Apple Streuselkuchen

So, this week I decided on trying something a little more out of my culture range and went German.  I was just searching the internet for something interesting to make and fell upon a recipe for a cake called the Streuselkuchen.  The name is a bit of a mouthful, but seems interesting enough to give it a try.  Besides I adore apples and so I think I would love this cake even if it wasn't so great.

1 cup all purpose flour
2/3 cup brown sugar
1/3 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 ounces butter, melted
2 medium sized apples
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground cloves
1 5/8 cups cake flour
1/3 cup cornstarch
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
9 ounces butter, room temperature
2 cups powdered sugar
1 Tablespoon finely grated lemon peel
1 vanilla bean, split lengthwise
3 eggs plus 1 egg yolk

Peel, core and slice the apples 1/8 inch thick pieces.  Then toss the apples with the cinnamon and cloves.

Mix first 4 ingredients in medium bowl.  Add melted butter and stir with fork until moist clumps form. 

Preheat to 325°F.  Butter and flour 10-inch-diameter springform pan.  Sift flour, cornstarch, baking powder, and salt into another bowl.  Combine butter, powdered sugar, and lemon peel in large bowl; scrape in seeds from vanilla bean. (Note: I could not find my zester for the life of me today, so I took a peeler and just took the rind of the lemon off and chopped it up finely.  Nice little back up plan when needed.)

Using electric mixer, beat butter mixture until well blended.  Add eggs 1 at a time, beating until well blended after each addition; beat in egg yolk.  Add flour mixture and beat just until blended.  Spread batter evenly in prepared pan (cake layer will be thin).  Slightly overlap apple slices atop batter in concentric circles.  Sprinkle streusel evenly over apples (streusel will cover apples).

Bake cake until streusel topping is crisp and tester inserted into center of cake comes out clean, about 1 hour 20 minutes.  Cool cake in pan on rack 15 minutes.  Remove pan sides; cool to lukewarm.  Serve lukewarm or at room temperature.

This cake was delicious.  I added a little berry coulis to give it some flare and color.  The coulis was made with strawberries and raspberries so that the tartness would help cut some of the sweetness without overpowering the dessert.  I hope everyone tries this dessert and loves it as much as I did.

Happy chomps and nibbles.