Plum Cake (Pflaumenkuchen)

This Pflaumenkuchen - Plum Cake recipe is perfect for those easy days where you just want a slice of rustic cake. Made with juicy plums and a fluffy cake base, this dessert is a classic German treat that's sure to impress.

Streusel is another beautiful thing that German baking has perfected because they just love it on cakes and yeasted baked sweet delights also. Streusel is secondhand in German baked goods so it’s no surprise fresh plums are topped with easy and fast streusel for a fantastic and seasonal snack cake.

Ingredients and substitutions for Plum Cake

• Plain flour: Plain flour or all purpose is best because it helps give the cake it’s light texture and nice crumb. You also don’t want to overwork the batter so you don’t end up with a firm cake texture.
• Butter: Unsalted butter is used here though salted could easily be substituted in place. For the cake you’ll definitely want it your butter to be room temperature as it creates a nice fluffy foundation. You could definitely substitute with non dairy butter.
• Sugar: As a result of using superfine or caster sugar, the nice fine granules dissolve into our cake and add sweetness without adding additional flavors to the cake.
• Eggs: The eggs add structure and bind everything together and are the core to our cake.
• Vanilla extract and lemon zest: The two flavor powerhouses that add depth of flavor to the cake base, it is not recommended to omit either.
• Plums: Fresh were used here and are best because they aren’t too sweet. If you can obtain frozen plums, these would also work, though you would need to defrost and strain to remove any additional moisture.

See recipe card for quantities.

How to make Plum Cake:

1: Stir: The flour and baking powder in a bowl. Add in the sugar, vanilla extract, lemon zest, butter and eggs; combining until you form a batter.

2: Pour: Into your cake tin and even out.

3: Press: Plums cut side down evenly into the batter.

4: Streusel: Stir the flour, sugar and ground cinnamon in a bowl. Add the butter and cut until the mixture resembles a rough crumble.

5: Sprinkle: The crumble mixture over the plums.

6: Bake: Until lightly golden.

7: Allow to cool: Before taking out of the cake tin.

8: Slice and serve: Dig in!

More plum recipes

Upside Down Plum Cake

Czech Plum Cake

Czech Kolaches

Plum Cake (Pflaumenkuchen)

Sylvie Taylor

Bake this Pflaumenkuchen - German Plum Cake recipe that results in a light cake that comes together very quickly and is topped with sliced fresh plums alongside an easy streusel for a fast and satisfying snack cake.

5 from 2 votes

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Prep Time 15 minutes mins

Cook Time 50 minutes mins

Total Time 1 hour hr 5 minutes mins

Course Dessert

Cuisine German

Servings 10

Calories 384 kcal

Ingredients

  

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Cake

• 125 grams / ¾ cup + 1 teaspoon plain flour
• 4 grams / 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 125 grams / ⅔ cup superfine/caster sugar
• 2 grams / 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 grams / 1 teaspoon lemon zest finely chopped
• 125 grams / 4.4 ounces butter softened
• 110 grams / 2 large eggs room temperature
• 800 grams / 1.76 pounds plums washed and halved

Crumble topping

• 150 grams / 1 cup - 1 tablespoon plain flour
• 100 grams / ½ cup superfine/caster sugar
• 100 grams / 3.5 ounces butter cubed and softened
• 1 gram / ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon

Instructions

 

Cake

• Preheat your oven to 180C/350F and line a 20 cm or 8 inch round cake tin with parchment paper.
• Place the flour and baking powder into a bowl and stir together.
• Add in the sugar, vanilla extract, lemon zest, butter and eggs and combine on low until the batter comes together and there is no dry ingredients remaining in the base of your bowl.
• Pour into your cake tin and even out.
• Press your plums cut side down evenly into the batter.

Crumble topping

• To make the crumble, place the flour, sugar and ground cinnamon into a bowl and stir together.
• Add the butter and cut into the dry ingredients until the mixture resembles a rough crumble.
• Sprinkle the crumble mixture over the plums.
• Place into the oven and bake for 50 minutes or until lightly golden.
• Remove and allow to cool before taking out of the cake tin.
• Slice it up and serve.
• Dig in!

Video

Notes

• Vanilla extract and lemon zest: The two flavor powerhouses that add depth of flavor to the cake base, it is not recommended to omit either.
• Plums: Fresh were used here and are best because they aren’t too sweet. If you can obtain frozen plums, these would also work, though you would need to defrost and strain to remove any additional moisture.
• Cake tin: A spring form tin was used to get the cake out of the tin easily, however, a standard cake tin of similar size would also work well.

Adapted from Dr Oetker

Nutrition

Calories: 384kcal

Keyword cake, stone fruit

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