Apple Streusel Cake
This apple Streusel cake is a cozy, fall-inspired German-style bake with three distinct layers: a soft vanilla cake base, a lemony cinnamon-apple filling, and big craggy crumbles of buttery streusel on top. It comes together in one pan and works beautifully with either eggs and dairy milk or a fully plant-based swap, so you can make it fit whatever is in your kitchen. If you want one warm, spiced dessert that tastes like autumn, this is the one to bake.
Although sometimes perceived as too heavy or even unhealthy, German cuisine is full of wonderful recipes that have shaped European gastronomy. One great example is the apple Streusel cake. Streusel literally means “crumble” in German, and it is a topping traditionally scattered over fruit pies and cakes. The mixture is simple — flour, sugar and fat — yet the effect is what makes the whole dessert. When you bake it over apples, you get Streuselkuchen, one of the most beloved crumble cakes in German home baking.
How I put this apple Streusel cake together
For my apple Streusel cake, I used a very simple batter and a sweet, lemony filling made of apples and ground cinnamon. On top, I put some big chunks of streusel — the bigger the pieces, the better the texture — made from scratch, and I baked everything to perfection. That contrast is the whole point: tender cake underneath, a soft spiced apple layer in the middle, and those craggy crumbles that stay a little firm on top.
The three layers, and what each ingredient does
This cake has three components, and each one has a job. The filling is a quick cooked custard of milk, sugar, cornstarch, salt and vanilla. The cornstarch is what thickens it on the stove, so it sets into a soft cream layer rather than soaking straight into the batter. Cook it low and slow until it coats a spoon, and do not let it boil, or the starch can thin out again.
The streusel is flour, sugar, cinnamon, salt and coconut oil rubbed together. Keep the coconut oil at room temperature so it stays soft enough to bind but firm enough to hold shape, then refrigerate the crumbs before baking — cold crumbs hold their form in the oven instead of melting flat. The apple layer is cubed firm apples tossed with sugar, cinnamon, lemon zest and lemon juice. The lemon keeps the apples bright and stops them browning while everything else comes together.
The cake batter is flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt for lift, creamed coconut oil and sugar for richness, vanilla, one egg (or psyllium husks for the vegan version), and a quick “buttermilk” made from milk plus apple cider vinegar. That splash of vinegar reacts with the baking soda to give the crumb its rise and a tender texture.
Vegetarian or fully vegan — your choice
As written, this recipe is vegetarian: it uses one egg in the batter, and you can use either dairy or plant milk. To make it completely vegan, swap the egg for 2 tablespoons of psyllium husks and use a plant milk such as almond, soy or oat throughout. The apple cider vinegar step still works the same way with plant milk, curdling it slightly into a “buttermilk” that lifts the batter. Either way, the coconut oil already keeps the whole cake dairy-free in the streusel and the crumb.
Tips for getting it right
- Use firm apples so they hold their shape and do not turn to mush during the 40 minute bake. Firm, slightly tart varieties keep the sweet filling in balance.
- Make the streusel crumbs big and break them with your fingers straight over the top. Larger pieces give you that signature craggy, crunchy texture.
- Let the cooked filling cool before you layer it. Warm filling is runny and will sink into the batter instead of sitting as a distinct cream layer.
- Line the pan with baking paper. This cake has a soft base and a moist filling, so paper makes it far easier to lift out cleanly.
- Check for doneness at the base of the cake, not the topping. A skewer through the batter layer should come out with only a few moist crumbs.
Why the layered method works
Baking the components separately and then assembling them is what gives this cake its clear layers. Because the filling is pre-thickened with cornstarch on the stove, it holds as a soft cream instead of bleeding into the batter. The chilled streusel bakes into distinct crumbs rather than melting into a flat crust. And the apple pieces, tossed in lemon and sugar, release just enough juice to stay tender without flooding the cake. Assemble in order — batter, filling, apples, streusel — and each layer keeps its identity through the bake.
Storing and serving
This cake keeps well for 3 to 4 days in an airtight container in the fridge, thanks to the moist apple and cream layers. Let it come back to room temperature before serving, or warm a slice gently so the streusel crisps up again. It also freezes nicely: wrap individual slices and thaw overnight in the fridge. Serve it plain with coffee or tea, or alongside something creamy for dessert.
If you love this kind of cozy, spiced apple bake, you will probably enjoy my fresh apple cake and the seasonal upside-down apple pie too. For more crumble and cake ideas in the same family, browse the magic custard cake, or if you need something for a warmer day, take a look at these vegan no-bake desserts.
If you bake this apple Streusel cake, I would love to know how those big streusel crumbs turned out for you — please give the recipe a star rating and drop a comment below with any tweaks you made, whether you went vegan with psyllium or kept the egg in.
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Apple Streusel Cake
Ingredients
For the filling:
- ⅔ cup milk vegan or dairy
- 3 Tbsp sugar
- 2 Tbsp cornstarch
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
For the streusel:
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ cup sugar
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ⅛ tsp salt
- 3 tsp coconut oil room temperature
For the apple filling:
- 2 apples firm, peeled and cubed
- 1 Tbsp sugar
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp lemon zest
- 1 Tbsp lemon juice
For the cake batter:
- 1 cup flour
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp coconut oil room temperature
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 egg or 2 Tbsp psyllium husks for a vegan substitute
For the buttermilk:
- ½ cup milk vegan or dairy
- 2 tsp apple cider vinegar
Instructions
- For the filling:
- In a medium saucepan, whisk together all the filling ingredients except the vanilla.
- Heat over low-medium heat and cook, stirring, until thickened, about 7 minutes. Do not let it boil. Stir in the vanilla, let cool, then cover and set aside.
- For the streusel:
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt. Rub in the coconut oil until the mixture is evenly crumbly. Refrigerate until needed.
- For the apples:
- Combine the cubed apples, sugar, cinnamon, lemon zest and lemon juice in a bowl. Mix well and set aside.
- For the cake batter:
- Heat the oven to 200°C (400°F).
- Mix the “buttermilk” ingredients (milk and apple cider vinegar) and set aside to curdle.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside.
- In another bowl, mix the coconut oil and sugar with a mixer for about a minute. Add the vanilla and the egg (or the psyllium husks for the vegan version) and mix for a few more seconds. Carefully add the flour mixture and the “buttermilk” and mix on low speed until well combined, about a minute.
- Line your baking pan with baking paper.
- Spread the batter evenly over the bottom of the prepared pan.
- Spoon the filling evenly over the batter.
- Arrange the apples over the filling, then crumble the streusel between your fingers and sprinkle it evenly over the top.
- Bake for 40 minutes, until the streusel is golden.
Notes
Frequently Asked Questions
As written it is vegetarian, because the batter uses one egg and you can use either dairy or plant milk. To make it fully vegan, swap the egg for 2 tablespoons of psyllium husks and use a plant milk throughout. Everything else, including the coconut-oil streusel and cake base, is already dairy-free.
Streusel literally means crumble in German. It is a simple topping of flour, sugar and fat rubbed into crumbs and scattered over cakes and fruit pies. When baked over apples on a cake base, the whole dessert is called Streuselkuchen, or crumble cake.
Use firm apples so they hold their shape through the 40 minute bake instead of turning to mush. A firm, slightly tart variety balances the sweet cake and filling nicely. Peel and cube them, then toss with sugar, cinnamon, lemon zest and lemon juice before layering.
Rub room-temperature coconut oil into the flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt until it clumps, then refrigerate the mixture before baking. Break it into large pieces with your fingers directly over the top of the cake. Bigger crumbs and chilled fat are what keep the streusel craggy and crisp instead of melting flat.
The filling is a quick custard thickened with cornstarch over low-medium heat until it coats a spoon, which takes about 7 minutes. Pre-thickening it means it sets into a distinct soft cream layer rather than soaking into the batter. Do not let it boil, and let it cool before layering so it stays firm.
Keep it in an airtight container in the fridge for 3 to 4 days. Bring it back to room temperature or warm a slice gently so the streusel crisps again before serving. You can also freeze wrapped individual slices and thaw them overnight in the fridge.
Hi!
What size baking pan did you use for this?
Hi! It was 28cm in diameter.
Is there a substitute for soya milk and coconut oil as I use always canola oil in my cooking and 2% or 3% homogenous milk for my coffee/tea? What is meant by flaxseed meal? I have flax seeds at home, which I add in my cereal. Can I use it instead to replace the egg in your Apple Streusel recipe? Kindly give us alternatives for certain ingredients so that we can use the ones that we have already at home to save us from buying. I have Organic Coconut Flour too that someone gave me. Could this come to use in your Apple recipe? Thanks!
You can use any type of milk. If you don’t want to make it vegan, I recommend using melted butter instead of coconut oil. You can also use one beaten egg instead of the flaxegg. I don’t think it would work with coconut flour, I’d recommend using wheat flour. The texture might be a lot different with coconut flour, so I’m not sure about it, but you can give it a try. Let me know how it turns out! 🙂