German Plum Cake

October 10, 2013 ~ bakingwithsibella.com ~ 25 Comments

German plum cake is a dear guest at our house at least once a year (while the Stanley plums are in season). The recipe reminds me so of my high school years. I sat in my German class and looked through a German magazine trying to find an article to practice translating. I came across a beautiful photo and recipe of this cake, so I asked my teacher if I could translate the recipe instead of an article. She thought it was a great idea.

This recipe has been in my old, yellowed recipe book ever since. The cake is easily made and it’s huge. It can feed a large group of relatives or friends. It’s good warm or cold and it goes so well with a cup or morning coffee or tea. Enjoy my friends!

German Plum Cake

{Printable recipe}

Dough:

250 g (8.8 oz) low fat cream cheese (or German quark cheese)
125 g (1/2 cup + 2 TBSP) sugar
1 vanilla sugar (1 tsp vanilla extract)
10 TBSP milk
10 TBSP oil
1 small lemon (juice and zest)
500 g (17.6 oz or about 4 cups) flour
20 g (0.7 oz) baking powder

Filling:

1.5 kg (3.3 lbs)Stanley plums
3 TBSP sugar
2 large eggs
100 g (1/2 cup) sugar
1 vanilla sugar (1 tsp vanilla extract)
80 g (2/3 cup) flour
100 g (3.5 oz) sliced almonds

Also needed:

1 large rectangular baking pan (13 X 18 inches ) 33 X 46 cm.
Parchment paper

Preparation:

For the dough combine cream cheese, sugar, vanilla in a mixing bowl. Start mixing at a low speed, slowly adding milk and oil. Add juice and lemon zest. Combine flour and baking powder and stir well. Gradually add to the rest and mix until well combined.
Cover the dough with plastic and let it rest until needed
Wash, dry and pit plums. Half them and make a small cut on each half (as you going to quarter them), but don’t cut all the way through.
Dust your working surface with flour. Place the dough on the surface and roll it out into the size of the pan. Line your baking pan with parchment paper and transfer the dough onto the pan.
Place the plums in thick rows on the dough. Sprinkle with 3 TBSP of sugar.
Beat 2 large eggs with sugar and vanilla until pale yellow, add flour and mix until smooth.
Pour over the plums and sprinkle with sliced almonds
Bake at 200 C (400 F) for 30-35 minutes or until lightly brown on the top.
Cool slightly and slice into squares.

ENJOY!

Oven-baked Plum Jam

September 12, 2013September 13, 2013 ~ bakingwithsibella.com ~ 8 Comments

This is an easy-to-make jam with only three ingredients and no additives. I call it Grandma-Style Jam. 🙂 It reminds me of my childhood and the warm days of late summer when I helped my grandmother can all the veggies and fruit of the harvest.

This old fashioned jam is made with Stanley Plums, those oval, pretty, deep bluish-purple ones. Jam takes some time to bake, but there is no artificial ingredients and the jam keeps very very well for a year and without refrigeration.

I’ve used this jam for breakfast with bread and butter, with pancakes and waffles, in crumble/coffee cakes, sweet yeasted buns or buchteln. I am sure you will find a way to use this fragrant, sweet tasting goodness!

♥

{Printable Recipe}

Ingredients:

3 kg (about 6 1/2 lbs) Stanley Plums
1 kg (about 2 lbs) sugar
1.5 dl (2/3 cup) rum

Also needed:

1 roasting pan with lid (I use an oval turkey roasting pan)
A wooden spoon
Jars and canning supplies

Making jam:

Wash your plums thoroughly (I wash them three times), place on kitchen towel and dry lightly, pit them and half them. All fruit need to be absolutely healthy, discard any that have rotten parts.
Preheat your oven to 200 C (400 F).
Place the plums into a deep roasting pan. Do not over fill because jam maybe be boiling over and messing up your oven.
Pour sugar over plums and stir until well incorporated.
Place the lid on the pan and put in the middle of the oven.
Keep the lid for the first 30 minutes of baking.
After the first 30 minutes, take off the lid and stir the plums.
Bake for another 2 – 2 ½ hours, stirring every 30 minutes.
When you notice jam is thickening, add rum and bake for another 10 minutes.
Fill into clean, sterilized and hot jars and follow your usual canning procedure.

Enjoy!

♥

Somewhere in the middle of baking

♥

Grandma’s Plum Cake

October 9, 2011October 10, 2011 ~ bakingwithsibella.com ~ 8 Comments

My favorite kind of plums are Damson plums. They are very common in Bosnia, where I grew up. Their smell and taste remind me of my childhood and my grandparents.

I was so happy to find them on my Saturday’s visit to our local Farmer’s Market. I decided to make this cake by my grandma’s recipe. Her plum cake is delicious, rich and aromatic, and the whole house was enveloped in its heavenly smell.

Ingredients:

2.2 lbs (1 kg) Damson plums (washed, pitted and quartered)
1 pack of vanilla sugar (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
4 tbsp sugar
1 tbsp cinnamon

5 eggs (divided)
1 cup (200 g) sugar
1 pack of vanilla sugar (or 1 tsp vanilla extract)
6 tbsp (85 g) unsalted butter (melted)
1 small lemon (zest and juice)
2 cups (250 g) all-purpose flour
1 tbsp baking powder
1 cup (75 g) walnuts (coarsely chopped)

1 tbsp confectioners sugar (for sprinkling the cake)

Also needed:

Parchment paper
9 X 13 inch (23 X 33 cm) rectangular baking pan

1. Wash the plums, dry them, remove pits and quarter them. Mix sugar, vanilla sugar (or extract), cinnamon and sprinkle over plums. Mix well and set aside.

2. For the batter beat egg whites with just a pinch of salt, until shiny and firm. Set aside.

3. Mix egg yolks, sugar and vanilla sugar at a fast rate and until pale yellow, add melted butter and continue mixing for another minute.

4. Fold in (by hand) lemon juice and zest. Also gently fold in flour and at the end egg whites just until combined (Batter needs to look fluffy).

5. Now add the plums into batter and mix them in well (by hand).

6. Pour the batter into 9 X 13 in rectangular baking pan, lined with parchment paper. Sprinkle with chopped walnuts.

7. Bake at 395 F (200 C) about 30 minutes. Cool down completely, sprinkle with confectioners sugar.

BON APPETIT!!! 🙂

Damson Plums – fresh from the Farmer’s Market

Batter

In the pan and sprinkled with walnuts

Voila!