German plum cake

A classic German plum cake with shortcrust crumble — Zwetschgenkuchen. It is baked in a wide tin or on a tray so that it stays shallow.

24 cm tin

Ingredients

For the batter

• plums — 500 g
• butter — 100 g
• sugar — 150 g
• eggs — 3
• flour — 150 g
• cinnamon — 1 tsp

For the crumble

• butter — 120 g
• sugar — 120 g
• flour — 250 g

Method

1. Beat room-temperature butter with the sugar until pale. Butter at room temperature whips more easily and gives a lighter, more tender batter.
2. Add the eggs one at a time and beat.
3. Add the flour and cinnamon. Beat until smooth.
4. Halve the plums, then halve them again, removing the stones.
5. For the crumble, combine all the ingredients and rub them together by hand.
6. Line the tin with baking paper or grease it with butter.
7. Spread the batter, lay the plums over it in a single layer and cover with the crumble.
8. Bake in an oven preheated to 180°C for about 40 minutes. A golden crust is the sign that it is done.

Tips

• The quantities are for a 24 cm tin. A rectangular dish or a baking tray works too: the wider the tin, the shallower the cake. The base layer of batter should be 1–2 cm.
• Peaches or apricots can be used instead of plums — they go just as well with cinnamon.
• The amount of sugar can be varied.