German cake with plums on a vanilla pudding bed and streusel topping.
When it comes to cakes, German bakeries are number one! They also play a part in the country’s culture and many varieties have been made the same way for centuries.
Cakes are not only something people eat at a birthday party; many Germans hold onto the tradition of having a cake and coffee break every day around 3 or 4 pm.
There are two words for cakes in Germany: Kuchen and Torten.
A Kuchen is usually a cake without cream frosting but can have some sort of fruit or streusel topping, filling or glaze.
Torten are cakes with more than one layer, and in between the layers is some sort of filling. Torten also can have fruit, nuts, whipped cream, chocolate, etc. on top.
How is plum cake called in German?
Plum cake is either called “Pflaumenkuchen” or “Zwetschgenkuchen”.
How to pronounce “Pflaumenkuchen” and “Zwetschgenkuchen”?
Listen to this audio file to hear how to say “Pflaumenkuchen” and “Zwetschgenkuchen” in German.
While most Germans have an afternoon coffee during the week, the Kuchen or cake is often reserved for the weekends only, especially Sundays. You will find a lot of family gatherings like birthdays, holidays or even weddings will start with Kaffee and Kuchen.
When my husband and I hosted a BBQ party we started at 3.30 pm with a coffee and German cake buffet. Our American friends thought it was weird to have ‘dessert’ before dinner, but for Germans it is the normal way to do cake in the afternoon.
The German cuisine a traditional dessert is more something like creams, mousses, puddings and ice cream variations.
How to make German Plum Cake Video Tutorial
Authentic German Plum Cake Recipe
German Plum Cake with Streusel Topping & Pudding Filling
Ingredients
Dough
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ tbsp. baking powder
- ½ cup sugar
- 9 tbsp. butter soft
- 1 egg
Pudding Filling
- 3/4 cup milk
- 3/4 cup heavy cream
- 3.4 oz. instant vanilla pudding
- 2 tbsp. sugar
- ½ cup sour cream
Fruit Topping
- 2 pounds plums or prunes
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 1 tbsp. Pectin, optional
- Powdered sugar for decorating, optional
Instructions
Dough:
- Add all ingredients for the dough to a medium sized bowl and mix on low until crumbles form.
- Reserve 1/3 of the crumble for the topping.
- Knead the rest of the crumble to a smooth dough.
- Grease and flour a spring form, alternatively you can use All Tastes German homemade baking grease.
- Place the dough into the springform and spread it out evenly.
- Form a rim by pulling up the dough with flowered fingers.
- Even out thin areas.
- Cover and place into the fridge.
Pudding:
- Add the instant pudding powder and the milk to a bowl and mix well.
- Then whisk in the heavy cream.
- Mix in the sour cream.
- Cover and set aside.
Preparing Plums:
- Wash and dry the plums.
- Remove the pits and cut them into halves.
- Cut each half into thirds or quarters depending on the size of the plum.
Cake Assembly & Baking
- Pre-heat the oven to 350°F.
- Spread the vanilla pudding on top of the dough.
- Layer the plums on top.
- Mix the pectin with the sugar and sprinkle it on top of the plums.
- Spread the crumble evenly on top.
- Bake in the pre-heated at 350°F for about 60 minutes or until the cake is done and the crumble is golden brown.
- Allow the cake to cool completely before removing it from the pan.
- Place the cake onto a cake plate and sprinkle it with powdered sugar (optional).
Nutrition Information:
Yield: 1 Serving Size: 1 gramsAmount Per Serving: Unsaturated Fat: 0g
Join the German Coffee & Cake Culture
Our goal is to introduce this wonderful German tradition of coffee and cake in the United States.
Are you joining us? Try all of our amazing cake recipes and serve it with your favorite coffee variation in the afternoon.
The alltastesgerman website is one of the best we have found, and the German Plum Cake!
Thanks and kisses! 🙂
Thank you Katlyn, that is really nice. I hope you will enjoy the plum cake as much as I do.
Hallo Angela,
I bought some beautiful plums today and want to try making this wonderful looking and sounding cake. I’m a little confused about the pudding filling….I want to make mine from scratch so do I simply substitute your homemade vanilla pudding recipe for the vanilla filling? The ingredient amounts are different so I wanted to double check. Also, what IS vanilla pudding mix – just the instant vanilla pudding found in the grocery store? Thanks in advance for your help. I’m so looking forward to this cake!
Hallo Carol, thank you for the great questions. I wrote you an email with all answers.