Heidelberren Streuselkuchen

There was a chapter of my life when a freshly baked cake came out of my oven several times a week. We lived those days in Germany, I taught high school and often the first thing I did after arriving home was to gather ingredients and bake. At the time, our house was full, and a cake could disappear in one setting with the help of two teenage daughters, a husband, and a toddler.

Then came the gluten-free chapters of my life, and cake baking lost its ease. My collection of cake plates was repurposed. Unpacking those plates in our New Hampshire home inspired me to give it another go.  Thank goodness times have changed, and there are now so many creative young minds focused on removing the hurdles from gluten-free baking. Richa Hingle, of Vegan Richa is one of those heroes who creates accessible vegan and gluten-free recipes. It was her Blueberry muffin recipe that inspired the recipe below. There’s nothing like an adaptable Streuselkuchen to take you through the seasons. I can imagine this one with everything from berries to apples.

Preheat oven to 400F.

Ingredients

In a small bowl, blend with a whisk the following wet ingredients:

• 1 cup (236.59 ml) of cashew or almond milk
• 3 tbsp almond or coconut yogurt
• 1 tsp apple cider vinegar or other vinegar
• 1/3 cup (66.67 g) maple or coconut sugar (a little more or less to preference)
• 1/4 cup safflower oil
• A pinch or so of vanilla powder, a packet of vanilla sugar or 1 tsp of vanilla extract
• a few drops of almond extract

In a separate larger bowl, combine with a whisk the following dry ingredients:

• 3/4 cup of light buckwheat or sorghum flour
• 1 ¼ cup of almond flour
• ⅓ cup of potato starch
• 1 tbsp Flaxseed meal ( finely ground flax seeds)
• 2 tsp baking powder
• 1/4 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• Grated zest of a lime, lemon, or orange

In a small bowl, integrate the following to make the streusel topping

• 1/4 cup (55 g) coconut sugar or brown sugar
• ¼ cup of buckwheat or sorghum flour
• 2 tbsp vegan butter softened

Directions

1. Blend the wet into the dry just enough to moisten the ingredients well.
2. Gently toss in 2 cups of fresh berries or other chopped fruit.
3. Pour batter into prepared baking form, preferably with a removable bottom
4. Sprinkle streusel topping across the top of the batter.
5. Bake at 400 deg F (204 C) for 16 mins, reduce temp to 375 (190 C), and bake for another 7 to 8 mins.
6. Cool for 15 mins. before removing the rim of the pan.  Allow another hour of cooling, if possible, before cutting to serve.
7. This tender cake is best fresh or stored in the fridge for a day or two if it lasts that long.

Enjoy!