💡 Recipe At A Glance
- •The Cake: A classic German cherry streusel cake featuring a buttery crust, sweet-tart cherry filling, crisp streusel, and a light whipped cream topping dusted with cocoa.
- •Prep Time: Fast and totally stress-free prep—a budget-friendly crowd-pleaser that’s perfect for family get-togethers or birthday parties.
- •Method: Your Thermomix® handles it all—from mixing the crust to simmering the cherry filling and whipping the cream.
This sensationally delicious German “Fire Brigade” Cherry Streusel Cake (or Feuerwehrkuchen) isn’t just a hit with kids—grown-up cake lovers won’t be able to resist this fruity cherry crumb cake topped with whipped cream, either!
Grandma’s classic Feuerwehrkuchen recipe is an absolute must-try staple, and the best part? Making it in your Thermomix® is super fast and completely hassle-free. 🙂
In my easy step-by-step recipe, I’ll show you just how quick and effortless it is to make this incredible Feuerwehrkuchen (German Firehouse Cake) in your Thermomix® from scratch!
What is Feuerwehrkuchen (Firehouse Cake)?
Feuerwehrkuchen is a traditional German cherry crumble cake topped with whipped cream, typically made with a rich shortcrust pastry base.
Not a fan of whipped cream? No problem! You can easily skip it and still end up with a fabulous cherry crumble cake.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe:
- It’s a total classic—just like Grandma used to make.
- Super delicious and an absolute must-try for cherry dessert lovers.
- Great for kids’ birthday parties, potlucks, or family get-togethers.
- Foolproof and so quick to throw together.
- Budget-friendly with simple ingredients.
- A huge crowd-pleaser for both kids and adults!
My Top Tips for the Best Feuerwehrkuchen
To keep the crumble topping nice and crisp, hold off on spreading the whipped cream over the cake until right before serving.
Also, make sure the cake has cooled down completely before adding the cream topping—otherwise, it will melt!
For a fun twist, feel free to swap out the cocoa powder garnish for grated chocolate or chocolate shavings on top.
Can I Make This Cake Ahead of Time?
You sure can! You can easily bake the cake the day before and keep it stored in the fridge until you’re ready to serve.
If possible, try to wait to top the cake with the whipped cream and cocoa powder until right before serving.
How Long Does Firehouse Cake Last?
This cake will keep covered in the fridge for up to 3 days.
If you hold off on adding the whipped cream and cocoa powder until right before serving, it will actually stay fresh for up to 4 days in the refrigerator!
I don’t recommend freezing this cake. As it thaws, the cherries make the crust and streusel topping soggy, which ruins that amazing texture.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Ingredients Do You Need for Firehouse Cake?
For the Crust:
- 200 g all-purpose flour
- 70 g granulated sugar
- 100 g cold butter, cubed
- 1 large egg
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
For the Streusel:
- 150 g all-purpose flour
- 100 g granulated sugar
- 100 g almond flour (or finely ground almonds)
- 90 g cold butter
For the Filling:
- 2 jars sour/tart cherries (reserve the juice!)
- 60 g granulated sugar
- 1 packet vanilla pudding mix
For the Topping:
- 400 ml cold heavy whipping cream
- 1 packet whipped cream stabilizer
- Unsweetened cocoa powder, for dusting
Note: You’ll find the full ingredient amounts and step-by-step instructions in the printable recipe card below.
How to Make Firehouse Cake
Getting Ready:
Line the bottom of a 10-inch (26 cm) springform pan with parchment paper and grease the sides.
Drain the cherries in a colander, making sure to reserve the cherry juice for later.
Preheat your oven to 350°F (175°C).
Step-by-Step Instructions:
Add all the ingredients for the crust to the mixing bowl and blend for 10 sec / speed 5.
Don’t overmix, or the dough will get too soft—you’re looking for a loose, crumbly texture.
Transfer the crumbles into your prepared springform pan. Use your hands to press the dough evenly over the bottom and work it about 1 inch up the sides to create a rim.
Prick the crust all over with a fork, then pop the pan in the fridge to chill.
Next up, let’s make the streusel topping! No need to wash out the mixing bowl first.
To make the crumble, add all the ingredients to the mixing bowl and mix for 10 sec / Speed 5.
Transfer to a separate bowl and set aside.
Clean the mixing bowl, then combine 300 g of the reserved cherry juice with the vanilla pudding mix and sugar. Heat for 6 min / 100°C / Speed 3.
Add the cherries and continue cooking for 2 min / 80°C / Reverse / Soft Stirring Speed.
Next, pour the cherry mixture over the shortcrust pastry in your springform pan.
Scatter the crumble topping evenly over the cherries and bake on the lower rack of your oven for 50 minutes.
Pro Tip: If the crumble is already nicely browned, loosely tent the cake with aluminum foil for the last 10 minutes of baking.
Let the cherry cake cool completely.
Insert the butterfly whisk! Add the cold heavy cream and whipped cream stabilizer to the mixing bowl, then whip on Speed 3 until stiff peaks form.
Note: It took about 2 minutes and 35 seconds for my cream to whip up, but this depends on how cold your heavy cream and bowl are. Keep a close eye on it starting around the 2-minute mark so it doesn’t over-whip into butter!
Either spread the whipped cream evenly over the cake with a spatula, or transfer it to a piping bag fitted with a round tip and pipe pretty dollops across the top.
Finish with a dusting of unsweetened cocoa powder.
Enjoy!
Note: You can find the exact ingredient measurements and step-by-step instructions down in the recipe card.
The listed prep and baking times are average estimates.
And with that, I hope you have so much fun baking this—enjoy every bite!
If you loved this quick Firefighter Cake recipe, you might also like my easy, delicious chocolate cake! 🙂
Happy baking,
Christoph
P.S. Never want to miss a recipe? Come follow along on Pinterest or Instagram ❣
Did you make this recipe?
If you loved it, please leave me a comment and rate it with 5 stars below! 🙂
German Firefighter Cake (Feuerwehrkuchen)
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Zutaten
For the shortcrust pastry:
- 200 g All-purpose flour
- 70 g Sugar
- 100 g Cold butter cubed
- 1 Egg
- ½ tsp Baking powder
For the streusel topping:
- 150 g All-purpose flour
- 100 g Sugar
- 100 g Ground almonds
- 90 g Cold butter
For the cherry filling:
- 2 Jars of tart sour cherries reserve the juice
- 60 g Sugar
- 1 packet Vanilla pudding powder
For the whipped cream topping:
- 400 ml Cold heavy cream
- 1 packet Whipped cream stabilizer
- etwas Unsweetened cocoa powder
Zubereitung
Prep Work:
- Line the bottom of a 26 cm springform pan with parchment paper and grease the sides.
- Drain the sour cherries over a bowl using a sieve, catching all that delicious cherry juice.
- Preheat your oven to 175°C (conventional top/bottom heat).
Instructions:
- Add all the shortcrust pastry ingredients to the mixing bowl and mix for 10 sec / Speed 5. Be careful not to overmix, or the dough will become too soft! It should look nicely crumbly.
- Transfer the dough to your springform pan, press it evenly into the bottom with your hands, and work it about 3 cm up the sides to create a border.
- Prick the crust several times with a fork, then pop it in the fridge to chill.
- Next up, make the streusel! No need to rinse out the mixing bowl for this step.
- Add all the streusel ingredients to the mixing bowl and blend for 10 sec / Speed 5 until buttery crumbs form.
- Transfer the streusel to a bowl and set aside.
- Clean the mixing bowl, then add 300 g of the reserved cherry juice along with the vanilla pudding powder and sugar. Cook for 6 min / 100°C / Speed 3.
- Fold in the drained cherries and cook for another 2 min / 80°C / Reverse direction / Soft stir setting.
- Pour the warm cherry filling into the chilled shortcrust base.
- Scatter the streusel evenly over the top and bake on the lower rack of your oven for 50 minutes. If the streusel starts getting too brown toward the end, loosely tent the top with aluminum foil for the last 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let the cherry cake cool completely.
- Insert the butterfly attachment! Add the cold heavy cream and whipped cream stabilizer to the mixing bowl and whip on Speed 3 until stiff peaks form. (It took me about 2 min 35 sec to reach perfect stiffness, but this depends on how cold your cream and bowl are. Keep a close eye on it starting at the 2-minute mark so you don’t accidentally turn it into butter!).
- Either spread the whipped cream directly over the top of the cooled cake, or transfer it to a piping bag fitted with a round tip and pipe pretty dollops all over.
- Finish with a light dusting of unsweetened cocoa powder right before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- To keep the streusel topping perfectly crisp, it’s best to spread the whipped cream over the cake right before serving.
German Firefighter Cake (Feuerwehrkuchen)
Click stars to rate now
Zutaten
For the shortcrust pastry:
- 200 g All-purpose flour
- 70 g Sugar
- 100 g Cold butter cubed
- 1 Egg
- ½ tsp Baking powder
For the streusel topping:
- 150 g All-purpose flour
- 100 g Sugar
- 100 g Ground almonds
- 90 g Cold butter
For the cherry filling:
- 2 Jars of tart sour cherries reserve the juice
- 60 g Sugar
- 1 packet Vanilla pudding powder
For the whipped cream topping:
- 400 ml Cold heavy cream
- 1 packet Whipped cream stabilizer
- etwas Unsweetened cocoa powder
Zubereitung
Prep Work:
- Line the bottom of a 26 cm springform pan with parchment paper and grease the sides.
- Drain the sour cherries over a bowl using a sieve, catching all that delicious cherry juice.
- Preheat your oven to 175°C (conventional top/bottom heat).
Instructions:
- Add all the shortcrust pastry ingredients to the mixing bowl and mix for 10 sec / Speed 5. Be careful not to overmix, or the dough will become too soft! It should look nicely crumbly.
- Transfer the dough to your springform pan, press it evenly into the bottom with your hands, and work it about 3 cm up the sides to create a border.
- Prick the crust several times with a fork, then pop it in the fridge to chill.
- Next up, make the streusel! No need to rinse out the mixing bowl for this step.
- Add all the streusel ingredients to the mixing bowl and blend for 10 sec / Speed 5 until buttery crumbs form.
- Transfer the streusel to a bowl and set aside.
- Clean the mixing bowl, then add 300 g of the reserved cherry juice along with the vanilla pudding powder and sugar. Cook for 6 min / 100°C / Speed 3.
- Fold in the drained cherries and cook for another 2 min / 80°C / Reverse direction / Soft stir setting.
- Pour the warm cherry filling into the chilled shortcrust base.
- Scatter the streusel evenly over the top and bake on the lower rack of your oven for 50 minutes. If the streusel starts getting too brown toward the end, loosely tent the top with aluminum foil for the last 10 minutes.
- Remove from the oven and let the cherry cake cool completely.
- Insert the butterfly attachment! Add the cold heavy cream and whipped cream stabilizer to the mixing bowl and whip on Speed 3 until stiff peaks form. (It took me about 2 min 35 sec to reach perfect stiffness, but this depends on how cold your cream and bowl are. Keep a close eye on it starting at the 2-minute mark so you don't accidentally turn it into butter!).
- Either spread the whipped cream directly over the top of the cooled cake, or transfer it to a piping bag fitted with a round tip and pipe pretty dollops all over.
- Finish with a light dusting of unsweetened cocoa powder right before serving. Enjoy!
Notes
- To keep the streusel topping perfectly crisp, it's best to spread the whipped cream over the cake right before serving.
