Fresh Plum Cake – Pflaumenkuchen

Fresh Plum Cake, also called Pflaumenkuchen and Zwetschgenkuchen (German Plum Cake) is a thin, rustic sheet cake baked with fresh plum slices on it. This Fresh Plum Cake recipe is simple, and not too sweet. A great way to use your fresh, ripe plums!

Fresh Plum Cake

Way back in the day I worked in a German Retirement Home (deutsches altersheim). I worked in the kitchen, and this is where my love of cooking really took off!

I was used to German food as my mom sometimes cooked recipes she knew from her time living in Germany. At the GRH there were many types of meals prepared for the residents, and it was fun for me to learn so many new recipes.

Chrystal, one of the staff who is German, liked to make this Fresh Plum Cake recipe once in a while. She just called it Pflaumenkuchen. I really liked it so she gave me her recipe. I wrote it down on pink paper, being a girly teenager, and I’ve had it in my little recipe box ever since.

I don’t make this Fresh Plum Cake exactly like the written recipe because first of all, I stopped using margarine 20 years ago, and secondly, I use white flour instead of wheat. It’s just what I have on hand most of the time. Sometimes I use lemon extract, and usually use lemon zest. Use what you have!

Here are the easy steps to make this Pflaumenkuchen:

When you go to spread the batter on your jelly roll pan, you will notice that there will be enough for a thin layer. It looks weird, and impossible, but this is correct (remember, we have 2 tsps of baking powder in there!).

Don’t use a pan larger than 10″x15″ or it will be way too thin!

You can use Italian plums, or whichever variety are your favorite. You don’t even HAVE to use plums! You can use peaches, pitted cherries, apricots, etc. I do suggest sprinkling a layer of white sugar over the fruit before baking as this is not a very sweet cake.

I like to but locally grown plums when in season. This is my favorite farmers market to go to when I can’t get Downtown to the Pike Place Market.

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Fresh Plum Cake

Prep Time

25 mins

Cook Time

30 mins

Total Time

1 hr 5 mins

 

Fresh Plum Cake, also called Pflaumenkuchen and Zwetschgenkuchen (German Plum Cake) is a thin, rustic sheet cake baked with fresh plum slices on it. This Fresh Plum Cake recipe is simple, and not too sweet. A great way to use your fresh, ripe plums!

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: German

Keyword: German plum cake recipe

Servings: 8 - 10

Calories: 298 kcal

Author: Sandy Clifton

Ingredients

• 2/3 cup Sugar, plus more for topping
• 1/2 cup Butter, room temp
• 1/2 tsp Lemon Zest (or 1/4 tsp lemon extract)
• 2 Eggs, room temp
• 1 1/2 cups Flour
• 2 tsp Baking Powder
• 1 tsp Milk
• 1 1/2 lbs Fresh Ripe Plums, pitted and sliced 1/2" thick

Instructions

1. Slice and pit your plums, and set them aside.

2. Line a jelly roll pan (no larger than 10"x15"x2") with parchment, or grease/spray well.

3. Preheat oven to 350° F.

4. In a mixing bow, cream together sugar, butter, and lemon zest.

5. Beat in 1 egg at a time.

6. Add the flour and baking powder and mix together by hand, using a spoon.

7. Add 1 tsp milk and mix just until incorporated. Don't over mix.

8. Spread the batter on the pan using a spatula. Dip the spatula in water to help with the spreading (don't saturate the batter though). This will be a thin layer of batter, don't worry as this is correct.

9. Arrange the sliced plums on top of the batter, evenly spaced, with the skin side down (this keeps most of the juice in the fruit, not the batter).

10. Sprinkle a layer of sugar over the top of the fruit and exposed batter (I end up using 3 to 6 Tbsps. It depends on how sweet the plums are).

11. Bake for 20 to 30 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the batter comes out clean.

12. Cool the cake on a wire rack and then slice as you wish and transfer the pieces to a serving dish.

13. This cake should be eaten within a day.