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 simple mixed batter of semi-liquid consistency.
Just sprinkle the plums with ground poppy seeds and cinnamon, then add 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).
Check more Austrian recipes.
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 batter that is ready to be poured.
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 cake tends to crumble while still warm, so it is usually served with 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
- Czech plum kolaches
Tried this recipe?
Leave a review down in the comments! ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
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Zwetschgenkuchen (German plum cake)
Tap or hover to scale
Ingredients
Batter:
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- ½ cup sunflower oil (or canola)
- 1 cup lukewarm milk
- 3 eggs
Plum layer:
- 1 ½ pounds fresh plums Italian style, halved and pitted
- ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 3 Tablespoons ground poppy seed
Streusel topping:
- ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ stick unsalted butter
Misc.:
- 1 Tablespoon butter to grease baking dish
- 2 Tablespoons sifted breadcrumbs or flour to dust baking dish
Instructions
- BEFORE BAKING: Turn the oven on to
350 °F. Grease a baking dish with 1 Tablespoon butter and dust with 2 Tablespoons sifted breadcrumbs or flour.. - Combine 3 cups all-purpose flour and 2 teaspoons baking powder in a bowl. Add 1 cup lukewarm milk, ½ cup sunflower oil, and 1 cup granulated sugar. Crack 3 eggs into the bowl. Using a handheld electric mixer, beat the mixture until you have a smooth, pourable batter.
- Pour the batter onto the prepared baking dish and smooth the surface with a spatula.
- Now, top the batter with 1 ½ pounds fresh plums, placing them cut side up. Lightly dust the plums with ½ teaspoon ground cinnamon and 3 Tablespoons ground poppy seed.
- In a bowl, combine ¾ stick unsalted butter, ¾ cup all-purpose flour, and ½ cup granulated sugar to make the streusel topping. Spread the crumbles over the cake.
- Place the cake in the preheated oven and bake for 45 minutes.
Notes
- SERVING: Remove the baked cake from the oven and allow to cool. Cut into approximately 3x3 inch (8x8 cm) slices and serve on a dessert plate.
- Always place the plums on the batter with the cut side up. This keeps the juices from soaking into the batter and makes the cake look spectacular. The plums create beautiful curves or waves, adding an appealing visual touch.
- 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.
- Europeans typically bake classic cakes on a rectangular baking sheet, and the finished cake is then cut into slices. For this plum cake, I used a rectangular baking pan measuring 17x12 inches (42x30 cm).
Marta says
Ahoy Petra,
I appreciate very much your prompt recent reply. I am in the process of studying your delightful Czech recipes and it's a world of goodies to explore. My favorite is Strudel, plum cake, and bublanina. As far as your Zwetschgenkuchen, I noticed it takes very little baking powder. Or, is it a misprint and should it take 1 tablespoon rather than 1/2? My second and final question is could I make 1/2 recipe & use 9x13-inch glass pan? Please advise and thank you for sharing your delicious heritage recipes.
P.S. I think that cherries instead of plums would also go very well with this cake. Don't you think so?
Marta says
Ahoj Petra,
I appreciate very much your prompt recent reply. I am in the process of studying your delightful Czech recipes and it's a world of goodies to explore. My favorite is Strudel, plum cake, and bublanina.
As far as your Zwetschgenkuchen, I noticed it takes very little baking powder. Or, is it a misprint and should it take 1 tablespoon rather than 1/2?
My second question is could I make 1/2 recipe & use 9x13-inch glass pan? I think that cherries instead of plums would also go very well with this cake. Don't you think so?
My third question concerns bublanina. In ingredients you state 1 cup of milk. But, then you add a tablespoon of warm milk to vanilla paste. Does it mean that it comes from the previously mentioned 1 cup or is it in addition to it? If I use vanilla extract instead of vanilla paste, do I still have to use a tablespoon of milk?
Please advise and thank you for sharing your delicious heritage recipes.
Petra Kupská says
Ahoj Marta,
Thank you for your detailed question, I will do my best to answer everything clearly.
Zwetschgenkuchen und bublanina are two similar sheet cakes. The basic difference between the two is that the plum cake batter uses vegetable oil and baking powder, while the fluffiness of the bublanina is mainly ensured by well-beaten egg whites. The result is that the plum cake is denser, while the bublanina is lighter.
On the other hand, recipes for bublanina vary from region to region, with some people adding a little oil (sunflower or Canola) to the bublanina as well to make it more buttery. In my opinion, a Zwetschgenkuchen is a bit easier to make because you don't need to beat egg whites separately in its recipe.
To your specific questions:
I double-checked the Zwetschgenkuchen, and the recipe really only needs 1/2 tablespoon of baking powder. Here, the baking powder is a supporting agent to make the cake fluffy just right.
Cherries instead of plums are a great choice, since this kind of cake pairs well with many types of fruit such as plums, cherries, strawberries, or a mix of raspberries/blueberries and currants. If you use fruit other than plums, I might omit the ground poppy seeds as a sprinkle on the fruit.
Regarding the size of the baking dish: I think 1/2 the recipe could work for a 9x13 inch size. Please always grease the baking dish first with a little fat and dust with flour or finely sifted breadcrumbs.
Bublanina question: I add a tablespoon of warm milk to the egg yolks to make them easier to whip. When I prepare the dough, I gradually add the milk and flour to the beaten egg yolks. Finally, I carefully fold in the beaten egg whites by hand.
I hope this helps! Of course, if you have any other additional questions, feel free to ask.
All the best, Petra
Marta says
Ahoj Petra,
I really appreciate and am grateful for your most instructive answers. Bublanina sounds like a delicious cake and it is #1 on my list to bake (I think for Easter). I will let you know how it turns out for me, although I do feel my husband & I will love it. I will use blueberries in it as it is not the cherry season yet. Also, I will be making Czech jahodovy kolac. I
also think it would be equally tasty with blueberries. What attracts me to these recipes is the small amount of fat and the large amount of fruit, which makes them wholesome and delightful desserts. You gave me lots of enthusiasm for baking recipes from your country.
Thanks again & my best wishes to you.
Petra Kupská says
Thank you, Marta! I will be happy if you let me know how the sheet cakes turned out. Fingers crossed! 🤗
Aaron B says
I baked a variant of the plum cake as a surprise gift for my girlfriend who comes home from a 2 week long work trip tomorrow. I used pears as plums are currently not in season in the US. My brother's mother-in-law is Austrian and used to make this for me when I'd visit so I was excited to try this recipe out as I love German plum cake.
Your recipe was easy to follow and came out great. Thank you fir posting it! Take care!
Petra Kupská says
Ahoj Aaron, thank you very much for your lovely feedback! Glad to hear you liked the recipe and I hope your girlfriend enjoyed it too! You can easily use apricots instead of plums, it's definitely a good choice. Best wishes, Petra
Vilma Medek says
I am a bit disappointed in how this turned out. I used 2 teaspoons of baking powder as per the recipe and have found the cake too dense. I wonder whether following the general rule: 1 - 1&1/4 teaspoons of baking powder for 1 cup of flour would not have resulted in a lighter and more palatable cake? Could I use a combination of baking powder and baking soda and butter milk instead of regular milk? If so, how much of each? Thank you.