Oma's Crumb Cake Recipes 

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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. The fruit and flavorings can be changed to provide variation The method of making these crumb cakes, though, is a basic recipe to learn. Do check out the warning below!

Usually I put apple slices under the streusel. However, peach slices, pear slices, halved plums, even pitted cherries would be delicious. You'll be able to create various crumb cakes this way. Don't forget to add a dollop of whipped cream! 

Oma's Crumb Cake (Streuselkuchen)

Cake Ingredients:

• ½ cup butter, room temperature
  
• 1 cup sugar
  
• 2 eggs
  
• 2 cups all-purpose flour
  
• 1½ tsp baking powder
  
• 1 Tbsp lemon peel, grated
  
• ½ cup milk
  
• 2 - 3 apples or other fruit, as desired (optional)
  

Topping Ingredients:

• 1¼ cup all-purpose flour
  
• ¾ cup sugar
  
• ¾ cup butter, chilled
  

Instructions:

• Preheat oven to 350° F. Grease 13" X 9" baking pan.
  
• In medium bowl, beat butter and sugar. Add eggs and beat.
  
• Blend flour, baking powder, and lemon peel together.
  
• Add flour mixture alternately with milk into butter mixture and mix well.
  
• Spread batter in greased pan.
  
• Arrange fruit (if using) on top of batter in slightly overlapping rows.
  

To make Streusel Topping:

• In a small bowl, combine flour and sugar.
  
• Using 2 knives or a pastry blender cut in butter until mixture resembles large crumbs.
  
• Sprinkle over apples.
  
• Bake for 40 - 45 minutes. Check with wooden toothpick to see if it is done (should come out clean - no batter on toothpick).
  
• Cool in pan on a wire rack.
  
• Makes about 16 servings. Tastes great served with whipped cream!
  

Hints:

• You can use margarine instead of butter.
  
• Instead of lemon peel, add 1 tsp almond extract.
  
• Instead of using knives or pastry blender, I just use my hands to quickly rub the butter into the flour/sugar mixture.

Warning :)

A warning though - the crumb topping is so delicious, if you have kids (or a husband) around, they may try to sneak some topping off the cake while it is cooling (and even before it is baked)!

I admit that I always sneak some!

Some more hints ...

• Crumb cakes are great when you need easy dessert ideas. 
• Most mix up quickly using a mixer. Others use a yeast base, but these can usually be made using a bread machine to speed things up.
• By the time the oven preheats, you'll have finished making the cake.
• The only real time is preparing the fruit, unless you use canned fruit. Then you just need to make sure you drain it well.

More German Cake Recipes

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