German plum cake, Zwetschgenkuchen, or Pflaumenkuchen with streusel is a classic recipe baked in any German kitchen or bakery.
This traditional German plum cake recipe is one of my favorite autumn cakes, one of the most popular cakes in Germany. Nothing speaks more of autumn, crisp air, and delicious baked goods than this amazing Zwetschgenkuchen, a typical streusel cake, or Pflaumenkuchen mit Streusel.
Zwetschgenkuchen
There are different versions of plum cake, and I love them all, but this German cake is the best if you ask me. Other favorites are the Plum Bread, these super Easy Puff Pastry Plum Tarts, or the Tender Plum Muffins (with Yogurt and Cinnamon).
Any German person who bakes has probably baked this cake before. Anyone who doesn't bake probably buys it at the bakery every autumn. It is the quintessence of late summer or autumn cake of the plum season: the yeasty dough, the sweet and sour plums, the crispy, sweet, buttery streusel. I love it so much!
You can the German plum cake fresh from the oven, still a bit warm, fluffy underneath, moist and rather sour in the middle, crisp and sweet on top. It can hardly get any better!
And if you would like to try more traditional German recipes, have a look at this German Beef Soup, Kรถnigsberger Klopse, Savoy Cabbage Rolls, or Crispy Pork Hocks.
Recipe ingredients
- For the dough: all-purpose flour, yeast, sugar, milk, egg, and butter.
- For the streusel: flour, sugar, unsalted butter, and cinnamon.
- For the topping: Italian prune plums (Zwetschgen).
See the recipe card for full information on ingredients and quantities.
What are Zwetschgen?
- A smaller type of plum that grows just about every corner around here, many of our neighbors have a plum tree in their garden, so I am never short on supply. Check this Plum Butter (Pflaumenmuss) or the Stewed Plums; they are a great way to deal with a glut of fresh Italian plums.
- Also known as Italian plums, empress plums, or European plums, they are sweet-sour, almost black plums.
- You can pick or buy them from the end of August until October.
- I prefer to use this sort when making this delicious cake because they are less juicy than regular large ones, so the dough will not get soaked.
- They are also much easier to cut from the stone, giving you these beautiful butterflied plums to cover the cake with.
- They are less sweet than regular plums, with a sweet-sour taste, which develops even more during the baking process.
How to make German plum cake?
What kind of yeast to use?
- The best kind is fresh. However, I know that fresh yeast is not available everywhere, so I have used active or instant dry yeast a lot since I started blogging. It works.
- Dough made with dry yeast needs a longer rising time than dough made with fresh.
- When making this Zwetschgenkuchen with fresh yeast, the dough needs about 30-40 minutes (depending on how warm my kitchen is), while dough made with active dry yeast needs about an hour, sometimes an hour and 10 minutes.
- Keep an eye on the dough and continue with the recipe as soon as the dough has doubled in size.
- If you leave the dough for too little time and it doesn't have enough time to rise, the end product will be flat and less fluffy. But if you leave the dough to rise too much is not good either. The dough will lose its power and sink during the baking process. So, leave it until about doubled in size.
- You will need ยฝ cube of fresh yeast to make this plum streusel cake. ยฝ cube is 21 g/ 0.7 oz in Germany or 1 sachet (7 g/0.25 oz) of active dry yeast.
- Make a savory German yeast cake, too; this delicious Onion Cake or Zwiebelkuchen.
How to make the yeast dough?
- Combine: Place the flour, sugar, and salt into a large mixing bowl. Mix well with a spoon. Pour the milk into a small pot and heat it very gently. It should only have about 36 degrees Celsius/ 96 degrees Fahrenheit, so body temperature. If it is hotter, it will destroy the yeast, and the dough will not rise.
- Add butter and yeast to the milk and stir until the butter has melted. Pour the milk mixture and the lightly beaten egg into the flour mixture (1).
- Knead the dough for the plum cake with the hand-held mixer fitted with dough hooks or a stand mixer with a dough hook. Knead until the dough starts coming off the sides of the bowl. Turn onto the working surface and knead with your hands for a couple of minutes (2).
- Let rise: Form a ball, and place it back into the large bowl. Cover the bowl with a clean cloth or plastic wrap and let the rise in a warm place. It will need about an hour until about doubled in size.
How to make streusel?
- Food processor: Mix the ingredients in the food processor until the mixture turns to crumbs or rub the cold butter into the flour mixture until you obtain the crumbs.
- By hand: Rub butter and flour with your fingertips; the palms of your hands are too warm for this. Hold the fingers under cold water, dry them well, and then rub the butter into the flour (3).
- Refrigerate: Place the streusel in the refrigerator until ready to use.
- Alternatively, you can make the crumbles with melted butter and brown sugar and add a little bit of lemon peel, vanilla sugar, or vanilla extract. But I prefer the classic version of this delicious German plum cake.
How to pit the plums?
- You will need more or less 1 kg/ 2.2 lbs plums; just keep going until you top all of your dough.
- While the dough is rising, stone fruit.
- Don't cut the plums all the way through; they should remain attached on one side. Instead, cut the fresh prune plums on the side along the seam that runs from top to bottom. Then, open the fruit, and remove the stone with your fingers, but don't cut it into halves; leave the pieces attached on one side (4).
Assemble
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius/ 400 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. My tray is 30ร40 cm/ 12ร16 inches.
- Roll the yeasted dough with a rolling pin to match the size of the tray. Carefully put it on the tray and stretch and press with your fingers until everything fits.
- Arrange the prepared fruit on top (5).
- Sprinkle the streusel on top of the German plum cake (6).
- Bake in the preheated oven for 30-35 minutes or until the streusel is golden brown (7).
- Let stand for about 20 minutes before slicing.
- Here is your delicious coffee cake, perfect for Kaffee or Kuchen.
Recipe FAQs
This recipe makes a large batch. However, you can easily halve the ingredients and bake the plum cake in a smaller tin or a springform with a diameter of about 26 cm/ 10 inches.
Try nectarines, fresh or canned peaches, or apricots. Cherries (either fresh or canned) are perfect as well. You can also use apples, pears, or a mixture of the two.
If you happen to have some leftover fruit, chop and mix everything and use that instead. Check out this delicious Red Currant Cake as well, a twist on the classic German fruit yeast cake. Or make the German Apple Crumble Cake.
Yeast cakes are always best served the day they are baked. However, leftovers are still delicious the next day, but they are less fluffy.
Serve the German plum cake as it is, or sprinkle it with icing sugar.
Traditionally, you would serve it at room temperature with homemade whipped cream.
Lukewarm is delicious as well. In this case, serving it with a scoop of vanilla ice cream on top is just heaven.
How to store plum cake?
The German Plum cake keeps well for 3-4 days.
Room temperature: keep for one day covered with a clean towel.
Refrigerate it after the second day in airtight containers.
Freeze: Once completely cool, cut the plum cake into squares. Place in airtight containers or wrap well in foil and refrigerate for 3-4 months.
Defrost on the counter. Once at room temperature, you can serve it directly or refresh it in the oven. Preheat the oven to 175 degrees Celsius/ 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Place the pieces on a lined baking tray and reheat for 5 to 10 minutes.
German Plum Cake
Equipment
- Electric mixer or stand mixer with dough hooks
- Baking tray 30x40 cm/ 12x16 inches
- Small pan
Ingredients
Yeast dough (Note 1):
- 350 g all-purpose flour 12.5 oz/ 3 cups minus 1 tablespoon
- 50 g granulated sugar 1.7 oz/ ยผ cup
- ยผ teaspoon fine salt
- 150 ml milk 5 oz/ โ cup
- 1 sachet active dry yeast 7 g/ 0.25 oz (Note 2)
- 50 g unsalted butter 1.7 oz/ scant ยผ cup
- 1 egg
Streusel:
- 250 g all-purpose flour 9 oz/ 2 cups + 1 tablespoon
- 125 g granulated sugar 4.5 oz/ ยฝ cup + 2 tablespoons
- 150 g unsalted butter 5.5 oz/ scant โ cup
- ยฝ teaspoon cinnamon
Topping:
- 1 kg Italian plums 2.2 lbs, more or less as needed to cover the cake
Instructions
Yeast dough:
- Mix the flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl. 350 g all-purpose flour/ 12.5 oz/ 3 cups minus 1 tablespoon + 50 g granulated sugar/ 1.7 oz/ ยผ cup + ยผ teaspoon fine salt
- Heat the milk gently in a small saucepan (36 degrees Celsius/ 96 degrees Fahrenheit, so body temperature).150 ml milk/ 5 oz/ โ cup
- Combine: Add butter and yeast to the milk and stir until the butter has melted. Pour the milk mixture and lightly beaten egg into the flour mixture.50 g unsalted butter/ 1.7 oz/ scant ยผ cup + 1 sachet active dry yeast + 1 egg
- Knead the dough with the hand-held mixer fitted with dough hooks or a stand mixer with a dough hook. Knead as long as possible to combine everything well together. Then, turn the mixture onto the working surface and knead the dough with your hand for a couple of minutes.
- Let rise: Form a ball, place it back in the bowl, cover it with a clean cloth and let the dough rise in a warm place. The dough will need about an hour until about doubled in size.
Streusel:
- Mix flour, sugar, and cinnamon in the food processor. Add the very cold butter, cut into cubes, and process shortly until the streusel forms. Refrigerate until needed (Note 3).250 g all-purpose flour/ 9 oz/ 2 cups + 1 tablespoon + 125 g granulated sugar/ 4.5 oz/ ยฝ cup + 2 tablespoons + ยฝ teaspoon cinnamon + 150 g unsalted butter/ 5.5 oz/ scant โ cup
Plums:
- Remove the stones from the plums while the yeast dough is rising. Don't cut the plums all the way through; they should remain attached on one side.1 kg Italian plums/ 2.2. lbs
Assemble:
- Preheat the oven to 200 degrees Celsius/ 400 degrees Fahrenheit. Line the baking tray with parchment paper.
- Roll the yeast dough with a rolling pin to match the size of the tray. Carefully place the dough on the tray and stretch and press with your fingers until everything fits.
- Arrange the stoned plums on top. Sprinkle with the streusel.
- Bake for 30-35 minutes or until the streusel is golden brown. Let rest for about 20 minutes before slicing it and serve as suggested above.
Notes
- Measurements: Always use a digital kitchen scale in baking; it ensures the best results (Amazon affiliate link).
- Yeast: If using fresh yeast, you will need 21 g/ 0.7 oz of it. The dough will probably rise quicker in this case, so check after 30-40 minutes already and proceed with the recipe if the dough has doubled in size.
- Streusel without a food processor: Mix flour, cinnamon, and sugar in a bowl. Add the cold butter cubes and cut the butter into the flour (with a butter knife) until you obtain streusel. If doing this with your hands, only use your fingertips; the butter will get warm too quickly if you use your palms.
May says
It worked great, we loved it! Thanks, this one is a keeper.
Marion says
I was wondering if this cake can be frozen? Since it's just my husband and me it will be a but much to eat within a few days.
Adina says
Hi Marion. You can freeze it for sure.
Lynne Roe says
Disappointed! Too much streusel , too dry , and did take longer to cook.
Turned down the temperature nearing the end too. Edges burned !
Perhaps used the wrong plums , too hard !
But I tried !
Sister Su says
@Lynne Roe, you may have used plums that were not quite ripe yet. In US stores, most of the plums for sale are hard and not ripe. They are picked early, to allow for shipping without bruising them. We need to purchase plums and allow them to ripen at home, until they are soft and juicier.
If you did not buy the Italian type, most other varieties become more juicy when they are ripe. If you buy plums at a farmers market or directly from the orchard, they are only available for a short time, but are much more likely to actually be ripe. Were your plums soft enough for enjoyable fresh eating? If not, they werenโt yet ready for baking.
Karen (Back Road Journal) says
Every year that we are in Germany, I make sure to order Pflaumenkuchen. I didn't realize that it was made with a yeast dough.
Isabella says
Thank you, for this authentic version!
Adina says
You're welcome. My mother-in-law's/grandma-in-law's recipe. ๐
Alina says
It looks so yummy! I love the step-by-step instructions, making it an easy recipe to follow!
Adina says
Thank you, Alina.
Olga says
It looks awesome! So much flavors packed on this recipe that makes this simply irresistible, definitely having this on my table!
Adina says
Thank you, Olga. I think you would like it! ๐
Alyssa says
Adina, what a gorgeous cake! Your directions make this seem like such an easy approach, too. I would love to make this soon!
grace says
i'm fascinated by the yeasted dough base--what a great added flavor and texture in contrast to a regular ol' shortbread!
Kelly | Foodtasia says
Such a lovely cake! Plum cakes are definitely one of my favorites for fall - reminds me of my grandmother's Hungarian plum cake ๐
Thao @ In Good Flavor says
I have never seen with fresh yeast, but I can probably find it if I look hard enough. This plum cake looks delicious, Adina! I'm loving the sound of the sour plum contrasting with the sweet streusel. ?
Kathy @ Beyond the Chicken Coop says
This cake looks so great. I find it interesting that the bottom layer is a yeast dough. This is a different way of making a cake. I'll need to give it a try.