Original German Crumb Cake (German Streuselkuchen einfach)

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Ingredients for dough:

  • 500 g (17.6 oz) all-purpose flour
  • 1 package of dry rapid-rise yeast
  • 3 tablespoons of sugar
  • 1 leveled teaspoon of salt
  • 1 whole egg
  • 2 egg yolks
  • 1 cup of milk
  • 250 g (8.8 oz) of butter
  • 1 additional egg yolk for brushing the dough

Ingredients for crumble:

  • 300 g (10.6 oz) of all-purpose flour
  • 150 g (5.3 oz) of sugar
  • 1 Dr. Oetker Vanilla Sugar (OR) 3–5 drops of vanilla extract
  • 180 g–200 g (6.3 oz–7 oz) of butter

Preparation of the dough:

Mix flour, sugar, yeast, and salt in a bowl. Make a hole in the center and add the egg and two egg yolks. Cover with flour mixture. Warm up the milk (lukewarm) and pour it over the flour mixture. Melt the butter in the microwave and add it to the ingredients. Use your handheld mixer with the kneading hooks and mix it all together until the dough is no longer sticking to the sides and is starting to bubble. Cover the bowl with a kitchen towel and let the dough rise for about an hour.

In the meantime, make the crumbs for your cake. Start by mixing the flour, sugar, and vanilla sugar (OR) extract. Add in slices of the cold (but soft) butter. Using your hands, work the ingredients between your fingers. Be careful not to knead everything too much or you’ll create a dough. The ingredients should be combined in a way so that—when you rub it between your hands—crumbs should fall back into the bowl. Also, make sure that all the butter is worked into the crumbs.

[Click on the pictures to enlarge.]

Finishing the cake:

On a baking sheet (I used size 11″ x 17″) covered with baking paper, roll out your dough. Cover it again with the towel and let it rise for about a half hour. When ready, mix an egg yolk with two tablespoons of milk and brush it onto your cake. Spread the crumbs over the brushed cake. Preheat your oven to 220°C (425°F). Next, place your cake on the rack just above the middle one and bake for about 15–17 minutes. When done, remove from oven and sift some powdered sugar on top. DONE!

This is a very light crumble cake and not too dry. (It’s similar to a coffee cake.) I wouldn’t recommend adding any fruit on top. For a sheet (yeast) cake with fruit toppings, try my apple streusel cake recipe which is dry enough to absorb any fruit juice. Enjoy!