Cherry Kuchen

I was flipping through some of the blogs I follow when the words Plum Kuchen caught my eye. My grandmother used to make plum kuchen! The words brought back memories of this fruit-covered coffee cake, a summer favorite when plums were in season.

It was in the Vegan Yum Yum blog (Remember her "knit" marzipan cupcake icing?!) Well, she had veganized a Gourmet Magazine recipe for Plum Kuchen. So I went to the original - then googled Plum Kuchen, wondering if there were other ways to make it - as my grandmother had put the fruit on the top - half plums pushed into the dough, then sprinkled lightly with sugar and cinnamon - and these recipes put the fruit in the bottom, then turned the cakes upside down when removing them from the pan.

My hunt for another recipe led me to another food blog (Smitten Kitchen) that raved about the Gourmet Magazine recipe - and offered her own variations. So I decided to try it...














I must admit, as usual, I didn't exactly follow the recipe! So here is my own whole wheat and spelt flour variation!! (Isn't modifying recipes and experimenting what cooking is all about?!)














I also made it with some frozen sour cherries I had in the freezer instead of plums!

So without repeating the original recipe, I'll provide my variations.

1. Instead of 2 cups of white flour, I used 1 cup of (unbleached) white flour plus half a cup of spelt flour and half a cup of (soft) whole wheat flour.

2. I used milk reconstituted from skimmed milk powder plus a teaspoon of vinegar instead of yogurt. A teaspoon of lemon juice instead of vinegar would have added some interesting flavor. ...Next time!

3. I used salted butter in the batter and the pan, but then I rarely add salt when I cook.














4. I let the dough rise in the oven with the light on to generate a little warmth - I didn't cover it.














5. And finally, I sprinkled a little sugar and cinnamon on top of the batter before I baked it.

A note about yeast... I find that most yeast - even if it has been in the fridge for a long time usually will bubble up - if given enough time (unless it has been scalded). The yeast I used was not fresh, so I did have to wait a bit longer to have it bubble up. And I added a tablespoon of sugar to the yeast/water mixture to speed things up a bit!

I don't know what the gourmet magazine kuchen tasted like - it must be amazing to have so many blogs comment on it - but I was satisfied with my kuchen...














Next time I make it, I plan to use plums, put the fruit on top, and sprinkle sugar and cinnamon on it - just like my grandmother did... Hopefully it will taste as good as hers!