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It´s autumn now, so what could be better than a fruit crumble cake! Any fruit is fine by me – apple, blackberry, rhubarb – you name it! But a juicy plum crumble cake is an absolute classic in Germany at this time of year, where it is known as “Zwetschgenkuchen”.
Zwetschgenkuchen comes in all shapes and sizes, however, the traybake version is the way to go for me! Perfect for cutting into squares and serving to friends and family at a get-together, or as a little afternoon treat with a cup of tea!
If you are looking for a great baking tin for traybakes, I highly recommend this brownie tin by Masterclass. I love this tin and use it for all my traybake recipes, for example, this Apple and Biscoff Traybake, my White Chocolate and Raspberry Brownies or my most popular recipe on this blog: Mary Berry´s Lemon Drizzle Cake!
“Zwetschenkuchen” – A German Plum Crumble Cake
The cake base for the German Plum Crumble Cake is called a “Quark-Öl-Teig”, a very common way for making cakes in Germany. As the name suggest, it is a sponge cake made with “Quark”, a type of “cheese” somewhere between soft cheese and yoghurt (I really cannot describe it!) and a flavourless oil (“Öl” in German) such as sunflower or vegetable oil instead of butter. Quark is readily available in the UK now and you can find it at most supermarkets (e.g. Morrisons, Lidl or ASDA). Quark is great for baking and I use it it a lot of other recipes on my blog, for example, my German Baked Cheesecake and and Baked Chocolate Cheesecake (“Russischer Zupfkuchen”), as well as this “Lighter” Quark and Lemon No-Bake Cheesecake.
The sponge cake base is topped with plums that are especially good when in season! I always thought that the German words “Zwetschen” and “Pflaumen” were just two ways of saying “plum”. But it turns out, that Zwetschen are actually a type of plum that is slightly more oblong and holds its shape better when baking. Zwetschen are known as Damsons in the UK, but I have no idea where you could buy them! If you can get them – great – if not, using regular plums in this recipe is absolutely fine!
The last element for this cake is a crumble topping! Some people make this cake without the crumble topping – BUT WHY WOULD YOU DO THAT? Crumble is the best! So, there is loads on top of my German Plum Crumble Cake, as well as some flaked almonds for an extra bit of crunch! Yummy!
What should you serve your Plum Crumble Cake with?
Well, the Germans absolutely LOVE serving this type of cake with a dollop of lightly sweetened whipped cream! And that´s probably what I would opt for if given the choice! It´s harder than you may think to make the perfect whipped cream, so make sure you check out my baking basics post on How To Make Crème Chantilly to learn about what to look out for!
Alternatively, to go down a more “British” route, you might want to serve your plum crumble cake with some thick, warm vanilla custard (also an excellent choice!). To learn how to make your own, check out my baking basics post on How To Make Crème Anglaise (Custard)!
More German Baking Recipes
Having grown up in Germany (eating loads of bread and cake, haha) I have a lot of recipes on my blog inspired by my childhood there. Check out some of my favourites below:
- Black Forest Gateau | “Schwarzwälder Kirschtorte”
- Laugenbrezeln | German Pretzels
- Baked Chocolate Cheesecake | “Russischer Zupfkuchen”
- Seeded and Carrot Loaf | “Muntermacher”
- Strawberry Flan Cake | “Erdbeerboden”
- Marbled Traybake with Cherries and Chocolate | “Donauwellen”
- Beesting Cake | “Bienenstich”
- Enriched Dough Plait filled with Chocolate and Nuts | “Nusszopf”
- German Baked Cheesecake | “Käsekuchen”
- Bauernbrot | Classic German Bread Baking
- “Haselnussbrot” – Hazelnut Shortbread Biscuits dipped in Chocolate
- Chocolate-Orange Crescent Biscuits | Schoko-Orangen Kipferl
- Plum Crumble Cake | Zwetschenkuchen mit Streuseln
- Kirschlikuchen | Cherry and Chocolate Cake
- Neujahrsbrezel | Enriched Dough Plait for New Year’s Day
- Laugenzöpfe | German Breakfast Rolls
- Chocolate and Hazelnut Bundt Cake | Nusskuchen mit Nussglasur
German Plum Crumble Cake | Zwetschenkuchen mit Streuseln | German Baking Classic
Recipe
Ingredients:
FOR THE CAKE:
- 175g Quark
- 1 large egg
- 60ml milk
- 50ml sunflower oil
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 230g plain flour
- 2 tsp baking powder
- 60g sugar
- Pinch of salt
- Zest of 1 lemon
FOR THE CRUMBLE TOPPING:
- 100g flour
- 50g butter
- 50g light brown sugar
- Pinch of salt
- 1 tsp cinnamon (I used 1 tbsp!)
TO FINISH:
- 500-600g plums, de-stoned and quartered
- 25g flaked almonds
- A little icing sugar, to dust
YOU WILL ALSO NEED:
Method:
- Start by preparing the crumble topping. Put all the ingredients into a small mixing bowl and use your fingertips to rub the dry ingredients into the butter. Chill in the fridge until needed.
- Wash the plums and pat dry with some kitchen towel. Slice each plum in half and remove the stone, then cut each half into 3-4 wedges.
- Lightly grease the tin with some melted butter and line the base with baking paper. Preheat the oven to 180°C.
- Combine all the ingredients for the cake in a large mixing bowl and beat with an electric whisk (or wooden spoon) for about a minute until everything is fully incorporated and you have a smooth cake batter.
- Spoon the cake mix into the prepared tin and level the surface. Evenly distribute the plums on top and lightly press into the cake mix. Then sprinkle the crumble over the cake.
- Bake in the preheated oven for about 20 minutes, then sprinkle the flaked almonds on top. Bake for a further 10-15 minutes until the almonds are toasted and a skewer inserted into the sponge comes out clean.
- Place the cake on a wire rack to cool for about 20 minutes in the tin, then carefully remove and leave to cool completely. Dust with icing sugar and serve withs some sweetened whipped cream (Crème Chantilly) or homemade vanilla custard (Crème Anglaise).
