Zwetschgenkuchen

Halved Italian prune plums packed in tight overlapping rows across a yeasted dough base, dusted with cinnamon sugar and crowned with buttery Streusel, baked until the fruit caramelises and floods the cake with dark juice, served warm with unsweetened cream

Origin: Swabia and the Rhineland, Germany

From the journey of Plum.

Zwetschgenkuchen, the German plum sheet cake (Zwetschgendatschi to the Swabians and the Bavarians of Augsburg, who claim it most fiercely), is the great cake of the late-summer plum harvest across southern and western Germany. It is built on the Zwetschge, the firm, oval, late-ripening Italian prune plum (Prunus domestica subsp. domestica), a variety prized for baking precisely because its flesh holds together and its skin caramelises rather than dissolving into mush. The plums are stoned, halved, and given a single further cut so they fan open, then packed standing in tight overlapping rows across a base of yeasted dough rolled thin on a baking tray; a shortcrust base is the equally traditional alternative. As the cake bakes, the cut faces of the fruit caramelise at their edges and the plums release a dark, winey juice that soaks into the dough and concentrates to an almost jammy intensity. A dusting of cinnamon sugar is classic, and many bakers, particularly in the Rhineland, finish the cake with a thick blanket of Streusel, the rubbed crumble of flour, butter, and sugar that bakes to a golden, sandy crust. Sold by the broad rectangular tray in every German bakery from August through October, and baked at home for Sunday Kaffee und Kuchen, Zwetschgenkuchen is eaten warm from the oven, traditionally with a spoonful of unsweetened whipped cream to set off the sharp, dark sweetness of the fruit.

Ingredients

Yeasted base

375 g plain flour
7 g fast-action dried yeast (one sachet)
60 g caster sugar
180 ml warm milk
1 egg
60 g butter, softened
1 pinch salt

Fruit topping

1.2 kg Zwetschgen (Italian prune plums), halved, stoned, and cut open to fan
2 tbsp caster sugar mixed with 1 tsp ground cinnamon, for dusting

Streusel

150 g plain flour
90 g cold butter, cubed
90 g caster sugar
0.5 tsp ground cinnamon

To serve

200 ml double or whipping cream, lightly whipped and unsweetened, to serve

Method

Make the dough: combine the flour, yeast, sugar, and salt in a bowl. Add the warm milk, egg, and softened butter, and work to a smooth, soft dough. Knead for several minutes until elastic, then cover and leave in a warm place until doubled in size, about an hour.
While the dough proves, stone and prepare the plums. Halve each Zwetschge along its natural seam, lift out the stone, and make a second shallow cut into each half so it opens out and lies flat, fanned, on the cake.
Make the Streusel: rub the cold cubed butter into the flour, sugar, and cinnamon with your fingertips until the mixture forms coarse, pea-sized crumbs. Keep it cold until needed.
Knock back the risen dough and roll it out to line a greased baking tray of about 30 by 40 cm, pushing it up the sides a little to form a shallow rim. Prick the base lightly with a fork.
Pack the prepared plums onto the dough in tight, overlapping rows, cut side up and standing slightly on edge, covering the whole surface closely; the fruit shrinks as it bakes, so leave no gaps. Dust evenly with the cinnamon sugar.
Scatter the Streusel evenly over the plums. Leave the assembled cake to rest for 15 minutes while the oven heats to 190°C (170°C fan).
Bake for 40 to 45 minutes, until the dough is cooked through and golden at the edges, the Streusel is crisp and pale gold, and the plums are soft and caramelising in their own dark juice. Cool a little on the tray.
Cut into generous squares and serve warm or at room temperature, each piece with a spoonful of lightly whipped, unsweetened cream alongside.

Notes

The choice of plum is everything: the firm, oval Zwetschge (Italian prune plum) holds its shape, stones cleanly, and caramelises at the edges, whereas softer dessert plums collapse to a watery purée and weep too much juice into the base. The cake is traditional on both a yeasted dough, as here, and a shortcrust pastry base; the yeasted version gives a lighter, more bread-like result and is the Bavarian and Swabian standard, where it is known as Zwetschgendatschi. The Streusel topping is especially associated with the Rhineland, and the cake is equally correct left plain with only cinnamon sugar. Zwetschgenkuchen is at its best warm from the oven on the day it is baked, served for Kaffee und Kuchen with unsweetened cream.

The Gastrographer

Name: Zwetschgenkuchen
Prep time: 30 min
Cook time: 45 min
Total time: 2 h
Yield: 12
Cuisine: Germany
Ingredients: 375 g plain flour; 7 g fast-action dried yeast (one sachet); 60 g caster sugar; 180 ml warm milk; 1 egg; 60 g butter, softened; 1 pinch salt; 1.2 kg Zwetschgen (Italian prune plums), halved, stoned, and cut open to fan; 2 tbsp caster sugar mixed with 1 tsp ground cinnamon, for dusting; 150 g plain flour; 90 g cold butter, cubed; 90 g caster sugar; 0.5 tsp ground cinnamon; 200 ml double or whipping cream, lightly whipped and unsweetened, to serve

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Ingredient originTrade or transit route

Became a culinary stapleColonial / trade control