German Plum Cake
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Almost 2 decades ago, before I met David, German cuisine wasn’t on my preferred list. After a few visits to well-known restaurants, I couldn’t find anything redeeming about their foods. To me, it was blah 🥱 and enormously lacking in seasonings.
 
Soon after I moved in with him, we went to Coombs, near Nanaimo on Vancouver Island. The place is called Goats on the Roof and guess what? There are actually real goats 🐐 sitting on top of the roof, munching grass growing on the roof! It’s very neat!
 
It’s a cute market with an amazing deli counter, a variety of food from almost every country in Europe and a cute giftshop. These kinds of places are my favorite spot as a foody! I slowly walk 🚶‍♀️ through the aisles, looking at all the different ingredients, cans, packages, and getting my creative side in gear!
 
As much as I want to try all the “unknown” products, David likes to put breaks on it 🚫. If it wasn’t for him, I can easily come out with a couple hundred dollars worth of merchandise that I have no clue how they taste or what I would make with them.
 
When we were at Goats on the Roof, we did spend a lot of money 💰 but one category we brought back with us was a few sweet treats from Germany. There was Pfeffernüsse, Linzer Cookies and Stollen. Next thing I know, I was baking German desserts!
 
As I was learning about Bavarian desserts, one that David kept asking me to make 👩‍🍳 every late summer was German Plum Cake • Pflaumenkuchen! After going through his mother and his Oma’s personal notes, I rolled up my sleeves and gave it a try… I’m glad I did as this cake is among my favorites!
 
With a few modifications, this amazing dessert is perfect to make at the end of summer while plums are in season. Incredibly delicious, this yeast-based sheet cake is covered with juicy, sliced plums, either Damson or Italian, and topped with a sweet streusel… simply scrumptious 😋!
 
My method of making this German Plum Cake • Pflaumenkuchen is slightly different from David’s mom and Oma 👵. I use a stand mixer and when most of the dough clings around the hook, I take it out, form a ball with my oiled hands, cover, and let it rise for 1 to 1:30 hours or until it doubles in size.
 
After rising is done, I stretch out the dough to form a 9 x 13-inch rectangle. I then place it in a cake pan that has greased parchment paper with overhangs so I can lift it out later. I spread the dough to cover the bottom of the pan. My mother-in-law 👩‍🦱 was generously buttering hers without the paper.
 
After the sliced plums have been laid in a single layer on the cake , I cover and let it proof for 30 minutes. Later on, I sprinkle the streusel on top of the fruits, making sure to cover them all and bake for 25 to 30 minutes ⏰. I turn the heat to Low Broil and cook until the top is golden brown, about 5 minutes at the most.
 
Now, let’s talk about the ingredients… I add lemon zest 🍋 to the dough as well as pure vanilla extract. These two added ingredients give a nice flavor to the cake. When it comes to the plums, Damson or Italian are the ones to go for.
 
Here is the difference between these two varieties…
Damson Plums are sweet with some tartness while Italian Plums are generally sweet. Both can be used in this recipe. David prefers Damson while I like to go with the Italian ones. It’s a question of taste so choose the ones you want. Make sure they’re really ripe 😉… it makes the cake sweeter!
 
When it comes to the streusel, it’s important to chill it while the dough is rising and here are the reasons. The butter 🧈 will get firmer therefore the texture will get crispier. Also, when the butter is cold, it will prevent the streusel from spreading out while baking.
 
Depending on which region of Germany, this dessert can be called either Zwetschgendatschi, Zwetschgenkuchen or Zwetschgenplootz. It’s also a popular cake in other countries such as Austria, Czech Republic and Hungary as well as in France 🌍 which is known as Quetschekuche.
 
This German Plum Cake • Pflaumenkuchen is a scrumptious late summer dessert to make! It can be enjoyed warm or at room temperature. It keeps well in the fridge for 3 to 4 days and if there are leftovers, wrap it and freeze it for a couple months. You can also make this cake with other fruits such as peaches 🍑 or apricots.
Bon Appétit! 🍽
 
Check out these other great German recipes… 😀
– Kartoffelsuppe • German Potato Soup
– Coffee Cake
– German Red Cabbage
– Homemade Pretzels
– Sweet & Spicy German Mustard
– Pork Schnitzel
– German Spätzle
– Zwiebelrostbraten
– Beef Rouladen
and for even more dessert recipes 🍩🍰, click on this link… Recipe Category • Dessert
 

 
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German Plum Cake

German Plum Cake • Pflaumenkuchen

Perfectly baked plums and a tasty streusel, this scrumptious German Plum Cake • Pflaumenkuchen is so delightful!
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Servings 12

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Prep Time 30 minutes
Cook Time 30 minutes
Passive Time 1 hour 15 minutes

Ingredients
  

DOUGH

  • 2 1/4 tsp. active dry yeast
  • 3/4 cup lukewarm milk (between 105ºF to 110ºF)
  • 3 tbsp. granulated sugar, divided
  • 2 1/4 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, divided plus more for work surface
  • 1/4 tsp. ground Himalayan pink salt
  • 1 large free-range egg, room temperature
  • 1/2 tbsp. lemon zest
  • 3 tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and room temperature
  • 1 tsp. pure vanilla extract
  • 1 1/2 lbs. (about 16) Damson plums, washed, pits removed and sliced
  • 1 tbsp. grapeseed oil, for hands and bowl tips & tricks

STREUSEL

  • 3/4 cup unbleached all-purpose flour
  • 1/2 cup granulated sugar
  • 1 tsp. ground cinnamon
  • 1/4 tsp. ground Himalayan pink salt
  • 1/4 cup unsalted butter, cut into small pieces and room temperature

Directions
 

DOUGH/CAKE

  • In the bowl of a stand mixer, add active dry yeast, lukewarm milk and 1 tbsp. sugar. Give a quick stir and let the yeast proof for about 15 minutes.
  • In a medium bowl, add flour, remaining 2 tbsp. sugar and salt; whisk until blended.
  • When yeast is proofed, add egg and lemon zest. Using the paddle attachment, process on medium-high until mixed.
  • Add dry ingredients, melted butter and pure vanilla extract. Switching the attachment for dough hook, process on speed 2 for 2 minutes.
  • Increase to speed 3 and process until dough clings around the hook, add a tbsp. of remaining ¼ cup flour at a time.
  • With oiled hands, take the dough and pull under to form a ball (it will be very sticky). Place in a lightly greased bowl and toss around to coat.
  • Cover with a clean dish towel and transfer to a draft-free area such as the oven (with heat off). Let it rise for 1 to 1:30 hours or until it doubles in size.
  • Meanwhile make the streusel.
  • Remove the dough from its spot and drop it onto a lightly floured work surface (don’t punch the dough). Stretch it to create a rectangle of about 9 x 13.
  • Place the dough in a cake pan that has been lined with a greased parchment paper with overhangs. Stretch it to cover the bottom of the pan.
  • Lay plum slices tightly together in a single layer, lining them up in rows.
  • Cover with a clean dish towel and transfer to its spot to proof for 30 minutes.
  • Half an hour later, remove from its spot and preheat oven to 375ºF.
  • Sprinkle on streusel evenly on top of plums, making sure to cover them all.
  • Transfer the cake to the preheated oven and bake for 26 to 30 minutes or until a cake tester inserted in the center comes out clean.
  • Turn the heat to Low Broil and cook for 5 minutes or until the top is golden brown.
  • Remove from the heat to a wire rack and allow to cool for 15 minutes before carefully lifting the cake from the pan, back to the wire rack.

STREUSEL

  • In a medium bowl, combine flour, sugar, cinnamon and salt; stir well.
  • Add the butter pieces and with clean hand or using a pastry cutter, work the butter into the mixture until it resembles coarse sand, evenly crumbly. Transfer to the fridge until needed.

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