Zwetschgenkuchen (German Plum Cake)
Apple version before baking
Here again I can not take the credit for the recipe as it was found on Food.com. This recipe is the closest I have ever found to Nanny's plum cake and as I mentioned in my blog, she also made this with apples and blueberries. It really did bring back the sweet memories of Nanny's kitchen! I hope you enjoy as much as I did! See more photos below in a slide show! Happy Baking!
Zwetschgenkuchen recipe
For the Dough
Zwetschgenkuchen recipe
For the Dough
- 4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter (1 stick) I used salted butter and omit the salt from below
- 1 egg
- 1/4 cup sugar, plus
- 1 tablespoon sugar
- 1/4 ounce active dry yeast (1 package)
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup milk, lukewarm
- 1 cup unsalted butter, cut into tiny cubes
- 1 cup sugar
- 2 -3 tablespoons sugar with a teaspoon vanilla (or 1 package Vanilla Sugar )
- 1 1/2-2 1/2 cups flour
- 2 lbs plums (Italian Prune Plums) or Apples peeled and sliced or blueberries
- 2 -3 teaspoons sugar
- whipped cream, for garnish (optional)
- In a small bowl, combine the yeast and half of the milk. Mix in 2 tablespoons of the flour and 1 teaspoon of the sugar. Allow this mixture to sit in a warm place for 1 hour.
- Combine remaining dough ingredients then add in the yeast mixture. Mix until a smooth dough forms, then knead by hand. Allow dough to sit in a warm place until double in volume.
- Preheat oven to 350°F (175°C).
- Grease a baking sheet. Roll out dough to fit the size of the baking sheet. Transfer dough to baking sheet.
- Wash plums and remove any stems. Slice each in half and remove stones. Arrange plum halves evenly on the dough - plums should not be lying down, instead they should be standing stem-side up. Sprinkle plums with sugar.
- Crumbs are optional. If you choose to add them, prepare the crumbs by mixing the butter, vanilla sugar, and sugar. Gradually work in flour until mixture becomes dry and crumbly. Sprinkle crumbs over dough, distributing them evenly.
- Allow cake to sit and rise for another 30 minutes.
- Bake cake for around 30-40 minutes or until crumbs and crust become golden brown.
- Remove cake from oven and allow to cool completely. Serve at room temp