Ever wonder about a mix you've seen in the store? Is it any good? Could it replace something you'd otherwise make from scratch? Welcome to Mixed Review, where the whole point is putting mixes to the test! —The Mgmt.

German streusel cake, or streusel küchen, is a lot like good ol' American crumb-topped coffee cake. A light, moist layer of butter cake is topped with fruit (usually apples) and sprinkled generously with streusel topping. While I think all cakes can--and should--be eaten anywhere and anytime, this one falls solidly into the breakfast/brunch category. With brunch-friendly holidays like Easter and Mother's Day on the horizon, I decided to try out Dr. Oetker's German Streusel Cake Mix ($2.49) for this week's Mixed Review.

Dr. Oetker gives you two choices when it comes to fruit filling. You can use canned pie filling, or you can make your own from scratch. Since I didn't want syrupy, saccharine sweet cherries or fake-tasting blueberries to color my review, I decided to make a simple apple filling from scratch. Using the suggested recipe on the box, I simmered two pounds of peeled and diced apples with 1/4 cup of raisins, 3 tablespoons of sugar, and a pinch of cinnamon for about 30 minutes until the apples broke down into a sauce. You could also easily substitute your own favorite chunky applesauce recipe.

Instead of including separate mixes for the cake and the streusel topping, Dr. Oetker simplifies matters by using the same mix for both. Two-thirds of the "batter" (it's more like moist, crumbly tart dough) is pressed into a 9-inch round springform pan. The fruit filling is spooned in the center, and then the remaining one-third of the dough is sifted over the top. The whole thing is baked for 40 or 50 minutes, until the top is golden-brown.

When it was finished, my streusel cake wasn't exactly a thing of beauty--it looked sort of like the lumpy remains of a washed-away sandcastle--but the edges were thick and crispy, and it cut into neat wedges. The texture of the cake was crunchy and slightly granular. This wasn't a bad thing--it reminded me of a cornmeal cookie and paired wonderfully with the sweet, tender apples. The streusel layer tasted (surprise) a lot like the cake layer: crispy, buttery, and sandy. What I liked best about the cake was that it wasn't too sweet. A lot of times, coffee cakes taste like brown sugar bombs. This one was much more refined. The fruit filling provided most of the sweetness.

While preparing the filling takes a bit of extra effort (I suspect the results wouldn't be nearly as good with canned pie filling), this mix still took me less than 45 minutes to prepare (not including baking time). If you are looking for a quick fix to round out your next spring brunch menu, this just might be your ticket.