Plum cake

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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

  1. Mix dry yeast with flour and sugar, and let it rest for 10 minutes.
  2. 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.
  3. Oil a bowl and transfer the dough, turning it over, so it is covered with oil. The oil you use must be neutral.
  4. 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.
  5. Grease a springform pan (9 inches in diameter (23 cm in dm). Cut parchment paper and place it in the oiled spring form.
  6. Mix the ingredients for the topping – it will be a grainy mass; set it aside.
  7. 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.
  8. 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.
  9. Place the plums on the dough as close as possible. Then, sprinkle the topping over the entire cake.
  10. Cover the cake and let it rise for about 30 minutes.
  11. Bake in a 392° (F) oven for 20 – 25 minutes. If using a convection oven, set the oven to 347° (F). instead.
  12. Take the cake out and let it cool a little. Then, garnish with a bit of powdered sugar and serve.

Enjoy!

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