Another German Classic Crumble Cake For Christmas (Streuselkuchen)

Just came back from a short staycation at the Bus Collective. It was short, but tiring. Interestingly, we didn’t pack much into the itinerary because of the rainy weather, so we kind of just took it one step at a time and decided on-the-go most of the time. Day one was a walk around after checking-in and dinner at the Canopy restaurant at the Changi Civil Service College (CSC). Day two included a cycling trip to Changi Bay Point in the morning and then bowling later that afternoon for two hours. We had a quick and simple lunch at the Changi Village market and then dinner was a very sumptious and fun BBQ at our hotel, followed by a nice session of soccer match cheering with a nice ending for the Singapore Lions. Day three was a late morning breakfast at the Indian prata shop followed by another hour of bowling and a session of tennis at the CSC. We ended the day early with a simple dinner tabao-ed from the market and a night of uncle-and-auntie driving adventure (to nowhere) and a Nintendo Switch delight for the boy. Day four had an early wake up call at 6am to go to the beach to watch the sunrise. We did manage to catch a good glimpse of it (fortunately), and got a good doze of morning sea breeze, wave-splashing and sandcastle building. The two boys ended their staycation with a swim at the CSC, before we headed back home for the day.

So very short but it was a sweet and memorable one. My favourite part of the trip? The BBQ and the nicely grilled sticks of pork satay and melted marshmallows.

So we are nearing the actual day of Christmas, with only three more days to go. I love baking things during Christmas, my favourite being the Vanilla Kipferl which I posted about in 2017. If I had the time, I would love to bake them for my loved ones, but it’s been difficult to do that these days, with so many things to do every day. I love baking cakes too, because Christmas makes me think of cakes and sweet desserts. So this year, I have decided to do a post on this cake – Streuselkuchen – or crumble cake. It’s German/Polish in origin, has a very light and fluffy texture and is topped with a delicious crumble of sweet, crunchy toppings that go well with coffee and tea. Unlike what I’ve initially thought, it is not too sweet and surprisingly light and easy on the palette. So it’s now been included in the list of top ten cakes that I love and have baked before.

Ingredients (Crumble Topping):

  • Plain flour: 120g + 30g
  • Brown sugar: 110g
  • Caster sugar: 50g
  • Ground cinnamon: 2 tsp
  • Salt: 1/2 tsp
  • Unsalted butter: 113g, melted

Method (Crumble Topping):

  1. Preheat oven at 160 degrees Celsius.
  2. Combine 120g plain flour, brown sugar, caster sugar, ground cinnamon and salt in a mixing bowl.
  3. Using a fork, stir in melted butter till mixture is crumbly.
  4. Stir in remaining 30g plain flour. Stir till just combined, with large crumbs remaining. Do not overmix.
  5. Set crumble topping aside.

Ingredients (Cake Batter):

  • Plain flour: 180g
  • Baking powder: 1/2 tsp
  • Baking soda: 1/2 tsp
  • Salt: 1/4 tsp
  • Unsalted butter: 113g, softened at room temperature
  • Caster sugar: 100g
  • Egg: 1, big
  • Sour cream: 1/3 cup
  • Milk: 1/4 cup
  • Vanilla paste: 2 tsp
  • Icing sugar: 1 tbsp

Method (Cake Batter):

  1. Whisk together plain flour, baking powder, baking soda & salt.
  2. In a separate standing mixer, use a paddle attachment to whisk together butter and caster sugar.
  3. Scrape down the bowl and beat in egg. Whisk on medium low speed to combine.
  4. Scrape down the bowl and add in sour cream, milk and vanilla paste. Whisk on medium-low speed to combine.
  5. Remove paddle from whisk. Add in flour mixture. Use a spoon to stir till just combined. Do not overmix.
  6. Transfer batter into greased baking pan. Knock the pan on the counter top a few times to knock out the bubbles.
  7. Distribute crumble topping over the top of the batter.
  8. Bake 50 – 60min till lightly browned and toothpick comes out cleanly.
  9. Leave to cool for 30min before removing from pan.
  10. Sprinkle icing sugar onto the crumbs before serving.

Disclaimers:

  • This recipe was kindly adapted from Preppy Kitchen’s Crumb Cake.
  • I love how fluffy and light the cake is, sweetened only by the intricate taste of the brown sugar flavoured crumb toppings. You can choose to remove, or top the cake with less, crumb toppings, based on your preference of how sweet you would like to have your piece of cake.

Serving:
1 round cake (about 8 medium slices)

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