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Oma's German Plum Cake (Streusel Pflaumenkuchen / Zwetschgenkuchen)

Looking for a real German plum cake? This zwetschgenkuchen brings tender plums, buttery crumble, and simple homemade comfort in every bite.

Ingredients:

For the Cake:

• 2⅓ cups (304 grams) all-purpose flour 
• 3 teaspoons (12 grams) baking powder 
• ⅓ cup (67 grams) granulated sugar
• 1 tablespoon (13 grams) vanilla sugar 
• 1 pinch salt
• ½ cup (123 grams) Greek yogurt
• ⅓ cup (80 milliliters) milk or more as needed
• ⅓ cup (80 milliliters) neutral oil such as sunflower oil
• about 2 pounds (908 grams) fresh prune plums, pitted and quartered

For the Topping:

• 2 cups (260 grams) all-purpose flour 
• 1 cup (200 grams) granulated sugar
• 1 cup (227 gram) cold unsalted butter

Instructions:

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C). Grease a 9x13-inch baking pan or 2 9-inch springform pans and set aside.
2. To make the cake, stir together the flour, baking powder, sugar, vanilla sugar, and salt in a large mixing bowl.
3. Add the yogurt, milk, and oil to the flour mixture. Using either a dough hook, wooden spoon, or your hands, mix for a minute or so until the dough holds together, adding a bit more milk if needed. Knead lightly with your hands to form a ball. Do not overwork the dough.
4. Press the dough into the prepared pan(s). Put the plum wedges, skin side down, in rows on top of the dough. 
5. To make the topping, mix the flour and sugar in a bowl. Cut in the butter and mix quickly to make crumbs. Sprinkle over the top of the plums.
6. Bake for 50 to 60 minutes, or until the top is lightly browned. Cool in the pan on a wire rack. Remove the cake from the pan and place on a serving plate.

Notes/Hints:

• The amount of milk used in the dough is dependent upon the moisture content of the Greek yogurt. Add just enough milk for the dough to hold together.
• Instead of Greek yogurt, use 14% sour cream.
• If you want a sweeter cake, sprinkle a little extra sugar over top of the plums before covering with the streusel crumbs.
•  Instead of plums, put a layer of jam on the dough and cover with streusel.
• Add ½ teaspoon of almond extract along with the milk and oil.
• Substitute 1 teaspoon of vanilla extract instead of the vanilla sugar.
• Use this same easy dough and press it into a 9x13-inch pan. Cover with fresh peach slices, sprinkle with about 1 tablespoon of sugar and bake for about 45 minutes.
• If you are wanting to use yeast, you can use this peach streusel cake recipe and just substitute with plums.

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Unless otherwise noted recipe, images and content © Just like Oma | www.quick-german-recipes.com

Updated on December 13, 2025