Apple Crumble Cake - German Cake

This is a soft and moist German apple crumble cake with a crisp streusel topping, a perfect autumn cake recipe.

This apple crumble cake is a typical German cake. A soft tray bake apple cake made with sour cream, covered with apples, and topped with crispy streusel.

I still have so many apples in my cellar, different sorts of apples I have received from different neighbors and friends. So, I try to integrate apples into many of the dishes I cook and the cakes I bake these days.

I could not really pick a favorite. I do love apple cakes generally, and I particularly loved each one I have ever posted, but the apple cake with whole apples, the apple muffins with oil, or the German almond apple cake are some of the first to come to mind.

German streusel cakes

This apple crumble cake is a typical German kind of cake, a so-called sheet cake or Blechkuchen. You can find this kind of cake in every bakery or coffee shop in Germany, and you could probably get to taste one sort or another at any birthday party you attend around here. A nice Blechkuchen is always part of the menu, so to speak.

And why not, this kind of cake is delicious, easy to make and extremely versatile. You can make it with almost any kind of fruit or berries you can think of (German plum cake, peaches, apricots, cherries, red currant cake, blackberries, blueberries, and so on); you can make a shortcrust base or a yeast dough base.

You can also top it with a poppy seeds mixture instead of fruit or berries, make a quark cheesecake in this form, or a fluffy cake topped with only butter and sugar, like this Blitzkuchen recipe.

You can leave the cake with just the fruit on it or cover the fruit with a glaze. You can top the cake with streusel/crumble, meringue, or a sour cream/heavy cream mixture. You can add different kinds of nuts, coconut flakes, or oats.

I have seen and eaten so many versions of this kind of Blechkuchen, and I would never get tired of them because they are always so good and different.

Ingredients

You will need the typical ingredients to make the dough:

• all-purpose flour
• sugar
• unsalted butter
• some vanilla extract or vanilla sugar
• cinnamon

Sour cream:

• What makes this apple crumble cake different is the fact that you will split the batter in two and mix half of it with sour cream. You will use the plain batter to make the base and the sour cream half to top the cake.
• I used regular sour cream with 10% fat content.

Apples:

• You will also need apples, about 750 g/ 1.6 lbs.
• Apples come in very different sizes, especially if they are not coming from a supermarket, so it is rather hard to say how many apples would make this quantity, perhaps about 5 medium ones.
• However, the exact number is not crucial; just use as many apples as necessary to cover the dough generously.

How to make German apple crumble cake?

Crumbles or streusel:

• To make the streusel, you could either mix the ingredients in the food processor until the mixture turns to crumbs or cut the cold butter into the flour with the help of a butter knife.
• You can also make the streusel with your hands, rubbing the cold butter into the flour mixture until you obtain the crumbs. However, if using your hands only rub the butter and the flour with your fingertips, the palms of your hands are too warm for this procedure.
• I always hold my fingers under cold water before doing this. I dry them well, and then I start rubbing the butter into the flour.
• Place the crumbles in the fridge until ready to use.

Apples:

• Clean and chop the apples into small cubes. There is no need to peel them.
• Place the apple pieces in a bowl and add the lemon juice. Toss well; the lemon juice will prevent them from getting brown.

Batter:

• Making the base of the cake is super easy, much easier than making yeast dough.
• Beat the soft unsalted butter until light and fluffy.
• Add the sugar, vanilla, and cinnamon and mix well again.
• Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well in between.
• In another bowl mix together the flour and baking powder. Add this mixture, in 3 or 4 batches, to the egg mixture.

Topping:

• Split the batter in half. Mix half of the batter with the sour cream and set aside.

Assembling the apple cake

• Line a baking tray of about 30x40 cm/ 12x16 inch with baking paper.
• Evenly spread the batter without the sour cream on the tray.
• Spread the apple cubes evenly on top of the batter.
• Spread the second half of the batter, the one containing the sour cream, over the apples.
• Top with the crumbles.
• Bake for about 50-60 minutes in the preheated oven at 200 degrees Celsius/ 400 degrees Fahrenheit.

Make in advance

• The apple crumble cake can be made one day in advance.
• It will keep in airtight containers for at least 3-4 days in the refrigerator.
• You can also freeze it. Place in airtight containers with pieces of parchment paper between the layers.
• Defrost at room temperature.

Apple Crumble Cake - German Cake

A soft and moist German apple crumble cake with a crisp crumb topping, a perfect autumn cake recipe.

4.46 from 46 votes

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Course: Cakes

Cuisine: German

Prep Time: 30 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 30 minutes minutes

Servings: 20 cake pieces

Calories: 390kcal

Author: Adina

Equipment

• ▢
  Baking sheet of about 30x40 cm/ 12x16 inch

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Ingredients 

Crumble (Notes 1, 2):

• ▢ 250 g all-purpose flour 9 oz/ 2 cups + 1 tablespoon
• ▢ 125 g granulated sugar 4.5 oz/ ½ cup + 2 tablespoons
• ▢ 150 g unsalted butter 5.5 oz/ scant ⅔ cup, very cold
• ▢ ½ teaspoon cinnamon

Batter and topping:

• ▢ 750 g tart apples about 5 medium, 1.7 lbs
• ▢ 2 tablespoons lemon juice
• ▢ 200 g unsalted butter soft, 7 oz/ ¾ cup + 1 ½ tablespoons
• ▢ 200 g granulated sugar 7 oz/ 1 cup
• ▢ 2 sachets vanilla sugar or 1 tablespoon of pure vanilla extract
• ▢ 2 teaspoons cinnamon
• ▢ 6 eggs large (medium Germany)
• ▢ 450 g all-purpose flour 1 lb/ 3 ¾ cups
• ▢ 4 teaspoons baking powder
• ▢ 300 g sour cream 10.5 oz/ 1 ¼ cup

Instructions

• Preheat the oven to 200°C/ 400°F. Line a baking sheet of about 30x40 cm/ 12x16 inch with parchment paper.

Crumbles in the food processor:

• Place the flour, sugar, and cinnamon in the food processor. Pulse shortly to mix. Add the very cold butter, cut into cubes, and process shortly until you have crumbles.

  250 g all-purpose flour/ 9 oz/ 2 cups + 1 tablespoon + 125 g granulated sugar/ 4.5 oz/ ½ cup + 2 tablespoons + ½ teaspoon cinnamon + 150 g unsalted butter/ 5.5 oz/ scant ⅔ cup

Crumbles without food processor:

• Mix the flour, cinnamon, and sugar in a bowl. Place the cold butter cubes on top and cut the butter into the flour until you obtain crumbles. If doing this with your hands, only use your fingertips; if you use your palms the butter will get warm too quickly. Place the crumble in the fridge until ready to use.

Apples:

• Chop apples: There is no need to peel the apples. Clean and chop them into small cubes. Toss well with lemon juice to prevent them from getting brown.

  750 g tart apples/ about 5 medium, 1.7 lbs + 2 tablespoons lemon juice

Batter:

• Wet ingredients: Place the soft butter in a bowl and beat until fluffy. Add sugar, vanilla sugar or vanilla extract, and cinnamon. Mix well. Add the eggs, one at a time, mixing well in between.

  200 g unsalted butter/ 7 oz/ ¾ cup + 1 ½ tablespoons + 200 g granulated sugar/ 7 oz/ 1 cup + 2 sachets vanilla sugar or 1 tablespoon vanilla extract + 2 teaspoons cinnamon + 6 eggs
• Dry ingredients: Mix the flour and baking powder in another bowl. Add them to the egg mixture in 3 or 4 batches.

  450 g all-purpose flour/ 1 lb/ 3 ¾ cups + 4 teaspoons baking powder
• Divide the batter into two equal parts. Leave one batch as it is and mix the second batch with the sour cream. Set aside.

  300 g sour cream/ 10.5 oz/ 1 ¼ cup

Assemble and bake:

• Spread the batter without the sour cream on the prepared tray. Spread the apple cubes evenly on top of the batter. Spread the sour cream batter over the apples. Top the cake with the crumbles.
• Bake the cake for about 50-60 minutes or until golden brown. If the cake starts to get brown long before the baking time is over, cover it very loosely with a piece of aluminum foil. The cake can be made one day in advance.

Notes

1. The recipe can be easily halved and baked in a springform of about 26 cm/ 10 inches.
2. Measurements: I always recommend using a digital kitchen scale in baking (the Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab); it guarantees the best results. 

Nutrition

Serving: 1square | Calories: 390kcal | Carbohydrates: 50g | Protein: 6g | Fat: 19g | Saturated Fat: 11g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 6g | Cholesterol: 102mg | Sodium: 127mg | Fiber: 2g | Sugar: 21g

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