deep apple and blueberry streusel cake
If a berry apple crumble and shortbread had to have a baby, this delectable and buttery streusel cake would be the outcome. Its the German version of an apple crumble in a cake form, and its so very easy to make. Packed with fruit, it was all kinds of heaven for me.
This is the first recipe I decided to make out of Annie Bell’s Baking Bible. Her recipe uses blackberries which I replaced with blueberries. I also used a mix of Pink Lady apples and Golden Delicious because we don’t get Bramleys in SA. Her recipe calls for 300g eating apples and 200g Bramley (cooking) apples.
The kit required to make this according to the recipe is a 9cm deep 20cm cake tin with a removable base. As mine is not nearly that deep I made it in my narrower 20cm cake tin and then had leftover ingredients to make a smaller second cake. It may be a good idea if you don’t have a deep cake tin, to use a slightly larger one (25 / 26cm)
Recipe (from Annie Bell’s Baking Bible)
- 250g flour
- 125g ground almonds
- 200g golden caster sugar (I used white as we don’t get golden in South Africa)
- 250g of unsalted butter, chilled and diced (I used salted)
- finely grated zest of 1 lemon
- aprox 300g eating apples – peeled, cored and thinly sliced
- approx. 200g Bramley / cooking apples – peeled, cored and thickly sliced
- 250 – 300g blueberries (or blackberries)
Pre-heat the oven to 190 C (170 C for a fan oven). put the flour, almond flour, zest, 125g of the caster sugar in a food processor and briefly whizz. Add the cool butter and pulse until you get a fine crumb. If the butter is warm it will become a dough and you want to it to be more shortbread-like. Using a spoon press half the mixture into the bottom of the cake tin and lightly press down as if you were making shortbread.
Mix the apples with the remaining 75g of caster sugar and the blueberries, and spoon this over the shortcake base. Empty the remaining crumble on top which should come right to the top of the cake tin. This will sink down as the cake bakes.
Bake the cake for an hour until the top is golden brown. If it is going too dark before it has finished baking, cover loosely with a sheet of tin foil for the last part of the baking time.
Dust with icing sugar and serve with cream or ice cream.
I took this cake to a family Christmas party yesterday and it was devoured with the Christmas pudding and cream.
This is an incredible cake which can be adapted using other fruits or flavourings. You could replace the lemon zest with orange zest which will go beautifully with blueberries.
I look forward to connecting with you again
Visit my Drizzle and Dip Facebook page to get updates of all my posts.
I can also be found enthusiastically pinning beautiful food images on Pinterest.
Hi Sam! This looks amazing and those photos has me drooling….love apple and love blueberry!
Sending Hugs and glad to hear BB survived its dive!!!
Veronica
x
Gorgeous as always Sam. A simply recipe and beautiful pictures always make my mouth water xx
HI Sam, you forgot the butter in the recipe??!!
What apples do you use for cooking apples? Do you use canned?
Thanks Inge, I have added it in 🙂
Hi Colleen, I include the info about the apples I used in the post. Not canned.
Thanks
Sam
Thanks Tami 🙂
Thanks Veronica, relieved too.
Sam x
Last question promise! Do you have a simple print version of the recipes so that you don’t get all the pictures?
Hi Colleen, I’m sorry but I have not set up a print section for my recipes (not sure if I can) – you could just copy and paste the recipe into a word document and print 🙂
Dear Sam, many thanks for adding the butter to the recipe. Gonna make this cake this weekend as part of a dinner with friends. Looking forward to it!
Hi Sam
I would love to try this recipe but I don’t have a food processor (yet, but working on it!). Do you think it would work if I used my finger tips to rub in the cold butter as if making the usual crumble topping or scones?
Hi Mariana, you can definitely make it using your fingers, just make sure the butter is cold and don’t over work the dough. It will be like make shortbread by hand. Stop at the crumb stage. Enjoy!
Hi Sam,
This looks absolutely fabulous, and something I can wow my family with :-).
I have some rhubarb in the fridge and was wondering if I can use that in this cake? Would I have to replace one of the fruits with the rhubarb or not? 🙂
Thanks,
Ilanda
Hi Ilanda, absolutely. Annie actually cites rhubarb as an alternative to the berries.
Sam
Fantastic! Thank you Sam.
Ilanda
This is amazing and the cherry on the top is that it does not have eggs!!! I was not going to be doing any baking this weekend as i am leaving for India on Wednesday, but after seeing this i will have to bake before i go.
Yay – Im so glad Usha, hope you enjoy (its sooo easy to make and I loved this recipe)
Love this Sam! The pic, props and the recipe itself!
Thank you Thuli
This cake looks lovely! Apples and blueberries are a great combo.
Thanks Laura, it was a real winner and I will make again, maybe with blackberries next time.
LOVE your photography! Very pretty. Wonderful blog! This sounds amazing.
Thanks Jaclyn 🙂
Can anyone translate this to the metric system? USA is behind lol. 😛
HI Sue, check out my conversion chart just below my header (it is its own page). or simply google your ingredients and find a site that will instantly convert for you. so easy.
Thanks Sam! I did find a conversion site yesterday. Thank you so much. This looks good and easy. I am going to make it this weekend. We still have apples in our garage that we picked at an orchard in October!
Made it today – exactly followed the recepe, exept for –
1) I did not have almonds and used walnuts
2) my baking dish was smaller than recommended 20 cm
– I have a spring form – 7 inches or (sligtly smaller than) 18 cm in diameter, but deep enough
– having a deep dish is VERY important!
3) used Golden Delishios Apples only – that is what I had – came out GREAT! Love it!
HI Maria, glad the recipe worked out despite all hte changes. Shows you how we should be doing this to all recipes, and really make them our own. Its what cooking is about.
Best
sam 🙂
thanks for posting the recipe – your beautiful photos were the main inspiration to make it!
Thanks Maria, I hope to see you around these parts again soon x
This looks delicious, absolutely perfect. I’ll have to make it very soon!
xoxo
Sophie
Hello Sam, Many thanks for all your wonderful recipes and glorious photos. The choice is vast and I could be happily cooking for the next few years without ever looking at any other recipes I’m starting today! xx
Hi Maria for the very kind words. I really hope you enjoy them.
Best
sam