This easy red currant cake is deliciously juicy, not too sweet and a super refreshing summer bake. I make this German recipe every year and look forward to it as soon as the currants start turning red. In Germany, they ripen at the beginning of July and open up all the possibilities of what you can do with them.

This cake is a variation of the famous German Butter Cake - just with red currants and hazelnuts. Another variation of German Red Currant cake is this Träubleskuchen, which is a Red currant cake made with Meringue.

What are Red Currants (Johannisbeeren)

Red currents are little red berries that grow in the summer on red currant bushes. They grow well in mid to northern Europe. They taste sour-sweet and are used for cakes, jams, and general summer fruit mixes.

Where can I find Red Currants to buy?

Your best bet is to find red currants at farmers markets or health food stores. In the UK I have seen them in self-picking farms such as Cockbridge Farm in Surrey.

Larger supermarkets tend to sell them fresh when in season.

Red currants are easy to grow from home. They are an undemanding fruit and you can read all about how to grow them on the RHS website.

What are Red Currants called in German?

Red Currants in German are called “Johannisbeeren”. The name originates from the saint day of St John the Baptist. This is celebrated on the 24^th of June, which is about the time that the red currants ripen in Germany.

A slice of red currant cake on a white plate. In front of the cake you can see some red currant risps.

How to make red currant cake

Ingredients

For the yeast dough

100 ml / 3.4 fl oz milk (at room temperature)
7 g/ 0.2 oz instant yeast (2 teaspoon or 1 sachet)
20 g/ 0.7 oz sugar
200 g/ 7 oz flour (Germany type 405, UK plain flour, US pastry flour)
1 egg yolk (from a large egg)
1 pinch of salt
20 g/ 0.7 oz butter (at room temperature)
35 gr/1.2 oz ground hazelnut (alternatively use ground almonds (affiliate link))
20 g/ 0.7 oz breadcrumbs

For the red currant topping

75 g/ 2.6 oz butter
50 g/ 1 oz icing/ confectioners’ sugar
2 teaspoon vanilla sugar (you can substitute this with 1 teaspoon vanilla extract (affiliate link))
250 g/ 9 oz red currants.

Red Currant Cake Recipe Steps

To make the yeast dough, warm the milk to around 35°C or 95°F. The milk should not be too hot as otherwise the yeast will not rise. Mix the yeast and the sugar into the milk and leave to rest for about 10 minutes. After that you should see little bubbles forming on the surface.
Now add the milk mixture to the flour, egg yolk, salt, nuts and butter. Using a stand or hand mixer with the dough hook attachment, knead the mixture to a smooth yeast dough.
Cover the bowl and leave to rest for at least 30 minutes.
In the meantime, prepare the red current topping. Mix the butter, confectioners/ icing sugar and vanilla sugar (or extract) to a smooth cream.

Wash the red currants and remove them from their stems. The easiest way is to do that with a fork (see picture)
Prepare a tart or shallow pie dish (27 cm or 10 inch diameter) by greasing it with butter. Sprinkle the form with breadcrumbs (this will prevent the cake sticking later).
With a rolling pin (affiliate link), roll the dough out to the size of the dish. Remember that you need to cover the edges of the tart form too. About 3-4 mm thick. Place the dough into the cake form and leave to rest for a further 10 minutes.
With your index fingers make little indentations into the dough (see pictures). Fill the little holes with the vanilla-butter mixture. You can fill it with a spoon, or to be more precise you can use a piping bag (affiliate link). Now spread the red currant berries evenly on top of the cake base.
Bake the cake in a preheated oven at 160°C or 320°F (fan setting) for around 30 – 35 minutes. The exact baking time varies by oven. To check if your cake is done, stick a skewer into the cake. If it comes out clean, it is done.
Leave the cake to cool down a little before serving.

Recipe Steps 2
1. A Hand removing the red currants from its stems with a fork.
2. a Hand is poking little indentions into the cake base
3. A spoon is filling the little indentions with butter mixture
4. the red currents are placed on top of the cake.

How to serve this red currant cake?

Traditionally you would serve this cake in Germany in the afternoon at “Kaffee und Kuchen” (coffee and cake time). This cake tastes great with some freshly whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream.

Storage Instructions

This cake is made with a yeast base, so it tastes best the day it is baked. However, in the unlikely event that you have any leftovers, you can store them in an airtight container for up to three days.

German Red Currant Cake (Johannisbeerkuchen)

What are Red Currants (Johannisbeeren)

Where can I find Red Currants to buy?

What are Red Currants called in German?