We’ve made many versions of streusel cake or streuselkuchen. This is one of the best. Like most, this one has a layer of fruit filling tucked under the streusel top.
Serve it as a dessert or as a coffee cake. It’s easy to make withpremade pastry fillings. The one in the picture was made with a cherry filling but you can use any of the following fillings:
- Cherry
- Apple
- Blueberry
- Lemon
- Raspberry
- Strawberry
- Peach
You can also mix a fruit filling with aBavarian cream fillingor acream cheese filling, about half of cream filling and about half of fruit filling, to make fillings like cherry cream cheese or raspberry cream.
Premade pastry fillingscome in 2-pound tube packages. Simply cut the corner and squeeze what you need. You will use about half of the filling. Fold the cut corner over and put a clip on it. You can store the unused portion for six months in the refrigerator.
We make this cake in a 9-inch springform pan, ourCandy Apple Red Silicone Springform Pan, because it has a double seal that makes it virtually leak proof and because of the glass base that we can cut and serve on. You can use another springform pan as long as it has a tight seal.
You can find a scratch recipe on the website but this is so much easier. For this version we used a Vanilla Bean Baby Cake Mix and a two-pound package of pastry filling—you will need half of it or two cups. Buy two cake mixes and you’ll have all you need for two desserts.
Streusel Cake Recipe
1 pound pastry filling (about 2 cups)
2 large eggs
1/3 cup plus 1 1/2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons water
1/4 cup butter
Directions
Preheat the oven to 325 degrees.
You will need a silicone or other nine-inch springform pan that will not leak batter during baking. If you are not confident in your pan, line the pan with aluminum foil on the bottom and one-inch up the sides.
- Set aside one cup of the cake mix, about one cup.
- Prepare the rest of the batter per package descriptions but use the egg, oil, and water amounts set forth above. (Those amounts are 2/3’s of the amounts on the package, compensating for the set aside mix.)
- Place half of the batter in the springform pan. Spread it evenly across the bottom with a rubber spatula.
- Spread the premade pastry filling over the batter spreading it almost to the edge.
- Spoon the rest of batter on the pastry filling in drops—it will not cover the filling but will spread while baking.
- Cut the quarter cup butter into the set aside cup of mix to a make a streusel. Sprinkle the remaining streusel over the batter. (You will have four layers: batter on the bottom, then fruit filling, then batter, and finally the streusel topping.)
- Bake for 42 to 44 minutes or until golden and the cake portion tests done with a toothpick. Baking times will vary with different pans. Let the cake cool on a rack. After ten minutes, remove the ring.
Serve hot or cold with or without ice cream or whipped cream. Store leftovers on the counter like you would most cakes or pies. Use within three days.
