Cherry Marzipan Streusel Cake
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With a super tender, moist crumb filled with sweet, plump cherries and generously dotted with heavenly marzipan, this Cherry Marzipan Streusel Cake will win you over after the first bite!
Don’t skip over this recipe if you’re thinking, “Dang it, I don’t have marzipan and it’s too expensive to buy.” I have the perfect solution for you! I’m including my super-duper easy homemade marzipan recipe! It’s a breeze to make and is a fraction of the cost of store-bought marzipan.
I grew up on streusel cakes in Germany. They’re popular in every region of the country and for good reason – they’re delicious! There are countless varieties of streusel cake. Many of them include fruit and, of course, lots of butter. A few years ago when I found myself craving one of those streusel cakes from home, I opened up the fridge, saw a bag of fresh cherries I had just picked up, and before long I was enjoying a slice of this delicious Cherry Marzipan Streusel Cake.
Marzipan is commonly used in cakes and pastries in Germany and it pairs beautifully with the cherries. It also adds a nice texture to the crumb, making it moist and tender.
Now for that marzipan recipe. Marzipan is one of my favorite things ever. Seriously, this HAS to be what is referred to as the food of the gods. I doubt you’ll hear it preached from any pulpit, but I’m kinda convinced that the manna sent from heaven to the Israelites was actually marzipan. Living off marzipan every day for 40 years? Take me to the wilderness!
Homemade marzipan is so incredibly easy to make. It takes like 5 minutes to make and the results are out-of-this-world delicious. Once you’ve made it you’ll make it again and again. Check out my recipe for homemade Marzipan.
This cake gets a double dose of marzipan. First it’s mixed into the batter to create a crumb that is tender, moist, and deliciously flavorful. Then it also gets incorporated into that wonderful streusel that’s crumbled over the top.
For marzipan lovers, this cake is a must! And even if you’re not sure if you like marzipan, if you like the flavor of almonds, this cake is for you!
While you can used jarred or canned cherries for this cake, I encourage you to make it with fresh cherries. Canned cherries are saturated with liquid and even after draining them it can be difficult to manage the moisture levels. My recommendation is to be patient and wait until you have access to fresh cherries and then treat yourself to wonderful cake. If you do decide to use canned or frozen cherries, be sure to thoroughly drain them of excess liquid.
Note: You can also swap out the cherries for peaches, apricots, plums, or cranberries!
You’re going to love this German streusel cake with its rich buttery flavor, sweet fruitiness, and the irresistible taste of marzipan!
And if you can muster the self-control to wait, it tastes even better the next day!
Cherry Marzipan Streusel Cake Recipe
Let’s get started!
Combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside. In another bowl: Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together for several minutes until light and fluffy.
Add the marzipan and vanilla extract and beat until combined.
Add the egg and beat until combined.
Using a rubber spatula, stir in half of the buttermilk followed by half of the flour mixture.
Fold in the remaining buttermilk followed by the rest of the flour mixture. Be careful not to over-stir.
Spoon the batter into the greased springform and smooth the top.
Layer the cherries on top. It’s okay if you have more than one layer.
To make the streusel topping: Combine the flour and sugar in a medium bowl. Add the almond paste and butter.
Use your fingers to combine the mixture until it resembles clumps of sand.
Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the cherries.
In an oven preheated to 350 degrees, bake the streusel cake on the middle rack for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let the cake sit in the springform for 10 minutes before removing, then let the cake cool completely on a wire rack.
Once cool, sift powdered sugar over the top of the cake.
If you can be patient, this cake tastes even better the next day! Keep it stored in a cake saver or tin.
Serve plain, with whipped or ice cream.
Enjoy!
For more delicious cakes be sure to try our:
- Pineapple Cake
- French Almond Plum Cake
- German Apple Cake
- German Plum Cake
- German Cheesecake
- Limoncello Cake
- Old Fashioned Carrot Cake
- Caramel Pear Walnut Cake
- Scottish Dundee Cake
- Chocolate Deception Cake
- Peanut Butter Cake
- Strawberry Rhubarb Upside-Down Cake
- Fig, Anise and Hazelnut Tea Cake
- Orange Buttermilk Cake with Orange Cream Cheese Frosting
- French Almond Cake with Lavender Lemon Glaze
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Cherry Marzipan Streusel Cake
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup butter , at room temperature
- 1 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup homemade marzipan
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 cup buttermilk
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2 cups fresh cherries , pitted and halved (fresh cherries recommended; if using canned or frozen be sure to thoroughly drain them of excess liquid); can also substitute peaches, apricots, plums, or cranberries
- For the Streusel Topping:
- 1/2 cup all-purpose unbleached flour
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1/3 cup homemade marzipan , crumbled
- 4 tablespoons butter cut into small pieces
- Powdered sugar for dusting
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9 inch springform.
- To make the streusel topping: Combine the flour and sugar in a medium bowl. Add the almond paste and butter and use your fingers to combine the mixture until it resembles sandy clumps. Set aside until ready to use.Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar together for several minutes until light and fluffy. Add the almond paste and vanilla extract and beat until combined. Add the egg and beat until combined.In another bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Using a rubber spatula, stir in half of the buttermilk followed by half of the flour mixture. Fold in the remaining buttermilk followed by the rest of the flour mixture. Be careful not to over-stir.
- Spoon the mixture into the greased springform, smoothing the top. Place the cherries on the top, then sprinkle the streusel topping over it.Bake on the middle rack for 45-55 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the cake comes out clean. Let the cake sit in the springform for 10 minutes before removing, then allow to cool completely on a wire rack. Once cooled, sift powdered sugar over the top. Serve plain, with whipped or ice cream.Store in a cake saver or tin. This cake tastes even better the next day.
Nutrition
Originally published on The Daring Gourmet July 1, 2014
Hi, I’m Kimberly Killebrew and welcome to Daring Gourmet where you'll find delicious originals, revitalized classics, and simply downright good eats from around the world! Originally from Germany, later raised in England, world-traveled, and now living in the U.S., from my globally-influenced kitchen I invite you to tour the world through your taste buds!
Thank you for this recipe! I made a German Christmas Eve dinner for my family this year and this was our dessert. Insane! My husband said it may actually be the best cake he has ever had in his life. I followed the recipe exactly and the streusel crumble was so crunchy while the cake was super moist. I made your marzipan recipe too- easy and delicious! For anyone who has complained that this didn’t come out right, don’t blame the recipe- it’s definitely user error. PS- I made your German bread dumplings with the meal also and they were a HUGE hit. My 9 year old twin boys helped make them and they thought they were a blast to make. Thank you for your recipes!
Oh I’m so glad everyone enjoyed both the cake and the dumplings! Thank you very much for letting us know, Karyn, I really appreciate it. Happy New Year!
Does this freeze well? or will it be dry after……
Hi Deb, theoretically you can freeze streusel cake yes (I don’t think it will dry it out because of the moist cherries) but I haven’t personally tried freezing this.
Can I use solo almond paste in this recipe?
Yes you can, Jackie!
Hi, do you use salted or unsalted butter please
Hi Susan, I always use unsalted butter unless otherwise noted. Happy baking! :)
My cherries and crumb topping sunk through the cake batter during baking, and ended up on the bottom of the pan as a gooey undercooked layer (since there is so much fat in the topping, it was never going to solidify without exposure to air). The flavor is great, but the texture is one of the worst things I’ve ever made. I may try just the cake part sometime since it really is yummy.
Made this exactly as written… including the marzipan…and it was one of the most delicious cakes I’ve ever had. Great texture and flavor. Just perfect!
Coming from you that is a tremendous compliment, Lawrence, thank you very much!
Excellent, tender and rich cake with delicious flavor. Not too sweet-just perfect. I used a full 200g package of store bought marzipan (evenly split between topping and cake), half vanilla and half almond emulsion. I used well-drained thawed frozen cherries which worked well enough but fresh cherries would have a better flavor (could not find any though :-( . Highly recommend!
That’s wonderful, Patricia, I’m so glad you enjoyed it, thank you!
This was fantastic with your homemade marzipan and one ripe pear! If the pears were not so ripe I would have added another but I was afraid they would add too much moisture.
Wonderful and definitely a keeper!!!
That’s wonderful, Mary, I’m so happy it was a success, thank you!
This recipe does not work. The strudel mix has sunk into the cake and the cake mix has risen to the top. There is no way the photo of the cake shown above matches the recipe given. Please do not set up people for failure. If there is something that you haven’t mentioned which can avoid this happening maybe you need to do that. Instead of making us waste a lot of money on these ingredients. Please have some integrity. I will not have any faith in your recipes now. If you cannot not use shop bought marzipan and this recipe works only with your marzipan recipe then be honest .
Hi Neha, this recipe has worked many times for me over the years and likewise has been successful for many of my readers. All of my recipes have been developed and tested by me in my kitchen and I would never, ever knowingly set anyone up for failure. There is no reason you can’t use shop-bought marzipan. The only thing I would caution is that some products labeled marzipan are actually marzipan fondant for decorating cakes so you have to look at the product carefully. Marzipan fondant has a much higher ratio of sugar to almonds and is not meant for baking as it will end up melting as it bakes instead of holding its structure.
Hello
Please can you explain to me why in the photo of this cake the colour of the Streusel is much much lighter that the rest of the cake of everything goes in the oven at the same time? or is it perhaps that you have bake the cake first till some point then put the streusel topping on it!
Hi Neha, yes, the parts of the cake you’re seeing that are darker than the streusel are the sides and the bottom of the cake, and the reason they are darker is because those are the parts of the cake that make direct contact with the baking pan while baking. The parts of the cake that don’t make contact with the baking pan (i.e., the top of the cake/streusel) will remain lighter.
Do you think this cake would be good if I opt not to include any fruits?
Hi Tat, sure, it will still be a tasty basic streusel cake.
I decided to use sliced apples and will try it on Monday. Can I make your almond paste on the same day that I will bake the cake or do you recommend the day before? Any other recommendations you might have? It will be a gift to a marzipan lover. Thank you for sharing your recipe.
Hi Tat, there’s no need to make the marzipan in advance. You can make it literally a few minutes before you bake the cake and it will be fine. Happy baking!
Just made this with peaches since cherries are out of season here in Connecticut. Gorgeous! Love the almond flavor. Will make again for sure…thank you!
Wonderful, Scott, thank you so much!
I made this with strawberries and pomegranates and it was delicious! I wanted to take the recipe and make into small bars. Will it work to cook in a 9×9 cake pan instead of a springform?
Awesome, Alison, thanks so much for the feedback! Yes, you can bake it in a 9×9 cake pan.
Hi, this recipe looks wonderful! I have one problem, my husband hates cooked fruit in his desserts, yes, I know crazy. Can I make this without any fruit? Will it still be as moist? or do you have some other recommendation? Like, i could maybe hide apple butter and he would think it was cinnamon….help!
Wow!!! Just made this and it’s incredible! Followed the recipe exactly and it turned out perfectly. Great texture, great flavor, just the right amount of moisture. Everyone loved it and said it might be their most favorite cake they’ve ever had! I’ve been using you’re homemade marzipan the last few years to make stollen at xmas, and now I have another use for the marzipan! Will definitely make this again.
Thanks so much, Alyssa, I’m positively thrilled it was such a hit, wahoo!
I really want to make this ahead of time. Can it be frozen?
Hi Randi, yes it can.
Can the coffee cake be frozen ahead of time?
Hi Randi, yes it can.