Crunchy buttery streusel, smooth vanilla pudding, and fresh apricots come together in a simple layered cake that’s perfect for afternoon coffee, a family celebration, or as a sweet finish to a good meal.
This dessert doesn’t require complicated baking techniques. Just prepare the crumb topping, cook the pudding, and layer everything on a baking tray. The cake tastes best the next day, when the flavors meld and the crumb base becomes pleasantly moist.
What You’ll Need
For the crumb topping:
- 600 g semi-coarse flour,
- 250 g granulated sugar – you can reduce to 200 g to taste,
- 250 g butter or margarine,
- 1 egg,
- 1 packet vanilla sugar,
- 1 baking powder.
For the vanilla pudding:
- 1 l milk,
- 2 vanilla pudding powders,
- sugar to taste,
- optionally a splash of rum for aroma.
For the apricot layer:
- apricots or any fruit of your choice,
- sugar to taste,
- optionally apricot pudding powder to enhance the flavor.
The original recipe doesn’t specify exact amounts for fruit, sugar, or optional apricot pudding, so adjust according to your tray size and taste.
Step-by-step preparation:
1. Prepare the tray and oven: Thoroughly grease the baking tray and dust with flour so the baked cake doesn’t stick. Preheat the oven to 170 °C.
2. Make the crumb topping: Mix the semi-coarse flour with granulated and vanilla sugar, baking powder, butter or margarine, and the egg. Work the ingredients into a coarse, crumbly mixture that’s easy to sprinkle.
3. Cook the pudding: From 1 liter of milk, two vanilla pudding powders, and sugar to taste, cook a thick pudding. For extra aroma, you can add a splash of rum. Cook the pudding until it visibly thickens.
4. Create the bottom layer: Evenly spread about two-thirds of the crumb mixture onto the prepared tray. Try to cover the entire surface to form a continuous cake base.
5. Add the pudding: Pour the still-hot vanilla pudding over the crumb base. Carefully spread it to the edges so the layer is roughly even across the tray.
6. Prepare the apricots: Mash the apricots with sugar to taste. For a more intense fruit flavor, you can add apricot pudding powder, though the original recipe doesn’t specify the amount.
7. Finish layering: Generously cover the pudding layer with the mashed apricots. Finally, sprinkle the remaining third of the crumb mixture evenly over the top, which will turn golden during baking.
8. Baking: Place the cake in the oven preheated to 170 °C and bake for about 50 minutes. It’s done when the surface is evenly golden.
9. Cooling and resting: Let the baked cake cool first. Then cover with foil and refrigerate overnight, so it firms up and the layers meld together.
10. Serving: Cut and serve the cake the next day. After resting, it has a better texture, slices easily, and the crumb base is beautifully moist.
Why let the cake rest overnight
Hot pudding and the fruit layer both need enough time to set. After cooling and a night in the fridge, the cake slices better and the layers hold together when serving.
Resting also helps the vanilla, apricot, and buttery flavors blend. The crumb topping partially absorbs moisture from the filling, so the finished dessert is pleasantly moist, while the top remains a distinctive part of every bite.
How to adjust the cake’s sweetness
The original crumb calls for 250 g of granulated sugar, but you can reduce it to 200 g to taste. Adjust the sweetness of the pudding and mashed apricots based on the fruit used and your preference.
If your apricots are ripe and sweet, you can use less sugar. For tart fruit, add more sugar so the flavor pairs nicely with the smooth vanilla pudding.
Final tip
You can replace apricots with any fruit you like. Always keep the same order of layers: crumb base, hot pudding, fruit, and the remaining crumb. This keeps the preparation simple and the cake retains its typical layered look.
