German Plum Sheet Cake
Bavarian Zwetschgendatschi is an Autumnal German Plum tart dessert made with Italian prunes (sometimes called Empress Plums). This dessert is as traditional to Bavarians as apple pie is to Americans. The yeast crust is tender and slightly sweet. The fruit is seasoned with cinnamon-sugar, sprinkled with a streusel topping, then baked. Served with a dollop of fresh whipped cream, or a dusting of powdered sugar, this plum cake is a delectable treat.
Zwetschgendatschi (pronounced TSCH-VETSCH-GEN-DATCHI) is a traditional and popular German cake that I posted in 2016. The difference with this recipe is that some regions of Germany uses a yeast-based cake.
My family doesn’t make the yeast version, but I wanted to give this variation a try. Spoiler Alert: It’s really delicious!
August/September are the two months of the year that I can find the traditional Italian Prune Plums. What if you can’t find them? While I’ve never used anything else, I suppose any kind of firm plum or stone fruit could work.
To prepared the plums, use a paring knife to cut around the “seam”, but not all the way through. Remove the pit. Cut each half in half, again– but not all the way through. This way, the plums lay flat, kind of like an accordion.
For the dough:
A stand mixer will be needed to work the dough. Ingredients include: milk, egg, sugar, lemon zest, almond and vanilla extra, flour, salt, cold grated butter and yeast. With this recipe, Instant Yeast, is my preferred choice because I don’t have to proof it.
Once the dough is mixed, and it pulls away from the bowl, let the dough rise for about 90 minutes. At first, I was concerned that the dough didn’t puff up a LOT. It did puff up, though, so I continued on.
On a piece of parchment paper (I buy mine pre-cut) roll the dough to about 10″x15″. Place the dough onto a baking sheet. Cover the dough and let rise for about 30 minutes. In the meantime, make the streusel topping.
Measure the flour, white sugar, brown sugar and salt. Melt some butter and pour over the dry ingredients.
Use a spoon or fork to combine the ingredients, finishing up with your fingers. Don’t over mix! You want a crumble mixture. Set aside.
This step is rather unorthodox, but it’s one that my Bavarian cousin taught me. To avoid a soggy crust, an even layer of jam does the trick. I prefer a fig or apricot jam.
To assemble the Zwetschgendatschi, we need the prepared plums, streusel, melted butter and cinnamon sugar. Place the plums in rows, pressing them gently to adhere.
Brush melted butter, evenly, over the plums. Evenly sprinkle cinnamon-sugar over the plums. Cover the cake with plastic wrap or a clean kitchen towel and let rise for about 20-30 minutes. Preheat the oven to 350F.
Evenly spread the streusel topping (you might have some leftover).
Bake for 30-40 degrees. An internal thermometer should read 200-205F. Set aside to cool (plums are very hot and can burn your tongue. Ahem. Spoken from experience.)
TASTING NOTE: The sweet-tart flavor of the Italian Prune/Plums is incredibly delicious. I was thrilled that the Zwetschgendatschi was really tender. It’s not super sweet, and resembles a Danish pastry, somewhat. The cinnamon sugar adds just the right amount of sweetness, and compliments the tartness of the plums. The crunchy streusel was really nice, too. The fig jam was only slightly detectable, and prevented the dough from becoming soggy. THE NEXT DAY: The plums had released some juice, and did make the cake a tad bit on the soggy side. It didn’t ruin the cake, though! About 10-15 seconds in a microwave, was a perfect way to bring the cake back to its tender texture.
Here’s my family’s recipe using a buttery shortbread crust. Which do I like better? I can’t decide! They’re both fantastic.
Yeasted Bavarian Zwetschgendatschi Cake
Equipment
- 1 Parchment paper 10×15"
- 1 large baking sheet
- 1 Rolling pin
- 1 pastry brush for the melted butter
Ingredients
For the dough:
- 2/3 cup whole milk 152g (whole milk is preferred)
- 1 large egg
- 1 large egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon almond extract
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar 50g
- 1 1/4 teaspoons table salt
- ` 1 lemon zested
- 3 cups All-Purpose Flour 360g
- 2 1/4 teaspoons instant yeast
- 4 tablespoons cold butter 57g; grated
For the plum layer:
- 3 1/2 to 4 pounds Italian Plums *see notes pitted and cut in accordion style (see notes)
- 3 Tbsp butter melted
- 1/4 cup apricot or fig jam heat in a microwave for about 15 seconds– just to make it easily spreadable
- 2 Tbsp cinnamon sugar ratio is about 1 Tsp cinnamon to 2 Tbsp sugar
For the topping:
- 1 cup Unbleached All-Purpose Flour 120g
- 1/4 cup granulated sugar 50g
- 1/4 cup light brown sugar or dark brown sugar, packed 53g
- pinch table salt
- 7 tablespoons butter, melted 99g
Instructions
Make the dough:
- In the bowl of a stand mixer, whisk together the milk, egg, egg yolk, almond and vanilla extract, sugar, salt, and zest.
- Add the flour and yeast to the bowl and, using the dough hook, mix at low speed until everything comes together, scraping the bottom and sides of the bowl to collect any stray flour. This should take about 2 to 3 minutes.
- With the mixer running add the butter in four additions, mixing until each is incorporated.
- Continue mixing at low speed until the dough pulls away from the bottom and sides of the bowl and is smooth and shiny, about 10 to 15 minutes. Cover the bowl with plastic wrap or a reusable cover and allow the dough to rise for about 90 minutes, or until it’s doubled in size.
- Gently deflate the dough and place it on a lightly floured or lightly greased work surface, or on a piece of lightly greased parchment. Roll it into a rough 10” x 15” rectangle. Transfer the dough (on its parchment) to a baking sheet; if you’re not using parchment, lightly grease the baking sheet.
- Using your fingertips, or a small rolling pin, gently press and stretch the dough into a neat 10” x 15” rectangle. Cover with lightly greased plastic wrap or a reusable cover and let it rise for 30 minutes.
- While the cake is rising, preheat the oven to 350ºF and prepare the plums.
For the plums:
- Slice around the "seam" of each plum, but don't slice all the way around. Open up the plum and remove the seed. Lay the open plum flat, and cut each side in half, NOT cutting all the way through. The plum show lay flat, like an accordion.
Assemble the cake:
- Brush an even, but not heavy, layer of jam over the dough. Arrange the plum halves on the cake in 6 to 7 rows of 4 to 5 plum halves per row, flesh side up, pressing them in gently. Brush the melted butter over the plums, then spread an even layer of cinnamon all over them.
- Cover the cake and allow it to rise for 20 to 30 minutes. NOTE: The dough won't seem to puff up a lot, but it does during baking.
For the Streusel Topping:
- In a medium-sized bowl, whisk together the flour, sugars, and salt. Pour in the melted butter, first tossing with a spoon then working it in with your fingers until the mixture starts to become crumbly. Add a little more flour, if the crumbly texture doesn't seem quite right, but don't mix too long. You don't want the topping to become a cohesive mass!
- Sprinkle the topping over the cake. You might have leftover topping that can be stored in the fridge for several days. It makes a great topping for a fruit crumble.)
Bake the cake:
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30 to 40 minutes, until the edges are golden brown and the center registers 200°F to 205°F on a digital thermometer.
- Remove the cake from the oven and place it on a rack (still on its pan). Let it cool to lukewarm or room temperature before serving. Garnish each serving with whipped cream, or dust with powdered sugar, if desired.The cake is ideal when served the same day that it's made.
- Store any leftovers, well wrapped, at room temperature for a couple of days. The following day, the dough won't have as tender as crumb as when served immediately. Microwave for 10-15 seconds before eating.This cake will freeze for longer storage.
Notes
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