Easy German Cherry Streusel Cake (Kirschstreuselkuchen)

This cherry crumble cake is the perfect combination of a crumbly and moist textures. The cake is simple to make with a shortbread base, a delicious sour cherries pie filling, and topped with some delicious German Streusel (crumble).

Cherries and Streusel are a perfect match. You do not have to wait for the cherry season to make this German cherry cake, use a jar of sour or morello cherries instead. It also works with frozen cherries. Let me show you how to make this easy cake recipe.

German cherry cake with Streusel

It is not hard to guess that I am a big Streusel fan. Not only do I have a traditional German Streuselkuchen on the blog, but also have an Apple Streusel Cake and a Plum Streusel Cake. I just cannot get enough of Streusel cakes - and who can blame me?!

My children love it as well. Especially because in their favorite detective books ("Die Drei Fragezeichen") - they always eat this German Cherry Pie. It is surprisingly easy to make because you use the same dough recipe for the base and the streusel. The cherry filling simply is thickened with some cornstarch- making a simple cherry compote.

This is a traditional German cherry kuchen recipe - you can find these in bakeries and cafes in Germany.

Which cherries to use for this cherry cake?

In Germany, the most common type to use is Sauerkirschen (sour cherries). They are available in jars from supermarkets all year round. I asked in my Facebook group "Homemade German Food and Recipes" where to buy them abroad, and the members gave me some valuable tips.

You can generally find jars of sour cherries in Polish or Russian shops. In the US and UK, you can get Morello cherries in jars. But you probably can get away with using frozen sour cherries or even black cherries and water or cherry juice. Aldi USA, Walmart USA and Trader Joe's have jars of them.

In the UK you can find Morello and sour cherries in Aldi and Lidl during Alpen Week. You can also use the frozen black cherries as a substitute.

How to make Cherry Streusel Cake

You can use a 9-inch (24 cm) springpan or a 10-inch (26 cm) springpan for this cake. The cooking time does differ slightly depending on the size

Ingredients:

To find the exact measurements jump to the printable recipe card.

For the Streusel and cake base

• sugar
• butter
• egg - at room temperature
• vanilla extract
• pinch salt
• flour

For the cherry cake filling

• sour cherries from a jar or use defrosted cherries
• cherries juice if using from a jar, catch the juice the cherries are stored in. Alternatively, use cherry juice and dilute with a little water.
• sugar
• vanilla extract
• corn starch/corn flour (UK) - to thicken the cherry filling

Kirschstreuselkuchen Recipe Steps

1. Preparing the dough: Add the butter and sugar into a bowl and whisk with a stand or hand mixer with a dough hook until creamy. Add in the egg, and vanilla extract (affiliate link), and mix until combined. Lastly, mix the salt with the flour. The shortcrust pastry dough should come together easily and should not feel overly sticky.
2. Lining the Cake Tin: Transfer the dough to a floured work surface. Remove ¼ of the dough (for the streusel later) and store it in the fridge until needed. Divide the remaining dough into two parts. Using floured hands roll one of the dough parts into a roll and lay it around the edge of the baking form. Using your fingers, press the edges up to create the crust of the cake (see pictures). Roll out the remaining part of the dough and press it into the bottom of the pan.   

1. Preparing the Cherry Filling: Drain the cherries in a sieve and collect the juice. Make sure you have about 500 ml of cherry juice, otherwise, top it up with water. Place the cherry juice, sugar, and vanilla extract (affiliate link) in a small saucepan. Remove 6 tablespoons of juice and mix it with the cornstarch in a separate small bowl to a thick paste. Bring the remaining juice to a boil. Remove the saucepan from the heat and pour in the cornstarch paste. Mix well, and bring it back to a boil for about a minute. The juice should thicken and become nice and creamy. Add the cherries to the juice. Pour the cherry pie filling into your tin.
2. Finish off with the Streusel Topping: Remove the remaining dough from the fridge, tear into small pieces and then rub it through your fingers to create the Streusel topping. Evenly spread them over your cherry filling. Do not worry, it does not have to cover the filling completely. Bake in the oven for about 60 minutes. Leave to cool completely before serving.