of lemon juice to your apple mixture
- you can also make this crumb cake with other fruit
- best served slightly warm or at room temperature with a dollop of whipped cream
Nutrition
Other recipes you might like
If you love a good streusel topping as much as I do, there are plenty more German cakes to try. My poppy seed streusel cake (Mohnkuchen mit Streuseln) pairs a creamy poppy seed filling with the same buttery crumbs, and in spring, my rhubarb crumb cake balances tart rhubarb with a sweet streusel.
Still have apples left over? Make a batch of Apfelküchle (German apple fritters), warm apple rings fried golden and dusted with cinnamon sugar. For a classic sheet cake with your afternoon coffee, you can’t go wrong with Butterkuchen (German butter cake) or Bienenstich (bee sting cake) with its almond topping and creamy filling. And if you’re looking for even more inspiration, browse all of my German recipes.
⭐️ Let me know if you have any questions or comments!
