I was flipping through a German cookbook the other day, and a recipe fell out. Pfirsichschnitten. It was my handwriting, and I can remember clearly copying it from a recipe I found in my Oma’s recipe drawer (I used grid paper from her tablet). This deceptively simple cake has always been a favorite. It’s the kind of cake that can be enjoyed midweek in the afternoon when the kids get home from school, or when I need a break from working, and a coffee is just not enough. Pfirsichschnitten or Peach Streusel Cake may not look impressive, and you probably won’t find it in a fine Café, but my people are more than happy to see it on the counter waiting when they walk in the door.
Pfirsichschnitten – Peach Streusel Cake
The straightforward recipe comes together easily, using butter, sugar, flour, eggs. I used jarred peaches (because that’s how Costco sells them), canned is fine. Either way, be sure to drain them. If you can your own, fantastic! I bet it tastes even better. (And I am certain if you have some in your freezer it will work as well.) While I haven’t tried it with other fruits, I’m betting you could substitute apricots or even cherries.
Don’t skimp on the lemon zest in the cake, it adds delicious flavor.
One other thing… pour the Zuckergus (glaze) over the cake when it’s still warm. (I only mention this, because it goes against my instincts) It will spread out and cover the streusel with a sweet lemony goodness. (Use the same lemon where you got the zest… )
My biggest problem with converting German recipes is pan sizes. For this I used a standard 9 x 13 inch pan. I think it comes out a little thicker than you would find in Germany, but there are no complaints here.
Pfirsichschnitten- Peach Streusel Cake Squares
Pfirsichschnitten- Peach Streusel Cake Squares
Ingredients
Cake Base:
- 12 Tbl 150 gr Butter
- 2/3 Cup 150 gr Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla extract or 1 pkg Vanilla Sugar
- 4 Eggs
- 1 Lemon use the zest for the cake, and the juice for the glaze
- 1/2 tsp Salt
- 1 3/4 cup 250 gr All Purpose Flour
- 3 Tsp 9 gr Baking Powder
- 2-4 cup 900 gr sliced Peaches (more is better, but less still works
Streusel:
- 1 cup 150 gr Flour
- 1/3 cup 75 gr Sugar
- 1 tsp Vanilla Extract or 1 pkg Vanilla Zucker
- 8 Tbl 100 gr Butter
Glaze/Guß:
- 2 cup 200 gr Powdered Sugar
- 4 Tbl Lemon juice from the lemon above
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 F
- Grease a 9 x 13 inch pan
- Strain the Peaches in a sieve over a bowl. Let them drain until you need them
Cake Base:
- In a mixing bowl, combine the butter, sugar and lemon zest. Beat until light, approximately 4 or 5 minutes.
- Add the vanilla extract/sugar and salt
- Add the eggs one at a time, beat after each addition.
- Scrape the bottom and sides of the bowl
- Combine the Flour and baking powder, then, with the beater on low, slowly add to the mixing bowl.
- Beat until combined
- Spread the batter into the prepared baking pan.
Peaches:
- Put the drained peaches on the batter. You can line them up neatly, or scatter... (lined up is best)
Streusel:
- Put the flour and sugar into a clean bowl
- Add the Vanilla extract/sugar
- Cut in the butter. The most efficient way is to grate the butter (using a kitchen grater) into the flour. You can also slice the butter and add it.
- Combine the butter / flour mixture with a fork, a pastry blender, or your fingers. You want to rub the ingredients together so they end up looking like thick sand. Don't over touch... the butter will melt.
- Sprinkle the Streusel over the peaches. If you like chunky streusel, squeeze it a bit in your fist.
- Bake 25 minutes
Glaze/Guss:
- While the cake is baking...
- Combine the powdered sugar and lemon juice. Stir until smooth.
Finish:
- When the cake comes out of the oven, let it cool on a cooling rack.
- After a few minutes (maybe 5) pour the glaze/guß over the cake. Do your best to drizzle it all over. You can help with a spoon.
- Let cool completely (or almost completely) then slice up into squares/rectangles and eat.
Notes
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Vielen Dank for your great recipe for Peach Cake Squares and glad it is in both metric & US measurements. I live in Australia with my gorgeous German husband, where we use metric. Can’t wait to try it. Tschüss
Thank you for your Omas recipe for Pfirichsnitten. Looks easy enough, even for me. Never been much of a accomplished baker. When my husband was alive, I baked cakes every week, but it was the kind from a cake mix. I never followed their instructiones. Made up my own, by using less oil and water. Always came out great. I don’t care for very sweet cakes or pastries. Americans use to much sugar in their cakes. If I make a cake from scratch, I never use the amount of sugar the recipe calls for. Never had any complains about it.
I was very worried about the pipes in my laundry room during the power outages. My house is all electric, only had a small propane heater in my bedroom. At night I let it blow into my front room. Don’t like sleeping in a hot room. So far the electric has not been turned off again. Had no water for a couple days. Got that going again, but had no hot water. Was really worried that I had some of the pipes freeze up on me. Thank God, two days later I got hot water back on. Have not found any water puddles anywhere. Was spared to have the pipes freeze up.
Wishing you all well. Gigi Hammer.
Wonderful recipe, simple to make, and perfect for an afternoon “Kaffee und Kuchen.” My grandmother would often make this with fruits on hand. A few note for others who want to try this recipe, though:
This is best made on a sheet pan (standard cookie sheet) rather than in a 13×9 pan. I followed instructions and put it in a 13×9 Pyrex, but it took the better part of an hour to cook through at 350 degrees. While no less delicious, it was decidedly thicker than it should have been. Next time it will go on a half sheet pan and I am sure it will be perfect and likely cook in closer to the 25 minute time in the instructions. Thanks for sharing a great recipe. Guten Appetit!
I can’t wait to make this recipe. Thanks for sharing.
I just made this for my daughter’s birthday (she’s an adult, so wanted something different than just a regular cake). Everyone loved it! I made it in a slightly larger pan (11×14) because my 9×13 was already in use and it still came out lovely…and yes, more like the lower German streusel you see in shops. The lemon should not be missed – really makes the cake!
I’m delighted that you like it!