Radio Days Cherry Custard Kuchen

Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 25 min
Servings: 20
Yield: 20 servings

Description

This vintage cherry dessert tops a buttery cake layer with cherries, a creamy custard, and streusel for the final touch.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups sifted all-purpose flour
3/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup unsalted butter
1 egg, slightly beaten
1 tablespoon milk, or as needed
2 (16 ounce) cans pitted sour cherries, drained
3/4 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 eggs at room temperature
3/4 cup milk
1 pinch ground cinnamon
1 pinch ground nutmeg
2 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup all-purpose flour

Directions

1 Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13-inch baking dish. Whisk together 1 1/2 cup of sifted flour, baking powder, and salt in a large bowl.
2 With a pastry cutter, chop the unsalted butter into the flour mixture until it resembles coarse crumbs; mix in 1 egg and 1 tablespoon of milk, creating a dough; if dough seems dry and crumbly, mix in additional milk, a teaspoon at a time. Pat the dough into the prepared baking dish, and sprinkle the cherries evenly over the dough.
3 In a bowl, sift 3/4 cup of sugar with 2 tablespoons of flour; whisk in the 3 eggs and 3/4 cup of milk until smooth. Mix in cinnamon and nutmeg if desired; pour the mixture over the cherries. In a small bowl, using a pastry cutter, chop 2 tablespoons of butter with 1/2 cup of sugar and 1/2 cup flour until crumbly; sprinkle the streusel over the custard mixture.
4 Bake in the preheated oven until the custard is set and the streusel is lightly browned, 25 to 30 minutes. Serve warm or cold; refrigerate leftovers.