Simple Apple Streusel Cake

Ole from the German blog Nimmersatt has a legendary apple cake on his blog, which has been on my baking list forever. I finally have come around to making it. The recipe is from his beloved granny (actually not his real grandma, but a neighbor that took him under her wings) that sounds very much like my own grandma. Just as granny Hanna would always have a cake in the house and offer it to friends and family, so did my grandma. My grandma was a very good cook and always made something sweet. If it was somebody’s birthday, there would be so much cake and so many different pastries that the table would almost break down. She always made too much, but that is how she liked it. Usually her cakes were simple, one typical one would be a sheet cake with fruits and crumbs or peppernuts.

So a cake in this vain seemed perfect. The cake is similar to my famous plum tart with crumbs. This cake also has a pie crust, which is then followed by a layer of apples. The top layer is streusel or crumbs. What I liked about this recipe in particular was the idea of not only using cinnamon, but also cardamom as a spice. I don’t think my grandma would have ever thought about adding cardamom. Did she even know this spice existed? Not too sure. However, regarding the crumbs, I ended up using my own recipe, somehow the one from Ole didn’t work for me. I had to fix it with flour, chill it in the fridge and then finally get it done. The recipe below showcasts my own streusel recipe. I do hope that my grandma and grandma Hanna bake cakes in heaven together. I can imagine new arrivals being very excited to be greeted by these ladies with a nice piece of a simple apple cake.

Credit: Nimmersatt (in German)

Print Recipe

Simple Apple Streusel Cake

Serves: One 24-26cm/8-9 inch ∅ springform

Prep Time: 45min – Cooking Time: 50min – Total Time: 1hr 10min

This simple apple streusel cake is made with a pie crust, filled with apples and has lots of streusel/crumbs on top.

Ingredients

• Pie Crust
• 250 grams of all-purpose flour
• 80 grams of regular sugar
• 150 grams of cold butter
• 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract
• 1 egg
• 
  
• Streusel
• 100 grams of all-purpose flour
• 50 grams of regular sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1/2 teaspoon of cardamom
• 75g Butter
• 
  
• Apple Filling
• 5-6 tart apples (I had Gala)
• 3 tablespoons of regular sugar
• 1 teaspoon of cinnamon
• 1 teaspoon of cardamom

Instructions

1

In this video you can see how I make the cake. For the pie crust mix flour and sugar in a large bowl. Add the cold butter in smaller chunks and rub into crumbs. Add egg and vanilla extract and work the dough until a ball forms. Transfer to a container wih a lid and chill at least for half an hour in the fridge or overnight.

2

Right after for the streusel weigh flour, sugar and spices into the same bowl, add the butter in small chunks again and work into crumbs. Also transfer to the fridge to chill.

3

For the apple filling peel and quarter the apples and then cut into chunks. Combine with sugar and spices and let sit. You can also prepare the apples beforehand. Just be sure to cover and chill in the fridge.

4

Preheat oven to 180 degrees Celsius and roll out pie crust on a lightly floured surface slightly bigger than your pie form or springform. Normally you will use a springform of about 24-26cm for this cake. Then transfer pie crust to your cake form. Spread apples on top and then the crumbs.

5

Bake on medium rack for about 50 minutes or until golden and apples are bubbly, it depends a little on your oven how long the cake takes. Let chill and serve with whipped cream.