Plum Cake

My grandmother Bartz (my mother's mother) didn't make rich desserts, but she did make simple cakes which we called by their German name, Kuchen. There were different types of Kuchen: One simply had a crumb topping. Others had fresh fruit (such as plums or apples) ensconced in the dough. Plum cake (Pflaumen Kuchen) was one of her most memorable creations.

We have no written recipe that dates back to her, so the cake recipe was probably one she had learned from memory.














When I came across a plum cake recipe in the newspaper, I was excited: Could this replicate my grandmother's "lost" recipe? A week ago, I gave it a try. And yes, it does taste a lot like my grandmother's German-style plum cake, ...so I pass it on.

Plum Cake (perfect for breakfast or afternoon tea)

Base:
Mix together:

• 2 eggs
• 3/4 cup of sugar
• 1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla (optional)
• 1/2 cup of cooking oil
• 3 tablespoons orange or lemon juice
• 2 teaspoons baking powder

The batter will be thick.


















Spread batter over parchment paper on greased pan. The recipe suggests a 9" round pan, but any pan of approximately that size will do. Because of the number of plums I had prepared, I divided the dough between two pans, making two thinner bases.

Plum Topping:
The recipe calls for: two pounds of plums, quartered and pitted...














...mixed with 1/3 cup of sugar and a teaspoon of cinnamon.














Artfully arrange the fruit on top, pressing it slightly into the dough. Bake at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for approximately 1 hour and 10 minutes, testing with a toothpick to see if it the dough is cooked.

My grandmother did this step a little differently. She pitted the plums and halved them. Then she lay them in tight rows over the batter, pressing them into the dough a bit. Then she sprinkled the mixture of sugar and cinnamon on top. (My grandmother's method meant that there were no prepared plums left over.


















Since I made two thinner cakes to use up all the plums, I needed to bake them for only 45 minutes.














A delicious cake - very reminiscent of my grandmother's Pflaumen Kuchen!

(Now I plan to try the same base recipe for apple Kuchen!)