German Apple Streusel Sheet Cake

This German apple streusel sheet cake is absolutely delicious, easy to make, and a fall must-have! A yeast dough base topped with sliced apples and a generous streusel layer.

This German apple streusel sheet cake has a relatively thin (spot on I think) yeast dough layer at the very bottom, with juicy sliced apples on top of it, and finished off with a generous layer of the best German streusel.

Apple streusel sheet cake is a traditional German cake and a very popular cake in Germany, and for good reason! I make this cake at least once during the fall. I remember many times in my childhood when this cake was served in pieces on a large plate on our table.

It’s a simple cake that’s easy to make and also doesn’t take too much time to make, since you can prepare the streusel topping and apples while the yeast dough is rising.

Although it’s especially good in the fall with freshly picked apples, you can actually enjoy this cake at any time throughout the year. It’s perfect for serving to guests and tastes great even without apples.

German Apple Streusel Sheet Cake Recipe Tips

• Choose firm varieties of sweet red apples. In fact, you can use any variety of apples for this cake. I recommend using firm varieties of sweet red apples such as Gala, Honeycrisp, or Fuji. Braeburn would also work. I always try to use local varieties.
• Skip the apples. You can also make this cake without apples. While I highly recommend using apples, this cake can also be a wonderful streusel sheet cake on its own. If you’re not using apples, use my trick of brushing water on top of the yeast dough base to help the streusel stick to the cake.
• Don’t press the streusel onto the cake before baking. Don’t worry about the streusel sitting quite loosely before baking, they will stick together while baking, no need to press them onto the cake.
• Make some of the streusel bigger. A typical German streusel cake has both smaller streusel and slightly bigger streusel. You can easily adjust the size of the streusel by kneading parts of the streusel dough again and rubbing it with your fingertips.
• You can use instant yeast or fresh yeast. I tested both, as this recipe originally calls for fresh yeast, and either worked well.

Note on Ingredient Amounts and Oven Temperature Specifications Given in the Recipe

The original version of this recipe uses metric measurements. For this recipe, I was able to adjust the amounts to fit exactly into U.S. measurements. In the original version of this recipe the oven temperature is given in degrees Celsius. Since this recipe is of German origin and I haven’t yet tested it using a common oven temperature in degrees Fahrenheit, you’ll find the oven temperature in the original degrees celsius and the corresponding value in degrees Fahrenheit down below, but feel free to use the closest common oven temperature in degrees Fahrenheit and adjust the baking time accordingly. I’ll test it using a common oven temperature in degrees Fahrenheit and give you an update here in the future. You can find more information about unit conversions here.

If you make this recipe, I’d love to know how it turned out! Please let me know by giving it a star rating and leaving a comment below. Or snap a photo and tag @teatimeontheporch on Instagram so I can see it! I’d love to see your German apple streusel sheet cake!

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5 from 1 vote

German Apple Streusel Sheet Cake

By Christina

Yields: 12 pieces

Prep Time: 25 minutes minutes

Cook Time: 25 minutes minutes

Rising Time: 1 hour hour

Total Time: 1 hour hour 50 minutes minutes

This German apple streusel sheet cake is absolutely delicious, easy to make, and a fall must-have! A yeast dough base topped with sliced apples and a generous streusel layer.

Ingredients

For the Dough

• 2 tablespoons (28 g) unsalted butter
• 1/2 cup (120 ml) whole milk
• 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
• 2 tablespoons (25 g) granulated sugar
• 1 1/8 teaspoons (3.5 g) instant yeast (1/2 standard packet) or 15 g fresh yeast
• 1 large egg
• 1/16 teaspoon salt

For the Apple Layer

• 1 pound apples (about 2 large apples)

For the Streusel Topping

• 2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
• 3/4 cup (150 g) granulated sugar
• Optional: 2 teaspoons (8 g) vanilla sugar, store-bought or homemade
• 10 tablespoons (142 g) unsalted butter, slightly softened and cut into pieces

Instructions

• Make the dough: Melt the butter in a small saucepan over low heat, add the milk, and warm to 105°F to 110°F (41°C to 43°C) for instant yeast and max 98°F (37°C) for fresh yeast.
• Add the flour and sugar to a large mixing bowl. If using instant yeast, mix it with the flour and sugar, and if using fresh yeast, crumble it over the flour and sugar. Pour the liquid from the saucepan over it, then add the egg and salt.
• Using a hand mixer fitted with a dough hook attachment, knead until the dough is smooth and pulls away from the sides of the bowl, about 5 minutes.
• Cover the dough with plastic wrap (see notes below!) and let rise in a warm, draft-free place (see notes below!) until doubled in size, about 1 hour (it will take a little shorter if you use fresh yeast, about 45 minutes).
• Make the streusel topping: Combine the flour, sugar, and vanilla sugar (if using) in a large bowl. Add the butter pieces and mix and rub with your hands and fingertips until you get streusel (it’s nice to make some of the streusel slightly bigger!). Cover and set aside in the refrigerator.
• Prepare the apples: Peel and core the apples. Slice 1/4-inch thick. (I do this step just before the dough is done rising so the apples don’t brown.)
• Set an oven rack in the middle position and preheat the oven to 392°F (200°C). Grease a 9×13-inch baking pan with butter.
• Roll out the dough: Use your hands to punch down the dough. On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough into a 8×12-inch rectangle.
• Assemble the cake: Transfer the rectangle into the prepared pan and press to the edges. Starting on a shorter side of the rectangle, arrange the apple slices side by side in rows with each row half covering the previous one, leaving a 1/4-inch border around the edges. Sprinkle the streusel evenly over top.
• Bake for about 25 minutes, or until the streusel are lightly golden brown.
• Let cool completely in the pan on a wire rack.
• Slice and serve.

Notes

Storage & Freezing Instructions: This cake can be kept in the refrigerator for a few days. Eat cold or let come to your preferred temperature. It can also be frozen for up to 3 months. Let thaw on the counter for some hours. Store in an airtight container, covered with plastic wrap, or in a freezer bag. Refrigerate or freeze once completely cooled.

You can make this recipe with a stand mixer as well. Or even by hand, in which case kneading will take about 10 minutes.

To cover your bowl, you can use a lid or any other reusable cover or wrap instead of plastic wrap as a more eco-friendly alternative.

To let the dough rise, the switched off oven is very suitable as a draft-free place.

Did You Make This Recipe?

I’d love to know how it turned out! Please leave a comment below. Or snap a photo and tag @teatimeontheporch on Instagram so I can see it!