Red Currant Streusel Cake
My parents grown plenty of red currants in their garden. I remember spending many summer days just simply picking currants and making confitures, baking scrumptious cakes and drinking freshly made red currant compotes.
Red Currants are the most common type available in Canada, usually for a short time during summer. They are excellent source of vitamin C, potassium and bioflavonoids. Because they are quite tart, red currants are mainly used in baking or to make jams, jellies, sauces or as a refreshing juice. All currants have high levels of pectin and acid what makes them great ingredient for making delicious preserves without adding any additional pectin.
Streusel is a crumbly topping usually made with real butter, flour, and sugar. It's baked on top of muffins, breads, cakes and pies and can include a variety of different flavor. I will be using part of the base recipe dough made to simplify the recipe.
This delightful recipe I like to dedicate to my Austrian friend Ulrike who loves to mess around in the kitchen making Linzer torte or tenderizing meat to make the best Viennese Schnitzel in the world!
Red Currant Streusel Cake
By Zosia Culinary Adventures | Date: May 12, 2023
Difficulty: Easy
Preparation Time: 30 minutes
Baking Time: 40 minute
Yield: 12 servings
Ingredients:use a pan size 23x33cm
300 g all purpose flour
200g cold unsalted butter, chopped
200 g icing sugar plus extra for dusting
3 egg
pinch of sea salt
1 tsp baking powder
1 tbsp puree vanilla essence
1 tbsp yogurt or sour cream
450 g fresh red currants (frozen are fine too)
2 tbsp potato flour
Instructions:
Sift twice the flour with 50 g icing sugar and baking powder. The lighter - the better.
Add chopped butter and rub it into the flour until the mixture resembles flakes.
Pour the the egg yolks and sour cream, knead the dough quickly with your hands. You can also use a scraper or a spoon.
Form a ball and wrap it into saran wrap. Refrigerate for 30 minutes.
Heat up the oven to internal temperature of 190°C or 374 °F.
Line neatly the baking pan with parchment paper. For the parchment paper to hold still use some butter to grease the pan.
Divide dough into 2 equal pieces. Put back one piece in the fridge.
Prepare red currant. Mix red currant in the bowl with potato flour and 100 g icing sugar and set it aside.
Roll out the pastry on the floured surface with a rolling pin to a size that will fit the bottom of your pan.
Lift your rolling pin with pastry wrapped around it and cover the bottom of pan or with support of scraper.
Prick the base of the pastry all over with a fork and bake it at preheated oven at 190°C or or 374 °F.
Simplified option: skip the step 9-11 and grate the cold dough on a coarse grater to fill the bottom pan.
Bake it for 10 minutes or until slightly golden, take it out and let it cool down slightly.
Whip egg whites with 50 g to a stiff peak and set it aside.
Spread all currant evenly over the pre-baked pastry and top up with egg whipped egg whites.
Grade the 2nd piece of chilled dough on a coarse grater evenly over the cake as a streusel topping.
Bake for about 30 - 40 minutes at 190°C or or 374 °until golden brown bake.
Dust the currant cake with icing sugar once it cooled down a bit.
Enjoy it!
