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German Crumb Cake Recipe – Oma's Streuselkuchen With Apple

German crumb cake recipes, aka Streuselkuchen, are quick and delicious treats to make for your family and friends. These traditional cakes, which are so easy to make, look so pretty, too.

Traditionally, the German Streusel cake you find in a German bakery is made with a yeast dough. This one isn't. That means it's quicker to make and easier for those who struggle with yeast dough

Ingredients:

For The Cake :

• ½ cup (114 grams) unsalted butter, room temperature
• 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
• 2 large eggs
• 2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour 
• ¼ teaspoon (1.5 grams) salt
• 1½ teaspoon (6 grams) baking powder
• 1 tablespoon (6 grams) grated lemon zest
• ½ cup (120 milliliters) milk
• 1 pound (454 grams) apples or other fruit, sliced

For The Streusel Topping :

• 1¼ cups (163 grams) all-purpose flour 
• ¾ cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
• ¾ cup (171 grams) cold unsalted butter 

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a rimmed 9x13-inch baking sheet or two 9-inch springform pans and set aside.
2. In a medium bowl, beat the butter and sugar. Add the eggs and beat. In another bowl, blend the flour, salt, baking powder, and lemon zest together. Add the flour mixture a little at a time to the butter mixture, alternating with the milk. Mix well after each addition until the flour mixture and milk are all used up.
3. Spread the batter in the greased pan. Arrange the apples on top of the batter in slightly overlapping rows.
4. To make the topping, mix the flour and sugar in a bowl. Cut in the butter and mix quickly to make crumbs. Sprinkle over the apples.
5. Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, or until a wooden pick inserted in the center comes out clean.
6. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. Remove the cake from the pan and place on serving plate. Delicious served warm.

Notes/Hints:

• Instead of lemon zest, add 1 teaspoon almond or vanilla extract.
• Instead of using knives or pastry blender, I just use my hands to quickly rub the butter into the flour/sugar mixture.
• Usually I put apple slices under the streusel. However, peach slices, pear slices, halved plums, or pitted fresh cherries would be delicious. Even jam works! You can even just sprinkle dough with streusel and omit the fruit completely.
• Line the baking tray with parchment paper, if desired.
• If you're using canned fruit, drain it well before using.

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Unless otherwise noted recipe, images and content © Just like Oma | www.quick-german-recipes.com

Updated on December 3, 2025