PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH STREUSEL CAKE WITH A FRUIT FILLING

PENNSYLVANIA DUTCH STREUSEL CAKE WITH A FRUIT FILLING

I have 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 with Our pre-made 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

You can also mix a fruit filling with a Bavarian  or a cream cheese filling, (fillings now available)  about half of the cream filling and about half of the fruit filling, to make fillings like cherry cream cheese or raspberry cream.

Our pre-made pastry fillings come 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.

I make this cake in a 9-inch springform pan, Our Candy Apple Spring Form Pan, (which you can now also order from me)  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.

Ingredients

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup brown sugar
3/4 cup butter
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
1/4 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup buttermilk
1 large egg, whisked
1 teaspoon vanilla or 1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups premade pastry filling
1/2 cup confectioners’ sugar
1/2 teaspoon vanilla or 1/4 teaspoon almond extract
1-2 tablespoons milk

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.

1. Mix the flour and brown sugar together. With a pastry knife, cut in the butter until the mixture is granular in appearance. Measure and set aside 3/4 cup of the crumb mixture.
2. Stir the baking soda, baking powder, spices and salt into the remaining crumb mixture. Form a well in the center of this dry mixture. Add the buttermilk to the egg and add the extract. Pour the buttermilk mixture into the well in the dry mixture. Stir with a fork until combined. Do not over mix. Some lumps will remain. Set aside about one cup of this batter.
3. Place the batter (not the cup set aside) in the prepared pan. Spread it evenly across the bottom and slightly up the sides with a rubber spatula.
4. Spread the premade pastry filling over the center of the batter. Spoon the set aside batter on the pastry filling in drops—it will not cover the filling but will spread while baking. Sprinkle the remaining 3/4 cup crumb mixture over the batter. (You will have four layers: batter on the bottom, then fruit filling, then batter, and finally the crumb topping.)
5. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until golden and the cake portion tests done with a toothpick. Baking times will vary with different pans. Let the cake cool for ten minutes in the pan on the rack. If you are using a springform pan, loosen the edges and remove the ring after ten minutes.
6. Mix the confectioners’ sugar, extract and enough milk to form an icing of drizzling consistency. Drizzle over the streusel cake.