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Here is a recipe which Steve Lamberty and his mom have made one of their favorites; it's probably something the German side of the Vukits family would enjoy. It is an easy traditional German blueberry cake recipe with homemade blueberry pie filling and streusel topping.

The original recipe can be found on foodie Kiki Johnson's website Cinnamon & Coriander at this link, and includes step-by-step photos.


HEIDELBEERKUCHEN / GERMAN BLUEBERRY CAKE
(courtesy of Kiki at cinnamonandcoriander.com)

Ingredients-filling:
  • 2-1/4 lb. blueberries (1 kg)
  • 3-1/2 oz. sugar (100g)
  • 2 Tbsp. lemon juice
  • 1 tsp. lemon zest
  • 1-3/4 oz. vanilla pudding powder or
     1-3/4 oz. cornstarch and ADD 1 Tbsp. vanilla extract
Ingredients-shortcrust pastry:
  • 7 oz. all-purpose flour (200g)
  • 1-1/2 tsp. baking powder
  • 2.6 oz. sugar (75g)
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 1 egg, extra large
  • 3-1/2 oz. soft cold butter (100g)
  • pinch of salt
Ingredients-crumbles:
  • 3-1/2 oz. all-purpose flour (100g)
  • 2.6 oz. sugar (75g)
  • 1 tsp. vanilla extract
  • 2.6 oz. soft cold butter (80g)
Preparation-filling:

Wash the blueberries in a colander under running water. Place them in a saucepan and add sugar and lemon juice and zest. Bring the blueberries to a boil slowly while stirring continuously with a spoon. Stir from the sides towards the center to avoid burning. Let the berries boil for about 3 minutes, but not longer. We want them whole.

Dissolve pudding powder (or cornstarch and vanilla extract) with 5 tablespoons of cold water and add to the berries. Stir with your spoon until the color becomes red. Let bubble up once. Pour the berry mixture in a bowl and wait a bit until it has cooled down.

Preparation-shortcrust pastry:

Use a flour sifter and sift the flour with the baking powder together into a bowl. Add the sugar, vanilla extract, and salt. Mix everything well.

Make a hole in the center of the flour and add the egg. Cut the butter into cubes and spread on top. With your hands or using a hand mixer with the kneading hooks, knead all the ingredients together until you have a smooth dough. The dough is ready when it is no longer sticky.

Line a springform with parchment paper. Use a bit more than the half of the Pastry dough to spread it on the bottom of the springform by hand, press some up the sides. Divide the rest of the dough in two. This is for the outer crust. Form two rolls and place them around the inside of the springform pan. Using your fingers, press the rolls against the sides of the springform (about 2 inches high) and connect it to the bottom part of the dough. Make sure all the dough is sealed at the edges. Use a fork to make a few small holes in the dough. Pour the filling evenly into your baking pan on top of the pastry so that the mixture fills all the way to the edges of the pastry.

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Preparation-crumbles:

Add flour, sugar, vanilla extract and butter in a bowl and knead with the dough hooks of your handheld mixer. When combined, rub the dough between your hands. The crumbles should fall back into the bowl. Make sure that all the butter is worked well into the crumbs. If your crumbles are too dry, add a little more butter. If the crumbles are too moist, add some flour. Spread the crumbles evenly on top of your cake.

Preheat your oven to 360°F and place the cake on the middle rack. Bake for about 40-45 minutes. (I always move any cake with a crumble topping one rack up for the last five minutes to give the crumbles a deeper golden color.) Let the cake cool down in the spring-form pan, before you take it out. Sprinkle some powdered sugar on top. Carefully move the cake with the help of a cake lifter onto your serving plate. Serve with whipped cream.

Tips:
  • You can use fresh or frozen blueberries.
  • Make sure to chill the cake before serving it. The blueberry filling needs to set.
  • You can use gluten-free flour to make the blueberry cake gluten-free.