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Plum Cake (German)

german-plumcakeWith this easy German Plum Cake you will get a lot of compliments. It is a great German cake, proven and authentic. You should use the German plums (Zwetschgen) that are called here Damson or Italian plums. The dough is a biscuit dough, so no yeast. The regular soft, round plums are not very useful for this cake. It's a wonderful cake for the Sunday Coffee and Cake getting together. Serve it with whipped cream. This traditional German plum cake recipe (known as Pflaumenkuchen, Zwetschgenkuchen, Zwetschgendatschi, or Quetschekuche depending which area of Germany you are in) and topped with a buttery streusel topping, is one of the most requested German recipes by those living outside of Germany. This plum cake is made without yeast, so it's super quick and easy. Served with whipped cream or a scoop of vanilla ice cream, this is perfect for your afternoon Kaffee und Kuchen (coffee and cake). There are many different versions of plum cake, some have streusel and some without. Some made with shortcrust pastry. Many made with yeast dough. This one isn't. It uses a quick "Quark-Öl" dough. I had to play a bit with the original recipe, since Quark isn't available here where I live. Greek yogurt proved to be a great substitute. So, when I'm in a real hurry, this German plum cake with streusel is the winner that the whole family enjoys. If you really, really want to use Quark to make this, which substitutes in equal amounts in this recipe, and can't buy it, you can make it easily with your Greek yogurt maker or even in the oven. The traditional type of plum for this German Zwetschgenkuchen are the fresh Italian plums, also known as prune plums, empress plums, or European plums. These are usually available at local markets in late summer, from the end of August thru to early October. However, whether you use black plums, red plums, or golden ones, each will make a delicious cake.

Plum Cake:
2⅓ cups all-purpose flour, unbleached (304 g)
3 tsp. baking powder (12 g)
⅓ cup Monk Fruit Sweetener with Erythritol (Granular) (67 g)
1 Tbsp. vanilla sugar (13 g)
1 pinch sea salt
½ cup Greek yogurt (123 g)
⅓ cup milk (80 mL)
⅓ cup neutral oil such as sunflower oil (80 mL)
2 lbs fresh prune plums, pitted and qtered (908 g)

Streusel Topping:
2 cups all-purpose flour, unbleached (260 g)
1 cup Monk Fruit Sweetener with Erythritol (Granular) (200 g)
1 cup unsalted butter, cold (227 g)

Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C/160°C fan, Gas Mark 4). Grease a 9x13" baking pan or 2 (9") springform pans and set aside.

Make the Cake:
Stir together flour, baking powder, sugar, vanilla sugar, and salt in a large bowl.

Add the yogurt, milk, and oil to the flour mixture. Using either a dough hook, wooden spoon, or your hands, mix for a minute or so until the dough holds together, adding a bit more milk if needed. Knead lightly with your hands to form a ball. Do not overwork the dough.

Press the dough into the prepared pan(s). Put the plum wedges, skin side down, in rows on top of the dough.

Make the Topping:
Combine flour and sugar in a separate bowl. Cut in butter and mix quickly to make crumbs. Sprinkle over top of the cake.

Bake for 50-60 minutes or until the top is lightly browned. Let cool and serve.

Makes 10 servings.

Cook's Notes:

  • The amount of milk used in the dough is dependent upon the moisture content of the Greek yogurt. Add just enough milk for the dough to hold together.
  • If you want a sweeter cake, sprinkle a little extra sugar over top of the plums before covering with the streusel crumbs.
  • Instead of plums, put a layer of jam on the dough and cover with streusel.
  • Add ½ tsp. of almond extract along with the milk and oil.
  • Substitute 1 tsp. of vanilla extract instead of the vanilla sugar.
  • Use this same easy dough and press it into a 9x13" pan. Cover with fresh peach slices, sprinkle with about 1 Tbsp. of sugar and bake for about 45 minutes.
  • If you are wanting to use yeast, you can use this peach streusel cake recipe and just substitute with plums.