Zwetschgenkuchen (German Plum Cake)

This is a recipe for Zwetchgenkuchen, a plum cake baked in Germany and Austria. What can you expect? A fruity sheet cake richly topped with streusel! Poppy seeds and a pinch of cinnamon add a flavorful hint.

About the Recipe

Traditionally, Zwetschgenkuchen is baked with yeast dough, but this recipe is faster with a simply mixed batter of semi-liquid consistency.

Just sprinkle the plums with ground poppy seeds and cinnamon, with a crumble topping (Czech drobenka) as a final touch for an even better and more authentic taste.

Other German names for this cake include Pflaumenkuchen or plum kuchen (Kuchen is a German word for cake).

TIP: Both Germany and Austria are countries neighboring the Czech Republic; our cuisines have many in common. If you want to try a Czech version of this recipe, check out this delicious plum streusel coffee cake.

Ingredients

For Zwetschgenkuchen you need:

BATTER:

• All-purpose flour
• Baking powder
• Sugar
• Cooking oil; sunflower or rapeseed oil
• Milk; lukewarm
• Eggs

LAYER WITH PLUMS:

• Plums; fresh – look for Italian plums if you can
• Poppy seeds; ground, for example, in an electric coffee grinder
• Cinnamon; ground

STREUSEL: all-purpose flour, sugar, unsalted butter

Further, you need some butter and fine breadcrumbs to grease and sprinkle the baking tray.

✅ You’ll find the exact amount of ingredients below in the recipe card, which you can also print out.

Instructions with Photos

BEFORE BAKING: Turn the oven on to 340 °F (170°C). Grease a baking tray with butter and dust with finely sifted breadcrumbs or flour.

STEP 1: Sift the flour and baking powder into a bowl. Add lukewarm milk, oil, and sugar. Crack the whole eggs into the bowl. Using a handheld electric mixer, beat until you have a batter that is ready to pour.

STEP 2: Pour the batter onto the prepared baking sheet and smooth the surface with a spatula.

STEP 3: Now top the batter with halved plums (cut side up). Finely dust the plums with cinnamon and ground poppy seeds.

STEP 4: In a bowl, combine butter, flour, and sugar to make the streusel. Spread the crumbles over the cake.

STEP 5: Place the cake in the preheated oven. It will be ready in about 45 minutes.

Serving

Take the baked cake out of the oven and let it cool. Cut into approximately 3x3 inch (8x8 cm) slices and serve on a dessert plate.

The warm cake tends to crumble. Place a small spoon or dessert fork on the plate. Once the cake has cooled, it becomes firm.

Equipment

Europeans bake classic cakes on a rectangular baking sheet. The finished cake is then cut into slices. For this plum cake, I used a rectangular baking pan of 17x12 inches (42 x 30 cm).

Useful Tips

• Always place the plums on the batter with the cut side up. This keeps the juices out of the batter and makes the cake look spectacular on the cut side; the plums make nice curves or waves.
• I grind my poppy seeds in an electric coffee grinder in just the amount I need. That way, I always have fresh poppy seeds on hand.

More sweet recipes:

• Boží milosti – Czech crispy sweet treat
• Buttermilk sheet cake – with chocolate icing
• Poppy seed cake – Czech makovec

Recipe