Today, I am going to share an authentic German Apple cake recipe with you that is made with a delicious buttery streusel topic. Trust me, once you have tried it, you will be making it all the time.
This recipe has been used by my late grandmother, my mother, and now by me. Much to the delight of my family and friends.
This authentic German apple cake is big enough to feed a family of five for afternoon tea or dessert served with a generous amount of whipped cream and maybe even some ice cream.
Best of all, there will be still leftovers for the next day’s lunches, or you could put some cake into the freezer. But the latter is more unlikely because simply, the cake will be gobbled up in no time.
It is so good, that my daughter want it as her birthday cake for her next birthday party.
Extra Tips Before You Get Started
The combination of the yeast dough, topped with juicy sliced apples, plus the taste of the golden brown streusel on top is just amazing.
A word of caution: Because we are using a yeast dough, it will take some time to prepare, mainly waiting time for the dough to rise.
Related post: The Most Delicious Waffles – Classic Waffle Recipe
In saying that, you can prepare the dough a day in advance and leave it in the fridge overnight.
The same applies to the apples and streusel topping. Both can be prepared prior, and left in the fridge until you are ready to use it.
Instead of apples, you can also use plums, or gooseberry. It is equally delicious.
Authentic German Apple Cake With Streusel Topping
Authentic German Apple Cake With Streusel Topping
Equipment
- 1 large bowl for the dough
- 1 medium bowl for the streusel topping
- 1 medium bowl for the apple slices
- 1 large baking sheet pan (around 17" x 13")
Ingredients
For the dough
- 500 grams all purpose flour
- 100 grams granulated sugar
- 250 ml milk
- 1 tsp dry yeast
- 100 grams butter
Apples/ Streusel Topping
- 8 large apples, cut into slices e.g. Granny Smith
- 200 grams all-purpose flour
- 100 grams soft butter
- 100 grams granulated sugar
Extra Topping
- 100 grams granulated sugar mixed with cinnamon
- 100 grams melted (slightly burned) butter
Instructions
The dough
- in a small saucepan warm up the milk, add the butter, and sugar and stir until the sugar has almost dissolved and the butter has melted
- let the mixture cool down for a little bit (it should be lukewarm), add the yeast and give it a stir; let sit for 5 minutes
- while you are waiting, sieve the flour into a large bowl
- now add the butter, milk, sugar, yeast mixture to the flour and mix with your hand until well combined; Note: you can also use an electric stand mixer
- knead until it forms a soft ball, around 5 minutes
- cover and put into a warm place to proof
- once it has doubled in size (1.5 hrs), the dough is ready
- grease the baking sheet pan, roll out the dough, and put it in the pan
Apple Topping
- while the dough is rising, peel the apples, cut out the core, and cut the apples into thick slices
- to prevent the apples from browning drizzle with lemon juice
- arrange the apple slices on the dough in the baking sheet pan
Streusel Topping
- in a bowl, mix the flour, sugar, and soft butter until they resemble crumbles (streusel)
- scatter the crumbles evenly on top of the apple slices until they are almost covered
Baking
- preheat the oven to 180 degrees conventional setting
- bake for 45 minutes or until the dough and the streusel are golden brown
Extra Topping
- once the cake is baked, drizzle with cinnamon sugar and butter. Put it back in the oven for another 5 minutes
