Super delicious southern German cake with plums that evokes lovely memories.
My oldest brother lived in Germany, and I always looked forward to visiting them. On one occasion in the 60s, I ordered Zwetschendatschi; it was delicious, and I loved it from the first bite! After each visit, I craved the cake like crazy. No cake has awakened my passion in the same way.
Every time I visited my brother or had other errands to Germany, I bought lots and froze when I got home.
Eventually, I decided to make the cake and asked my German sister-in-law for a good recipe. She sent a wrapped recipe in German that I had to translate. But the recipe was for a large cake, and I wanted to try a small one – I had to do some math and came up with this recipe that you can bake in a springform pan (23 cm (9 inches) in diameter) – just perfect! So, the other day, I bought plums and stepped into action.
A few things to bear in mind
- Choose suitably ripe plums.
- They must taste sweet – otherwise, you need to add more sugar.
- The dough has to rise – so it takes a little time, but it’s worth it.
- You can make it with or without topping – I do it a little differently from time to time.
- You can serve it warm or cold. Warm goes well with ice cream. It can also be served with a little whipped cream. I prefer the cake as is.
- The dough also goes well with other fruits.
Ingredients
| The dough | The filling |
| 5 g yeast | 470 g plums |
| 50 g lukewarm milk 98,6° (F) | Topping |
| 15 g sugar | 25 g flour |
| 15 g egg | 25 g sugar |
| A pinch of salt | A pinch of salt |
| 100 g flour | 50 g planed or shredded almonds |
| 15 g butter | 1 – 2 tsk ground cinnamon |
Method
- Mix dry yeast with flour and sugar, and let it rest for 10 minutes.
- Then add milk (98,6° F) – (37° C), and run it on low speed for 1 – 2 minutes, then add butter and eggs, and knead. Increase the speed and run for another 3 – 4 minutes. Then add a pinch of salt and let the machine run for another 2 – 5 minutes.
- Oil a bowl and transfer the dough, turning it over, so it is covered with oil. The oil you use must be neutral.
- Cover the dough and let it rise in a warm place for about 45 minutes until the dough doubles in size. The best way is to turn your oven into a dough cabinet. You can do this easily by pouring boiling water into a suitable container and putting it in the oven. Then place the covered bowl of dough in the oven. Please keep the light on in the oven.
- Grease a springform pan (9 inches in diameter (23 cm in dm). Cut parchment paper and place it in the oiled spring form.
- Mix the ingredients for the topping – it will be a grainy mass; set it aside.
- Wash the plums and let them drain. Then cut the plum but not all the way through. They should sit together on one side. Remove the cores.
- Turn the dough onto a lightly floured work surface when it has finished rising. Fold the dough a few times, and then roll it into a round shape. Finally, put the dough in the mold.
- Place the plums on the dough as close as possible. Then, sprinkle the topping over the entire cake.
- Cover the cake and let it rise for about 30 minutes.
- Bake in a 392° (F) oven for 20 – 25 minutes. If using a convection oven, set the oven to 347° (F). instead.
- Take the cake out and let it cool a little. Then, garnish with a bit of powdered sugar and serve.
Enjoy!
