German Plum Cake (Pflaumenkuchen)

German plum cake on a platter with whipped cream

5 from 5 votes

German Plum Cake (Pflaumenkuchen)

This authentic German plum cake tastes just like Oma's and is the best way to celebrate plum season. Start with a cookie-like crust on the bottom topped with a German cheesecake layer. Then pile on loads of fresh plums AND finally some buttery streusel.

This plum cake is perfect with a cup of coffee and freezes incredibly well for future Kaffee and Kuchen dates (so you only have to bake this cake once every season).

The fruit can be switched out for other fruit, and apricots, cherries, apples, rhubarb or raspberries are often used in German sheet cakes like this one.

Prep Time30

Cook Time1 5

Resting Time30

Total Time2 5

Course: Baking, Brunch, Coffee, Dessert, Kaffee

Cuisine: German

Keyword: German plum cake recipe, Pflaumenkuchen recipe, plum baking recipe, plum cake recipe, plum cheesecake recipe

Servings: slices

Calories: 435kcal

Equipment

1 Baking Sheet I used a rimmed baking sheet, about 17 by 11 inches in size or 43 by 28 centimeters. A little larger or smaller is fine, too.
Parchment Paper
1 small rolling pin to help distribute the dough onto the baking sheet
1 Stand Mixer paddle attachment for the bottom layer and whisk attachment for the cheesecake layer

Ingredients

Bottom Layer Dough

350 grams all purpose flour
100 grams sugar
170 grams butter room temperature
¼ teaspoon baking powder
2 eggs large size
1 teaspoon vanilla extract I make my own by combining scraped vanilla bean pods and vodka in a small glass bottle and letting it infuse for a couple of months
1 pinch salt

Cheesecake Layer

140 grams butter soft
170 grams sugar
4 eggs large
1 kilogram quark or substitute half low-fat cream cheese and half thick-strained Greek yogurt (I like the Fage brand)
40 grams cornstarch
1 lemon organic, zest and juice

Streusel Topping

120 grams flour
60 grams almond flour No almond flour? Skip adding it and increase the amount of flour instead. You could also use only almond flour instead.
80 grams butter
60 grams sugar

Fruit

1 kilograms fresh plums you can also use other fruit such as apricots, apples, berries or cherries.

Metric - US Customary

Instructions

Make the bottom crust

For the cookie-like cake, knead together all dough ingredients until you achieve a dough with smooth consistency.
350 grams all purpose flour, 100 grams sugar, 170 grams butter, ¼ teaspoon baking powder, 2 eggs, 1 teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 pinch salt
Form into a ball, cover in plastic wrap and allow to rest in the fridge for 30 minutes.
Preheat the oven to 350℉ or 180℃ (conventional setting, NOT convection).
Cover a rimmed baking pan (about 17 by 11 inches or 43 by 28 centimeters) with parchment paper. It tends to stick better when you first rub some oil on the pan.
Roll out the dough onto the baking sheet or press it down using your fingers and palms.
Poke holes into the dough using a fork and par-bake for 10 minutes.

Cheesecake Layer

In the meantime, beat together soft butter and sugar until foamy. Add in the eggs one at a time. Add in the quark, cornstarch, lemon zest and juice and beat until incorporated.
140 grams butter, 170 grams sugar, 4 eggs, 1 kilogram quark, 40 grams cornstarch, 1 lemon
Using a spatula, spread onto the par-baked crust and bake for 30 more minutes.

Fruit

For the topping, prep your plums by washing, cutting them in half, removing the stones and cutting into wedges (about 8 wedges per plum).
1 kilograms fresh plums

Streusel

For the streusel, using your hands, knead together flour, almond flour, butter and sugar, then crumble it apart with your fingers to make the streusel.
120 grams flour, 60 grams almond flour, 80 grams butter, 60 grams sugar
After the second stage of baking is finished, remove cake from the oven, and evenly distribute the plums first (I like to make pretty rows), and then the streusel.
Bake for another 25 minutes (you may also turn on your broiler for a couple of minutes towards the end to add an extra golden color to the streusel).
Serve with some fresh whipped cream (I add a little bit of powdered sugar and some vanilla extract in mine) and a cup of coffee. Oma will be so proud!

Video

Notes

Use different kind of fruit. In Germany, it's common to make these kinds of sheet cakes (called Blechkuchen there) with different kinds of fruit, depending on what's in season and what you can find. Some popular options besides plums are:

apricots
apples
cherries
raspberries, blackberries, red currants or other berries
rhubarb

Sometimes my Oma would make half a sheet cake topped with one kind of fruit and the other half topped with a different kind.

No quark? Use half low-fat cream cheese (best when at room temperature or warmed a little bit) and half thick-strained Greek yogurt (such as the one by the Fage brand). Follow all other instructions.

Want to make a simpler German plum cake?
Check out this German apple streusel sheet cake and use plums instead. I also love this rhubarb cake (you can use plums instead), which uses a yeast-based cake bottom and is SO SIMPLE to make. Finally, this spiced plum tart with marzipan is also a super delicious and pretty way to eat more plums!

Nutrition