Recipe: Yummy Pflaumenkuchen / Zwetschgendatschi: German Plum Cake

Pflaumenkuchen / Zwetschgendatschi: German Plum Cake. While plums can be found in stores throughout the year, in celebration of plum season I want to share a traditional German plum cake with you. Depending on which region of Germany you're in, it's called Zwetschgenkuchen, Zwetschgendatschi, Quetschekuche or Pflaumenkuchen. I know, they're all tongue-twisters :) Pflaumenkuchen (also known as Zwetschgenkuchen) is a delicious German Plum Cake made with a simple, sweet yeast dough, layered with ripe plums and sprinkled with cinnamon.

It's also called Zwetschgendatschi in some places in Germany. There are a lot of variations to Pflaumenkuchen, but here is maybe the. Zwetschgenkuchen literally means plum cake (Zwetschgen=plums and kuchen=cake) and is also known as Pflaumenkuchen or Zwetschgendatschi depending on the region. You can have Pflaumenkuchen / Zwetschgendatschi: German Plum Cake using 13 ingredients and 12 steps. Here is how you cook it.

Ingredients of Pflaumenkuchen / Zwetschgendatschi: German Plum Cake

It's of **Dough**.
It's 120 ml of milk (1/2 US cup).
Prepare 1 tsp of active dry yeast.
Prepare 4 Tbsp of sugar.
You need 250 g of flour (about 1 US cup).
Prepare 30 g of butter, softened (2 Tbsp).
You need 1 pinch of salt.
It's of **Topping**.
Prepare 400-450 g of Prunes or dark plums (about 1 lb).
Prepare 2 Tbsp of quick oats or breadcrumbs for dusting dough.
You need 1 tsp of cinnamon.
It's 1 Tbsp of sugar.
You need 1 of baking tray (I used a 8 x 11 in/22 x 28 cm pan) or pie/tart dish (8-9 inches). Something similar will work..

In German there is a difference between the types of plums referred to as Zwetschgen and those known as Pflaumen. This cake is probably more of the midweek style, but I for one think it's still something special. This cake goes by a few different names (pflaumekuchen, zwetschgenkuchen) depending on where you are, and has some variations in how you make it as well. Some have streusel on top, others don't and the base varies.

Pflaumenkuchen / Zwetschgendatschi: German Plum Cake instructions

In a bowl, mix the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt..
Add milk and butter and mix until the dough can be formed into a ball. If it's too wet to handle, add a little more flour. If it's too dry and powdery, add a little bit of milk..
Dust a surface and your hands with flour. Knead the dough a couple minutes until the ball is smooth..
Cover and let sit in a warm place for about 60 minutes..
It should get almost double in size after 1 hour..
While waiting for dough, pit and quarter the prunes..
When dough is ready, preheat oven to 400°F/200°C and grease your baking pan/baking sheet with oil or butter. Roll out your dough into the pan (about 1 cm thick or so)..
Sprinkle dough with breadcrumbs or oats (to help soak up extra juice from plums).
Layer the plums in to up right rows so it fills the entire dough sheet..
Sprinkle the top with cinnamon and sugar..
Put pan into center rack. Turn temperature down to 350°F/180°C and bake for 30-35 minutes, until the dough is slightly browned and prunes are starting to turn golden..
Remove and let cool for a few minutes. Can be eat warm or room temperature. Serve plain or top with yogurt or whipped cream. Drizzle honey for an added touch of sweetness :).

A German Plum Cake / Pflaumenkuchen is a delicious standard at any German Kaffee Klatsch. Here are recipes for Plum Streusel cake and Plum Sheet cake. Pflaumenkuchen (German Plum Cake) Recipe by Amanda Gryphon. One of my all-time favorite things to eat in life, this plum cake couldn't be more sentimental. It's a classic German recipe that my grandmother made at the end of every summer during the brief window when the Italian prune plums are in season.