Description
Zwetschgendatschi is a classic German plum sheet cake from Bavaria – a short crust pastry, topped with Italian plums. It is traditionally served with vanilla sugar-sweetened whipped cream.
Ingredients
- 4 ¾ cups all-purpose flour
- 4 teaspoons baking powder
- 1 cup white sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla sugar
- 2 pinches salt
- 1 ⅓ cups unsalted butter, room temperature and cut into chunks
- 2 eggs
- 2 ¼ pounds Italian prune plums, halved and pitted
- 2 tablespoons white sugar
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 2 tablespoons unsalted butter, room temperature and cut into chunks
- 1 tablespoon sliced almonds (Optional)
Instructions
- Combine flour and baking powder in a large bowl. Mix in 1 cup sugar
- vanilla sugar
- and salt. Add 1 1/3 cups butter and eggs. Knead everything into a smooth dough. Shape dough into a ball
- press flat
- cover
- and chill in the refrigerator 1 hour to overnight.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease a baking sheet with butter.
- Cut halved plums in half again
- without cutting all the way through
- so they fan out.
- Roll pastry dough out on a lightly floured work surface. Line the bottom and sides of the prepared baking sheet with dough. Mix 2 tablespoons sugar and cinnamon together in a bowl.
- Arrange plums side by side on the pastry dough; very small plums should overlap. Dot plums with 2 tablespoons butter and sprinkle with cinnamon sugar and almonds.
- Bake in the preheated oven until pastry crust is lightly browned
- 30 to 40 minutes. Remove from oven. Allow plum cake to cool
- then cut into squares. Serve lukewarm or at room temperature.
Prep Time: 30 mins
Cook Time: 30 mins
Total Time: 2 hrs
Servings: 16