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squares of red currant cake
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4.54 from 15 votes

Red Currant Cake – German Recipe

Red currant cake loaded with fresh red currants and topped with coconut streusel, a typical German coffee cake.
Prep Time30 minutes
Cook Time50 minutes
Total Time1 hour 20 minutes
Course: Cakes
Cuisine: German
Servings: 24
Calories: 310kcal
Author: Adina

Ingredients

  • Red currants:
  • 1 kg/ 2.2 lbs red currants
  • 2 tablespoons granulated sugar
  • 60 ml/ 2 fl.oz/ ¼ cup cassis optional (See note)
  • released juices and water to have 160 ml/ 5.4 fl.oz/ ⅔ cup liquid
  • 40 g/ 1.4 oz/ ⅓ cup corn starch
  • Shortcrust pastry:
  • 375 g/ 13.2 oz/ 3 cups + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
  • 150 g/ 5.3 oz/ ¾ cup granulated sugar
  • 200 g/ 7 oz/ ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon unsalted butter very cold
  • 1 egg
  • 2 tablespoons dried breadcrumbs to sprinkle on the baking tray
  • Streusel:
  • 80 g/ 2.8 oz/ 1 cup dessicated coconut unsweetened
  • 180 g/ 6.3 oz/ 1 ½ cups all-purpose flour
  • 130 g/ 4.6 oz/ ⅔ cup granulated sugar
  • 200 g/ 7 oz/ ¾ cup + 1 tablespoon unsalted butter very cold

Instructions

Red currants:

  • Place the red currants into a bowl. Sprinkle with the sugar, mix carefully and let stand until ready to use. They will release some juices during this time.

Shortcrust pastry:

  • Place the flour and sugar in a food processor. Pulse to combine. Cut the cold butter into small pieces and add them to the food processor together with the egg. Process shortly until the mixture resembles breadcrumbs. Turn the dough onto the working surface and knead very briefly to form a smooth ball. Wrap in cling film/plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.
  • Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celsius/ 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Grease a large baking tray of about 30x40 cm/ 12x15 inches. Sprinkle it evenly with the dried breadcrumbs. Place some lumps of pastry on the working surface and roll them roughly in batches. Place them in the tray and press them together with your fingers in an even layer to cover the tray. Lightly flour your fingers, if necessary.
  • Prick the pastry all over with a fork. Bake the pastry for about 20 to 25 minutes until golden brown.

Streusel:

  • Place the desiccated coconut, flour, and sugar in the food processor. Pulse shortly to combine. Cut the cold butter into small pieces and add to the food processor. Process to obtain streusel.

Red currants again:

  • Drain the currants well and catch their released juices. Pour the juice into a measuring jug. Add the cassis (if using) and water to have a total amount of 160 ml/ 5.4 fl.oz/ ⅔ cup liquid in the measuring jug.
  • Pour the liquid into a saucepan, reserving about 4 tablespoons of it to mix with the corn starch. Bring the liquid in the saucepan to a boil.
  • In the meantime, place the corn starch in a small bowl and add the reserved 4 tablespoons liquid. Whisk well to obtain a smooth and pourable paste. When the liquid comes to a boil, slowly add the corn starch mixture while whisking continuously. Add the red currants and stir carefully. Let it bubble once or twice and remove from the heat.

Assemble the cake:

  • When the shortcrust pastry is golden, take it out of the oven and spread the red currant mixture evenly on top. Sprinkle evenly with the streusel and continue baking at the same temperature for about 30 minutes or until the streusel is golden brown and the red currant mixture underneath is bubbling.
  • Let the cake cool on the tray, cut into squares and serve. You can serve the cake as it is or with a dollop of whipped cream on top.

Video

Notes

If you don't have or don't want to use cassis for the cake, you can replace it with the same amount of water.

Nutrition

Serving: 1square | Calories: 310kcal | Carbohydrates: 39g | Protein: 4g | Fat: 16g | Saturated Fat: 10g | Polyunsaturated Fat: 5g | Cholesterol: 44mg | Sodium: 11mg | Fiber: 3g | Sugar: 16g