German Plum Cake (Zwetschgenkuchen)

A tray-baked yeast cake topped with tightly packed rows of juicy plums and a cinnamon crumb.

TIME BREAKDOWN
Prep: 2h 30m
Cook: 40 min
Total: 3 hours 10 minutes
Vegetarian
✅
Nuts
❌
Serves
12 people
Difficulty
Medium

Ingredients

  • For the dough: 350g strong white bread flour
  • For the dough: 7g fast-action dried yeast
  • For the dough: 50g caster sugar
  • For the dough: pinch of salt
  • For the dough: 150ml lukewarm whole milk
  • For the dough: 60g butter, melted
  • For the dough: 1 egg
  • 1kg damsons or plums (such as Victoria), halved and stoned
  • 2 tbsp caster sugar
  • 1 tsp ground cinnamon
  • 1 tbsp ground almonds or fine breadcrumbs, to line the base
  • Icing sugar and whipped cream, to serve

Method

  1. Mix the flour, yeast, sugar and salt. Add the milk, butter and egg and knead for 8 minutes until smooth. Cover and rise for 1 hour until doubled.

  2. Heat the oven to 190°C (170°C fan). Grease a 30 x 40cm baking tray.

  3. Roll the dough out to fit the tray and press it in. Scatter with the ground almonds or breadcrumbs.

  4. Arrange the plum halves skin-side down in tight, slightly overlapping rows. Cover and leave to rise for 30 minutes.

  5. Mix the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over.

  6. Bake for 35 to 40 minutes until the dough is golden and the plums are soft. Cool, dust with icing sugar and serve with cream.