German Plum Cake with Streusel and Shortcrust Pastry (Zwetschgendatschi)

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 A traditional German plum cake recipe topped with crunchy streusel on simple shortcrust pastry! Zwetschgendatschi is classic German baking at its best!

At the end of summer, the first plums arrive, which means it’s time for delicious German Plum Cake! Today I’m sharing my favorite recipe for Bavarian Plum Cake with Streusel and Shortcrust Pastry. Here in Bavaria, we call it Zwetschgendatschi! In Franconia, it is called Zwetschgenplootz.

What is Zwetschgendatschi?

A Zwetschgendatschi is a traditional German plum sheet cake (some might call these plum bars?) made with a rich shortcrust or yeast dough base, topped with fresh plums and often streusel. There are variations of this dessert that use yeast dough for a lighter texture and others that use a quicker, buttery shortcrust pastry.

I went for the shortcrust pastry for this recipe. It’s quick, easy, and always a success. Plus shortcrust pastry is faster to make than yeast dough and, in my opinion, tastes even better! Lots of crunchy butter streusel and cinnamon make our sweet plums feel right at home. With minimal effort, this simple & authentic German plum sheet cake turns out perfectly.

Those who know me are aware that I LOVE plum cakes and Zwetschgenkuchen and come up with new recipes every year. Have you tried my German Plum Cake without Yeast or my Cinnamon Streusel Plum Jam Cookies? My plum muffins are currently trending online, so if you share my love for plums, be sure to check those out too.

This is what makes this plum cake so delicious:

• We put the streusel base (shortcrust pastry) directly into the sheet pan – no rolling out needed!
• For simplicity, I let the mixer make the dough, but you can do everything by hand if you prefer. Besides a scale, no kitchen appliances are necessary.
• The plums are sprinkled with brown sugar, vanilla sugar, a pinch of salt, and cinnamon, making the cake even tastier and wonderfully fragrant.
• If you like, you can serve it with whipped cream or a dollop of crème fraîche.
• In the video, I give you an old granny tip on how to quickly quarter the plums!

My plum cake recipe is totally uncomplicated and therefore absolutely foolproof. Enjoy!

Italian Plums vs Regular Plums

• Italian Plums are slightly more tart and have firmer flesh than regular plums. This makes them better suited for baking as they can handle a bit more sugar and cinnamon.
• The amount of sugar may seem like a lot, but trust me, they can handle this quantity. Choose firmer fruits that are not overly ripe yet.
• If you can’t find Italian plums, you can use regular plums or even prunes. Just make sure to select ones that are firm and slightly underripe to achieve the best results.

What pan to use for baking Zwetschgendatschi?

I baked my Zwetschgenkuchen in this 16.5 x 11.4 inch Dr. Oetker baking pan. I like this pan because it comes with a transport lid, and since we took the Datschi straight to Sunday coffee with my family, it was the perfect choice.

If you don’t have a pan of this size, you can use a standard half-sheet pan (18 x 13 inches) or a 9 x 13-inch baking dish. Just keep in mind that the thickness of the cake may vary slightly, and you may need to adjust the baking time accordingly.

Did you like our Zwetschgendatschi recipe as much as we did? Then you absolutely must try my plum tart with streusel , this Plum Cheesecake and my recipe for plum compote ( Zwetschgenröster!)

If you enjoy German Baking, check out my Collection of the best German Recipes for Spring & Summer all without ads!

Get the E-book for 10,99 USD or Get the Paperback on Amazon!

For more recipe videos, Check out my YouTube Channel Bavarian Bites!

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German Plum Cake with Streusel Topping (Zwetschgendatschi)

 A traditional German plum cake recipe topped with crunchy streusel on simple shortcrust pastry! Zwetschgendatschi is classic German baking at its best!

Course Dessert

Cuisine German

Keyword Bavarian Plum Cake, German Plum Cake, German Zwetschgendatschi

Prep Time 30 minutes

Cook Time 50 minutes

Total Time 1 hour 20 minutes

Servings 12

Calories 300 kcal

Ingredients

For the Dough:

• 300 g 2 1/2 cups flour
• 100 g 1/2 cup sugar
• Zest of 1 lemon
• 150 g 2/3 cup butter
• 1 pinch salt
• 1/2 packet baking powder 8 g or 1 tsp
• 1 egg + 1 egg yolk large

For the Topping:

• 1.2 kg 2 1/2 lbs plums, not too soft
• 3 tbsp breadcrumbs or ground nuts
• 3 tbsp brown sugar
• 2 packets bourbon vanilla sugar approx. 1 1/2 tbsp
• 1 1/2 tsp cinnamon

For the Streusel:

• 120 g 1/2 cup butter
• 80 g 1/3 cup sugar
• 170 g 1 1/3 cups flour
• 1 tube Dr Oetker butter vanilla flavor or 1 tsp vanilla paste

Instructions

**Prepare the Plums:**

1. Wash, pit, and quarter the plums. Watch the video for getting my secret plum-cutting hack! Then keep them cool.

**Prepare the Dough:**

1. Combine all the ingredients for the dough in a bowl and mix with a hand mixer until smooth.
2. Grease a half baking sheet with a rim and spread the dough evenly on it.
3. Sprinkle the dough with breadcrumbs.

**Add the Topping:**

1. Spread the prepared plums evenly over the dough.
2. Mix the brown sugar, vanilla sugar, and cinnamon well, then sprinkle evenly over the plums.

**Preheat the Oven:**

1. Preheat the oven to 350°F (180°C).

**Make the Streusel:**

1. Combine the ingredients for the streusel in a small bowl and knead into a crumbly dough with your fingers.
2. Spread the streusel evenly over the plums.

**Bake the Cake:**

1. Bake the cake on the middle rack for about 50 minutes until the streusel is golden brown and the cake is baked through.

Recipe Video