German Plum Cake Recipes: Dorka's zwetschgenkuchen and more

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Here's a very delicious and traditional German Plum Cake sent in by one of our fans ... do check it out!

Want some plum cake recipes, aka Zwetschgenkuchen? Easy ones, quick ones, traditional ones, and just plain delicious ones?

The one, shown here, was sent in by one of my dear Facebook fans, Dorka. She has kindly permitted me to share her Zwetschgenkuchen mit Keks-und Rührteig … (Plum Cake with a cookie and a cake crust) ... making a wonderful treat served with whipped cream.

Below that, you'll find her German recipe for this. AND, other Plum Cakes that you'll enjoy!

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Dorka's Plum Cake Recipe

This plum cake with a double crust was sent in by one of my dear Facebook fans, Dorka. She has kindly permitted me to share her Zwetschgenkuchen mit Keks-und Rührteig ... making a wonderful treat served with whipped cream

Prep Time 25 minutes

Cook Time 62 minutes

Total Time 87 minutes

Ingredients:

• 2 ½ to 3 pounds Italian prune plums
• sugar 
• cinnamon 

Ingredients for Cookie Crust

• 2 cups all-purpose flour 
• ⅔ cup butter, room temperature 
• 6 tablespoons granulated sugar 

Ingredients for Cake Crust 

• 1 cup butter, room temperature 
• ¾ cup granulated sugar 
• 3 large eggs 
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract 
• 2 cups all-purpose flour 
• 2 teaspoons baking powder 

Instructions:

1. Prepare the plums by cutting lengthwise on one side. Remove the pits. Now cut each half section once more lengthwise, but not all the way through. You should have one plum with four attached sections. (note: If you accidentally cut all the way through, that’s OK.) 
2. Preheat oven to 360F°  
3. Line a 16.5x16.5-inch cookie sheet with parchment paper.
4. To make the Cookie Crust, mix the flour, butter, and sugar together. 
5. Dump the mixture onto the prepared cookie sheet and, using your hands, press into an even layer. Pierce several times with a fork. 
6. Bake for 10 to 12 minutes, remove from oven, and let cool. 
7. Meanwhile, prepare the Cake Crust layer. 
8. Mix together, until creamy, the butter, sugar, eggs, and vanilla. 
9. Mix together the baking powder and flour. Add to the butter mixture and mix well. 
10. Spread dough over the baked Cookie Crust. 
11. Arrange the plums closely together on top.
12. Sprinkle with sugar and cinnamon.
13. Bake for 50 minutes. Remove from oven and let cool. 
14. Serve with whipped cream that's been stabilized with "Whip It" (or add 1 tablespoon powdered sugar for every cup of whipping cream)

*  *  *  *  *

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

More Plum Cake Recipes

Check out the Streuselkuchen that my niece, Melissa, passed on from her German Oma. It’s a bit different than most. It has a cake bottom, a cooked plum filling, and then it’s topped with streusel. Delicious! Click here for the recipe.

Looking for a plum cake with a yeast base? Here’s one I make, either with plums or peaches, using the bread machine to make quick work of it. It’s also covered with streusel. So wunderbar! Check out my peach or plum cake recipe.

Then there's my favorite. One made with a quark (or Greek yogurt)/oil dough that mimics the taste of a yeast dough without all the fuss. Easy and delicious. My kind of cake!

Oma's Plum Cake

Grandma's German Plum Cake

German Peach Cake ... and substitute plums instead (yeast cake)

Dorka's Double Crusted Plum Cake

From Oma's heart to your table

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Dorka's Zwetschgenkuchen

It may appear sort of strange to have two different types of crust for a cake. 

It’s not that much more work to make a double crust. In this case, you quickly make the 'cookie' crust, which reminds me of a streusel batter, and while it’s baking in the oven, you make the ‘cake’ crust.

In no time at all you’ll have a wonderful Zwetschgenkuchen (or Pflaumenkuchen) to set before your family.

Dorka

German cake recipes and others can also be found on Dorka’s https://www.facebook.com/Familienrezepte that she is one of the admins.

Dorka loves to do German baking and posts recipes for all types of German cooking. Do check out her page.

Below is the recipe as she sent it to me, in German.

Dorka’s Zwetschgenkuchen mit Keks-und Rührteig

Keksteig

• 250 gram Mehl
• 150 gram weiche Butter
• 80 gram Zucker

Rührteig

• 250 gram Mehl
• 250 gram weiche Butter
• 150 gram Zucker
• 3 Eier
• 2 Teelöffel Backpulver
• 1 Röhrchen Butter-Vanille

• 1,3 kilogram Zwetschgen    
• Zucker/Zimt

Zubereitung

• Zwetschgen mit einem Messer der Länge nach einschneiden, aber nicht durchschneiden und den Kern entfernen. Die zwei Hälften noch einmal einschneiden aber wieder nicht durchschneiden. So entsteht aus einer Zwetschge vier aneinander hängende Teile.
• Den Backofen auf 180°C Ober/Unterhitze vorheizen.
• Die Zutaten für den Keksteig zu einer homogenen Masse verkneten.
• Ein Backblech mit Backpapier auskleiden. (41x41-cm groß) 
• Den Keksteig grob darauf verteilen und mit den Händen eine geschlossene Platte formen.
• Das ausrollen würde schwierig und kaum machbar sein.
• Den Keksteig mit einer Gabel einstechen 
• 10-12 Minuten backen und abkühlen lassen.
• In der Zwischenzeit den Rührteig herstellen.
• Dafür die Butter mit dem Zucker, den Eiern und den Aroma schaumig rühren.
• Mehl mit Backpulver mischen, dazu geben und zu einem geschmeidigen Teig rühren.
• Den Rührteig nun auf den vorgebackenen, abgekühlten Keksteig streichen.
• Die Zwetschgen dicht darauf verteilen, mit Zimt und Zucker bestreuen und 50 Minuten backen.
• Den Kuchen erkalten lassen und mit Sahne oder Zimtsahne servieren.

Guten Appetit!

More cakes? Click here ->

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Hi, I'm Oma Gerhild! As a food writer and cookbook author, I'm always looking to find ways to pass on my German heritage using local ingredients. Quick and easy. That's my goal. Wunderbar food. That's the result.