German Plum Cake (Zwetschgenkuchen)

5 from 4 votes

An authentic recipe for the delicious German Plum Cake or Zwetschgenkuchen, this is the perfect coffee cake in fall.

Prep Time20

Cook Time35

Course: Cakes

Cuisine: German

Diet: Vegetarian

Servings: servings

Calories: 246kcal

Author: Adina

Mix the flour, sugar, and salt in a bowl.
2¾ cups all-purpose flour + ¼ cup granulated sugar/ 1.7 oz/ ¼ cup + ¼ teaspoon fine salt
Heat the milk gently in a small saucepan (36 degrees Celsius/ 96 degrees Fahrenheit, so body temperature).
⅔ cup milk
Combine: 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.
¼ cup unsalted butter + 1 sachet active dry yeast + 1 large 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.

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).
2 cups all-purpose flour + ½ cup + 2 tablespoons granulated sugar + ½ teaspoon cinnamon + ⅔ cup unsalted butter

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.
2 lbs Italian plums

Preheat the oven to 400°F/200°C. Line the baking sheet 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.

Measurements: I strongly recommend using a digital kitchen scale for this recipe and in baking in general; it ensures the best results (Amazon affiliate link opens in a new tab).
Yeast: If using fresh yeast, you will need 0.7 oz/ 21 g 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.